Devils' Day Party: A High School Bully Romance - C.M. Stunich Page 0,148

themselves. “And any friend of the Knight Crew is no friend of mine.” She plants her chin in her hand and keeps her gaze out the window. “How far along are you? Maybe an abortion would be best?”

“I've never panted after the Knight Crew,” I say, frowning hard and tightening my hands around the wheel. Pearl glances back at me with a pale brow raised, smiling wickedly at the sight of my anger.

“No? Well, you watch them the same way they watch you, and that's pretty much the same thing.” Pearl leans back in the seat as the song switches to “The In-Between” by In This Moment. It's the perfect tune for Devils' Day, I must say. Even the video reminds me of the holiday, with the lead singer dressed in a white shroud, a crescent moon symbol on her forehead. I shiver. “Don't have a baby just to give it to the Knights. Look what they've done to Calix.” Her mouth tightens and something strange comes over her expression. “And his brother, Cooper, is even worse.”

“Abortion laws in Arkansas are draconian,” I say, although that wouldn't be an excuse I'd use if I actually needed one. Women know when they're ready to become mothers, and if I wasn't, I wouldn't let some bullshit laws stop me from traveling out of state. “What sort of food are you into?” I ask quickly, trying to change the subject. The more I have to dig into this lie, the worse I feel. I shouldn't be lying to get Pearl to pay attention to me; that won't change shit for either of us.

“Mud Street Café,” she says easily, and I feel my gut churn slightly. The last time I was there, I was with Calix. We had a good fucking morning. I almost—almost—believed that I'd made it to September 26th for real. But then Pearl … And knowing she'd committed suicide was killing Calix, too.

“One of my favorites,” I say, trying to choke back my feelings.

We're quiet for the rest of the ride, pulling into the historic part of Eureka Springs and nabbing a lucky parking space, just two over from where Calix stole one just the other day.

We head inside and end up sitting at the exact same fucking table.

Clearly, the universe is messing with me.

“What sort of dress were you thinking of wearing to the party tonight?” Pearl asks absently, not even bothering to pick up the menu. When the waitress comes by to grab our drink order, she rattles off some fancy coffee that's not on the menu, and the woman doesn't even blink. “Make it two,” Pearl corrects, turning back to me as our waitress leaves.

“Actually, I'd made myself something new to wear,” I say with a small sigh. “But my little sisters—they're only eight—spilled some spaghetti sauce on it. I washed it and hung it up to dry, but this morning, it was gone.”

Pearl watches me, but says nothing, and I decide that there's something about her honey-brown stare that's a bit unnerving. Even if I manage to save her, we'll never really be friends. But that's okay. Not everyone in the world needs to agree or to be friends with each other, but we can all respect one another, show a little love, and get along.

“It was gone because I stole it,” she says, and my head snaps up from the menu, my eyes widening in disbelief.

“You … what?” I ask, blinking through the shock. “How? Why?”

“I have a friend who goes to Devil Springs High.” Pearl shrugs her shoulders, and I frown. “She lives in the same mobile home park as you.”

“So, calling me Trailer Park served what purpose?” I snap, before remembering that I'm here to be a small kindness in Pearl's day.

“It pissed you off, didn't it?” she retorts, shrugging again. Here and there I see someone glance over at our pleated skirts and blazers. They all know Crescent Prep and the rich city kids who populate it. Except, I'm not one of them, the only local at a local school. “Anyway, I saw the dress, and I just … took it. I thought about wearing it to the party; I probably wouldn't have.”

“Why would you take my dress?” I ask, confused. I close my menu and glance up at Pearl. On day one, her admission is something that would’ve made me angry. Furious, probably. But after all I’ve been through, it doesn’t seem like such a big deal anymore. Perspective is important, isn’t