whatever.”
We all raise our cups of juice or coffee for a toast. By some mutual agreement, we don’t touch on heavier topics the rest of the meal, and instead chat and laugh about everything from the shenanigans that went down last night to our plans for the rest of the semester. They want to come to Fusion Bowl in three weeks to watch me compete, especially when I tell them Beck can’t come. But then I decide to tell them why Beck can’t come – that he’ll be on the Eileen Delarosa Show – and their priorities change real quick.
“Can we get tickets?” Lucy asks, bouncing in her seat.
“Where are your loyalties?” I tease. “I thought you wanted to come support me at Fusion Bowl?”
Zora waves a hand. “You’ll be fine. How do we get tickets to the show?”
Chuckling, I promise to ask Beck about it. We’ve paid the bill and I’m already thinking about heading to Jay Beach with Beck to work on my 720 this afternoon. Lucy and I start to slide out of the booth, but before we can, someone drops in next to me. I note Lucy’s eyes flash before I turn to find Sydney beside me. She’s glancing all around the restaurant and ducking low.
“What are you doing?” Zora’s tone is a mixture of hostility and curiosity.
“I think you were right about Fliss.” Sydney’s voice is quiet, and her eyes continue to dart around like she thinks we’re being watched.
“Uh, yeah, we know,” Ellie says, annoyance dripping from her voice.
“But you want proof, right?” Sydney pushes, sounding a little frantic.
My friends all look at me to respond, and I shrug, not sure I want to commit to a response. Of course proof would be nice, but I don’t want to encourage Sydney after hearing about her encounter with Davis this morning. Besides, I don’t trust her.
“It’s less than twenty-four hours since you told me you wanted to find the real person, or people, behind the accounts who threatened me. Your motivation was to get the sorority and Fliss – and yourself, I guess – off our shit list, right?”
Sydney is rubbing her teeth along her bottom lip and she nods slowly at my question.
“And now you’re turning on Fliss? I’m having trouble keeping up here.”
Ellie snorts beside me, but I’m not trying to be funny.
Zora hasn’t stopped scowling. “And we already know it’s Fliss. We don’t need you to tell us what we already know.”
“But what if I can prove it?”
“I don’t know that I really care anymore,” I say truthfully. “I just want to put it behind me.”
Sydney’s eyes cut to mine. “If that were true, you wouldn’t have kicked us out of your birthday party.”
Ellie growls from my other side. “I think this conversation is over. And for the record, Jordan isn’t the one who kicked you out. Griff and Beck aren’t fans of Fliss either, stalker or not.”
Lucy and Zora are already standing up, and Syd is clearly reluctant to let the conversation end on this note. Eventually she stands up too, allowing me and Ellie to slide out after her.
Zora seems intent on getting to the car and leaving without another word, and Ellie is forging ahead too. I sense Lucy beside me glance back at Sydney though. As we reach Zora’s car, I follow Lucy’s gaze. Sydney is standing on the sidewalk, arms at her sides, looking a little lost. It’s hard not to take pity on her, but even Lucy, the most likely of all of us to extend an olive branch, seems resolved not to fall into another trap. It’s not until we’re in the car and pulling away that she finally voices her thoughts. “I don’t trust her. I don’t know what this is about – getting our friendship back, redeeming her status in her sorority, or finding her way into the Brazen crew’s good graces – but I’m not giving her an inch.”
Zora huffs from the driver’s seat. “She knew exactly who Fliss was when she decided to become her friend and roommate and then bring her around. So I’m right there with you, Lucy Goosy.”
I’m not digging the mood shift. “Hey, let’s not let it ruin our day. Who else is going to Jay Beach after this?”
We start talking weekend plans, and it seems to shake off some of the annoyance left by Sydney ambushing our brunch. Aside from a few hours of homework, I’ve got the rest of the weekend to practice my 720.