Cherrie is gleeful. “You didn’t know?”
“NO, I DIDN’T KNOW.”
“Come on, Anna.” Matt tries to lead me away, but I push him aside and jump onstage. I open my mouth, but no words come out.
Bridge final y looks at me. “I’m sorry,” she whispers.
“You’re sorry? You’ve been dating Toph for the last month, and you’re sorry?”
“It just happened. I meant to tell you, I wanted to tell you—”
“But you lost control over your mouth? Because it’s easy, Bridge. Talking is easy. Look at me! I’m talking right—”
“You know it wasn’t that easy! I didn’t mean for it to happen, it just did—”
“Oh, you didn’t mean to wreck my life? It just ‘happened’?”
Bridge stands up from behind her drums. It’s impossible, but she’s tal er than me now. “What do you mean, wreck your life?”
“Don’t play dumb, you know exactly what I mean. How could you do this to me?”
“Do what? It’s not like you were dating!”
I scream in frustration. “We certainly won’t be now!”
She sneers. “It’s kind of hard to date someone who’s not interested in you.”
“LIAR!”
“What, you ditch us for Paris and expect us to put our lives on hold for you?”
My jaw drops. “I didn’t ditch you. They sent me away.”
“Ooo, yeah. To Paris. Meanwhile, I’m stuck here in Shitlanta, Georgia, at the same shitty school, doing shitty babysitting jobs—”
“If babysitting my brother is so shitty, why do you do it?”
“I didn’t mean—”
“Because you want to turn him against me, too? well . Congratulations, Bridge. It worked. My brother loves you and hates me. So you’re welcome to
move in when I leave again, because that’s what you want, right? My life?”
She shakes with fury. “Go to hel .”
“Take my life. You can have it. Just watch out for the part where my BEST FRIEND SCREWS ME OVER!” I knock over a cymbal stand, and the brass
hits the stage with an earsplitting crash that reverberates through the bowling all ey. Matt cal s my name. Has he been cal ing it this entire time? He grabs my arm and leads me around the electrical cords and plugs and onto the floor and away, away, away.
Everyone in the bowling all ey is staring at me.
I duck my head so my hair covers my face. I’m crying. This would have never happened if I hadn’t given Toph her number. all of those late-night
practices and . . . he said they’ve had sex! What if they’ve had it at my house? Does he come over when she’s watching Seany? Do they go in my
bedroom?
I’m going to be sick. I’m going to be sick. I’m going to be—