"We're all going to get a big table in the middle of the patio," Noelle said, hooking her arm through mine. "You know you can trust these guys at least, right? "
I cast a suspicious look at Amberly. She blushed as she noticed her bra strap showing under the boat neck of her light blue dress and she quickly tucked it away.
"Yeah. I guess." I said. But I'd be keeping my eye on the freshman, just in case. If there was one thing I'd learned over the past year, it was that sometimes the most innocent-looking people, the people you never considered, were the most evil people you'd ever encounter. And I already knew Amberly wasn't as sweet as she appeared on the outside. But Noelle was family friends with her, and she was officially in Billings, the dorm I'd be moving back into when we got home, so it appeared I was stuck with her.
"Hi, Reed! How are you feeling!?" Amberly gushed as we approached. She didn't care about me. She just wanted to feel like she was part of the drama.
"Fine," I said, striding right
past her.
I might be stuck with her, but that didn't mean I had to be nice.
Taylor, Kiran, and Tiffany rushed over to greet me with hugs and cheek kisses and questions and concerns. Everyone was talking at once, and suddenly I felt completely overwhelmed.
"Come on, people. This isn't a press conference," Noelle said, tugging on my arm. "I'm sure they have our table waiting."
Everyone immediately backed off. Noellewas, as always, in charge. I shot her a grateful look as we walked through the interior lounge area
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of the restaurant. We were about to hit the outside patio and seating area when Upton fell into step with me.
"You looklovely," he said, planting a kiss on my cheek. "Relaxed."
"Thanks," I replied.
He slipped his hand into mine and entwined our fingers together. Part of me wanted to resist, but his expression was so hopeful, I let him hold on to me. We could talk about our issues later. For now, it felt nice to have his warm fingers clutching mine. Noelle let Upton and me walk ahead while she fell back to walk with Dash. I glanced over my shoulder at them and saw him brush her fingers with his. Noelle pulled her hand away but blushed as she suddenly became very interested in Kiran's new shoes.
Things were finally getting back to normal.
We walked through the open double doors and out onto the patio en masse. The maitre d' grabbed a stack of menus and started toward a large round table right at the center of the patio. The slatted roof overhead allowed the sun to pour in over the white linen tablecloth, and all the silverware and glassware gleamed. The scents of Caribbean barbecue filled my senses, and my stomach growled audibly. Once again, I had to concede: Noelle had had a good idea.
Maybe I should just let her run my life from now on.
Upton pulled out a chair for me and I was about to sit when I heard a familiar, cloying laugh. Poppy's laugh. I stood up straight and whirled around. Poppy, Paige, and Sienna were all seated at a small table near the corner, framed by gorgeous tropical flowers bursting from the planters all along the edge of the patio. Sitting there in their designer
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sundresses, their tan skin gleaming, their heads thrown back in laughter, they would have appeared to any normal person the perfect picture of privileged youth. All I saw was an evil triad of death.
As soon as they saw me, they started to whisper to one another behind their hands. What were they doing? Plotting their next attack?
I shoved the chair aside, stepped around a stunned Upton, and walked over to their table. Their laughing mouths snapped shut as I approached. Paige Ryan looked at me as if I was some kind of straggly half-drowned cat that had just washed up on the beach. She tossed her wavy auburn hair back from her face as she reached for her water goblet.
"Oh. It's you," she said, taking a sip as she looked away.
"Which one of you did it?" I spat, hovering over them. "Which one of you shoved me off that boat?"
The diners at the nearby tables fell silent. Someone's fork clattered to the wooden floor. Sienna's jaw dropped and all three of them exchanged an appalled look.
"Excuse me?" Sienna said in her thick Spanish accent.
'You could have killed me!" I shouted, gripping the back of the one empty chair at the table. Piled on it were their colorful Tod's beach bags. I felt Upton walkup behindme, butl didn'tturn. I was too focused. "Do you think you're so untouchable? Do you think you can try to murder someone and there won't be any consequences? Which one of you did it? At least have the guts to look me in the eye and tell me!"
Sienna simply stared at me as if she was concerned for my mental
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