Page 8 of Little Lies

Tully’s mouth dropped open.

This was an outlandish suggestion, even for Stephanie. She was fairly certain that Nathan Rondeau didn’t even know her name. For her to get enough of his attention to seduce him sounded . . . impossible. A shudder ran up her spine at how horribly she could potentially humiliate herself if she really tried to do something like this.

“There’s no way he’ll sleep with me.”

“Then just get him to kiss you or something. Something that not even Joliet could get from him.”

Tully stared at Stephanie, astounded and amazed. “When did you come up with this?”

“Just now. I think going to thatCarrieshowing the other week has inspired me, and I hate seeing you so upset. I don’t think I’ve seen you cry since sixth grade.”

Tully bit her lip, brushing at the red skin under her eyes. “I don’t know.”

“Aren’t you angry at them?”

Angry?

That was an understatement.

She was always angry at Joliet, but this was different. She was rabid with rage. Pent up rage for so long at being wronged by the person who was supposed to be a best friend for her entire life and betrayed by the boy she thought she was starting to love.

Hiding it was simply her first instinct now.

Tully nodded and wiped at another tear that fell from her eye.

“There is nothing in this world that makes me more upset than seeing my best friend cry, and I would delight in seeing Joliet get out-bitched. But it’s up to you. What do you want to do?”

Everyone already thought she was a bitch. The entire school thought so. Hell, the entire town thought so—even her family. Joliet had made sure of that.

Joliet Harding, the pretty nice cheerleader and her nameless bitch sister with straight A’s—an iconic duo that was only half-remembered.

She was sick of it.

“How do I get to Nathan?”

Stephanie grinned. “I think there’s a party next week at his house. That’s the perfect place to get his attention.”

Tully nodded again and cleared the last of her self-misery from her throat. “I guess we have a party to go to.”

six

tully

4 Days After the Party

Tully had never walked through the school hallways so fast before. She was nearly running, shoving past students who told her to watch out.

The panic gnawing away at her guts made it hard to care while she searched frantically for any sign of the infamous jock of Richmond High.

Joliet hadn’t gotten to him yet. She knew that for certain. If she had then Tully would already be buried alive by the students. But she still sat in her shallow grave anxiously waiting for a trial—by fire or whatever else.

Her heart jumped when she saw Nathan round the corner straight ahead, and by all the mercy of the gods, he was alone.

Now she really was running.

He didn’t notice her at first, too busy looking down at a notebook with his eyebrows furrowed. He scratched the top of his head, and if Tully hadn’t been more worried about other things, she would say he looked frustrated.

Her shoes tapped quickly on the tile as she sped to him, and the sound triggered his attention. His eyes snapped up and widened.

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