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“I hate that woman,” I state.
I don’t have to say who. Hannah knows, and she nods sadly. She doesn’t allow that feeling to linger, though. I can practically see her shove it away, and her face transforms with a mischievous, dimpled smile. “You know what? She’s not here tonight because of the party. We can totally sneak in here if you want to. We’ll just have to be quiet so Anae doesn’t hear us.”
Would I rather dodge Anae tonight, or Landon?
Anae is probably safer in this particular instance.
“Let’s do it. Can I just stay in here now? I don’t really want to go back to the party.”
Hannah nods. “I’ll grab you some makeup remover, a phone charger, and some snacks. Do you need me to bring up anything else?”
I shake my head. “I think I’m good. Thanks, Hannah.”
“Of course.” She pulls the door closed on her way out, but looks back at me before shutting it completely. “Lock this door in case he finds his way back up here. I’ll knock when I need you to open it.”
___
Once Hannah clears the last guest from the house, I go downstairs to help her clean up the mess from the party.
I can see she’s exhausted, so I tell her, “Why don’t you go take a shower? Let me finish up down here. That way you can get to bed sooner.”
Hannah shakes her head, sweeping up spiced jackfruit someone carelessly dropped out of their taco earlier. “It’s okay. Not like I’ll be able to fall asleep, anyway.”
I start to ask why, but when I turn, she’s heading for the kitchen.
Finally, every surface is sparkling and we’re able to head upstairs. Anae has been asleep for hours, so Hannah and I shower in separate bathrooms so we can get to bed sooner.
When I make it back to her old bedroom and climb beneath the covers, Hannah is still in her old bathroom. She comes out after brushing her teeth with her hair loosely braided and a few blonde tendrils hanging loose around her face. She’s wearing a pale blue tank top and a pair of white sleep shorts. She flashes me a smile as she hops on the bed and slides her legs beneath the blanket.
“This bed is so much more comfortable than mine,” she states.
“I mean, itisyour bed.”
“Not anymore,” she singsongs rather lightly as she pumps some lotion into her palm, then offers some to me.
I take a pump, my gaze locked on her face. “Did Jackie ever tell you why she was evicting you?”
Hannah shakes her head as she rubs the lotion into her skin. “She didn’t need to. I don’t want to talk about that.” Her gaze drifts to my jawline, no longer smeared with cheap blue lipstick, but her mind obviously replaying when it was. “Idowant to talk about what happened between you and Landon earlier.”
“AndIwant you to finish telling me about Dare. You didn’t get to before the stupid party started.”
She doesn’t look excited by the prospect, but she nods. “You go first.”
I feel a strange burst of shyness over confessing what actually happened. I don’t even know how much I want to tell her.
Despite knowing Hannah isn’t bossy and she would never judge me, I can’t help knowing if the roles were reversed, I would have a lot of opinions about what happened and what she should do next. I would be afraid for her and want to keep her safe, and I know Hannah may have the same desires…
But I also don’t think she’ll try to interfere.
It was unusual last year when she tried so hard to pull Aubrey away from Dare. Evidence of how dangerous she must truly consider him, because usually Hannah might advise a friend if she believed the guy she was with wasn’t any good, but she wouldn’t put herself in the middle of it.
Hannah gives excellent advice to those who want it, but she won’t try forcing anyone to take it.
That’s me. I would do that.
She may have determined Aubrey needed more help than most people, but Hannah knows me. She has been my best friend for years, so she knows I’m more than capable of deciding for myself how to handle my hostile housemate.
I don’t have to worry about her telling my mom or confronting Landon about his behavior. If there’s anyone in the world I can confide in without fear of it coming back to bite me, it’s Hannah.
