Games We Play (Thistle Cove 2)

“Hey,” she says.

“Do you need something?” It came across colder than I meant.

“I just wanted you to know that my dad said he’d buy a full page ad for the ice cream shop again this year.”

“That’s great,” I say, digging through the stacks of paper on my desk. I find the sheet I’m looking for. “If he’ll fill this out, that would be awesome.”

She takes it but doesn’t leave.

“I want to apologize for all the stuff that went down a few weeks ago. I shouldn’t have handled it that way.”

Turning in a video of Finn and Rose fighting that she thought would get him in trouble—just to keep him away from me. “No, you shouldn’t have. You withheld information until you thought it would hurt Finn the most—and me. That’s not fair to anyone.”

“I know,” she looks over her shoulder to see if anyone is listening. “It was selfish and petty. I was so scared of losing you again.”

“Losing me to who?”

“Finn. Ozzy. God, even Ezra Baxter is back in your orbit. There’s never been room for all of us together.”

“That’s not my fault,” I tell her. “You’re the one that doesn’t mix friends.”

“I just don’t know what you see in them. Especially Finn. He hurt you.”

“There may have been some confusion about Finn’s involvement with the prank.”

She starts to roll her eyes but stops herself. “You believe that.”

“I do.”

She bites down on her tongue. “I want us to still be friends.”

“I do too,” I say, even though I’m not sure. “But you have to accept that there will be other people in my life—including Finn.”

“What if he hurts you again?”

“I’m a big girl Alice, I can handle it.”

A tap on the door forces us to look over. Ozzy, with his trademark black cap tugged over his ears, squeezes in the space next to Alice.

“Got a minute?”

My eyes dart to Alice. “You’ll give that form to your dad?”

She frowns, realizing she’s been dismissed. I don’t trust her around anyone else right now.

“I’ll give it to him,” she says, exiting the room.

I look back at Ozzy. “What’s up?”

“I’m thinking there’s an elephant in the yearbook room.” He sits on the edge of the desk, facing me.

“What are you talking about? What elephant?” I frown. “Do you mean Alice? Because—”

“No, not Alice, although I’m curious to know what you two were talking about…but I’m thinking there’s no way we don’t get away without having some kind of special page for Rose.”

“Ah, right. Yeah. I’ve been thinking the same thing.”

“Any idea how we should handle it?”