AMBER TAPPED HER FOOT IMPATIENTLY IN THE PARKING LOT as Olivia and Peanut rounded the corner. “Come on,” she barked. “There’s already a line and you know how I hate to be in the back.”
“Yeah.” Jezebel folded her arms, mimicking Amber’s stance. “I hate to be in the back.”
“Sorry!” Peanut scurried to her side, scuffing her wedges across the asphalt. “There was traffic.”
“Mm-hm.” Amber cast a searing glance at Olivia. “More like you had to make an extra stop.”
Really?
“But I always pick Olivia up,” Peanut pleaded.
Amber looked Olivia up and down. “My old Zac Posen. How very two years ago.”
“You never looked that good in it,” Jezebel muttered.
Amber ignored the dig. “Olivia’s used to my leftovers,” she said to Jezebel, planting a hand on her hip. “But sometimes she gets greedy.”
Greedy? “What are you talking about?”
Amber’s nostrils flared. “You think I don’t know about you and Rex?”
So that’s what this was all about. Amber thought Olivia was after Rex. The idea was so ludicrous, Olivia laughed out loud.
“What’s so funny?” Amber said through clenched teeth.
“You think I want Rex? That’s ridiculous.”
“Is it?” Amber said. “I saw you. I saw you at the bonfire. When I told you to dump that loser Donté, I didn’t think you’d go after my boyfriend.”
Dammit. The bonfire. Amber must have seen her kissing Rex. How could she explain that she was trying to make Donté jealous after he had dumped her?
“You tried to take Rex from me,” Amber continued. “And now I’m taking everything from you.” Then she swung around and marched toward the line, Jezebel at her heels.
There would be no reasoning with Amber now, but she needed Peanut to believe her. “Pea,” Olivia said. “I never went after Rex. You have to believe me.”
“I’ll try and talk to her,” Peanut said. “If you get back together with Donté, that might help smooth things over.”
Donté. That’s right. She scanned the crowd, looking for him.
Peanut giggled. “He’s not here yet.” She tugged on Olivia’s arm. “Come on. Let’s get in line.”
A decent queue had already formed at the door. Mostly Bishop DuMaine students peppered with a healthy dose of Bangers and Mosh fans of all ages.
Amber stared disdainfully at the line. “I can’t believe how long it is.”
“There’s got to be someone we can cut with,” Jezebel said.
“Ooooh!” Amber squealed, pointing near the front of the line. “It’s Logan.” She stretched her arm up in the air and waved it frantically. “Logan!” she cooed.
Olivia followed Amber’s line of sight, and a smile spread across her face as she spied Margot at Logan’s side.
She looked like a totally new person. Her hair was swept loosely back from her face, which was artfully framed by escaping curls. With a tiny amount of shimmer from the cosmetics Olivia had suggested, Margot looked radiant. Her face was glowing with happiness, and she’d traded in the bulky sweaters she used to hide her body for a form-fitting scoop-neck top and boot-cut jeans. Still not quite as fashion forward as Olivia would have liked, but it was a radical improvement over the clothes that hid her from the world. Finally she’d been able to do something nice for Margot.
“Hi!” Amber said, reaching out to hug Logan. He gave her a friendly pat on the back and began to pull away, but Amber wasn’t having any of it. She entwined her arms around his neck and hung off his body. “I’m so happy you’re here.”
Yeah, happy you have a place near the front of the line.
“Me too!” Jezebel added.
“Me too . . . too,” Peanut said.
Logan extracted himself from Amber and took a step back. “It’s good to be here.”
Amber touched his arm with her hand, clearly oblivious to his body language. “It’s nice to spend some real time together. You know. Outside of school.”
Outside of Rex.
“Um, sure.” Logan ran his hand through his long blond hair. Amber’s attention seemed to confuse him. He wrapped his arm around Margot’s waist.
“Have you met Amber?” he asked. “We’re in the play together.” Logan laughed uncomfortably. “Oh yeah. You already know that.”
Amber gave Margot a once-over. “Who’s your friend?”
“This is Margot,” Logan said. His face lit up.
Amber glanced from Logan to Margot and back. “Huh?”
Logan squeezed Margot close. “From rehearsal? She’s helping Mr. Cunningham run lines for Twelfth Precinct.”
“Huh?” Amber repeated.
Olivia could actually see the moment when Amber recognized Margot. Amber’s eyes grew wide and her face tensed up. Her jaw dropped a mere inch, and Olivia noticed an almost imperceptible intake of breath.
The shock lasted a moment, replaced instantly by a steely, hardened look that froze Olivia in place.
“Margot Mejia,” she said, drawing out each syllable. “I didn’t recognize you without all that . . . weight.” She turned to Logan. “Did you know Margot used to be really fat in junior high?”
Margot’s shoulders instinctively hunched, head lowered as if she were attempting to hide herself in plain sight. No way would Olivia allow Amber to crush Margot’s spirit. Not again.
Margot felt all the heat in her body concentrate around her face and was terrified that she was either turning a fluorescent shade of crimson or sweating like a turkey in late November. She was immediately twelve years old again, walking into school the day the photo of her encased in plastic wrap had gone viral. Logan would realize she was a loser, the fat kid who’d been bullied for so long that no one at school would be seen within a ten-foot radius of her. He’d practically fall over himself trying to get away from her. Shame, panic, and an instinct to flee that was so overwhelming her feet actually shifted position.
Quiet the mind, quiet the panic. Dr. Tournay’s words were hollow and meaningless as the swell of bullying muscle memory swamped her rational mind. She felt her legs weaken, her knees buckle.
“Margot!” Olivia cried. “You were absolutely brilliant running lines with me this week. A real lifesaver.”
Margot glanced up, the panic abating. “Thanks.”
“And I love what you’ve done with your hair.” She grabbed at the short curls that crowned her own head. “I can’t wait until mine grows out so I can wear it like that.”
Margot could have hugged her.
“Oh, that’s rich,” Amber said, wheeling on Olivia. “You sticking up for her?”
“She looks gorgeous,” Logan said.
Olivia smiled at her, and Logan’s arm pulled her into his body. Both gave her strength.
Margot faced Amber. “I have a line coaching with you after school tomorrow.” With Olivia and Logan nearby, she felt emboldened in a way she’d never dreamed possible. “Mr. Cunningham says you have a lot of work to do, so if you want to come early I can probably manage that.”
“I . . .” Amber’s voice trailed off, and Margot saw the sheep beneath the wolf’s clothing—vulnerable, weak. “I don’t think I can—”
“Amber!”
Amber swung around. Storming across the parking lot were Rex and his buddies.
“Who the fuck are you talking to?” Rex asked as he wedged himself between his girlfriend and Logan. His left eye was still discolored from where Bree had punched him.
Logan stuck out his hand, affable and friendly as always. “Logan,” he said. “Amber and I are in the play together.”
Rex turned on him. “Oh yeah? And what makes you think you can talk to her in real life?”
“Dude, she talked to me.”
Rex grabbed Amber roughly by the arm. “Really? I’m five minutes late and you’re all over Point Break here?”
Amber shook herself free. “Five minutes? I was five minutes late. You’re like thirty.” She leaned in and sniffed his neck. “Drinking again? Really? You couldn’t invite me along to raid your dad’s liquor cabinet?”
Margot had to give Amber credit—no one could shift the focus of an argument quite like her.
“Babe, it’s a guy thing.”
Amber folded her arms across her chest. “Then you and your guy thing can go stand at the back of the line.”
“Fine,” Rex said. “If that’s how you want to be.” He turned to Olivia and gave her outfit the once-over with an overt expression of lust. Margot wanted to throw Logan’s jacket around Olivia’s shoulders to protect her from Rex’s eyes.
“Liv, you’re looking fierce tonight. Seriously making me pant over here.” Rex reached out and grazed her bare arm with his finger. Olivia flinched. “I’ll be seeing you later. That’s a promise.” With a glance at Amber, he marched toward the back of the line, head high, with Tyler and Kyle following in his wake.
“Dude doesn’t know how to treat a lady,” Logan said, his voice low, his lips inches from Margot’s ear.
Somehow, Margot didn’t think Logan had the same problem.
They stood awkwardly together, waiting for the door to open. Peanut and Olivia chatted away about clothes and the play, while Amber tried to look as uninterested as possible. Margot barely noticed. She felt so light and giddy she wanted to skip around in circles. She’d faced down Amber Stevens and won. Her life was about to—
An ear-splitting screech of tires jolted the crowd. Screams filled the air as a car veered erratically into the parking lot. Logan pulled Margot protectively against him, shielding her body from potential impact, but the car skidded to a halt just feet from where they stood.
The driver’s side door opened, and Margot’s jaw dropped as the driver toppled out of the car.
Coach Creed.
