Page 68 of The Deal

Meg’s boyfriend Jeremy wiggles his eyebrows at me over the rim of his coffee mug. “You know this makes you the enemy now, right?”

“Aw, come on,” I protest. “That’s just mean.”

“Says the traitor,” teases Meg. “How dare you fraternize with a meathead? How. Dare. You.”

I can see from their playful expressions that it’s all in good fun. Or at least it is before Garrett texts me.

My phone meows, and I grin the second I pull it out of my purse.

Garrett: You totally should’ve come to the post-game party tonite. Some chick just dumped a pitcher of beer over Dean’s head.

I snort out loud and shoot back a quick text, because I have to know more.

Me: OMG. Why? (though I’m sure he deserved it).

Him: Guess he forgot to tell her they weren’t exclusive.

Me: Of course. Men.

Him: Men…finish that sentence…Men are awesome? Thanks, baby. I accept this award on behalf of all of us.

Me: The award for biggest douchebag? Yeah, you’re the perfect spokesman.

Him: Awwww. I’m hurt. I’m not a DB

The notion that I might have hurt his feelings causes guilt to trickle through me.

Me: You’re right. You’re not. I’m sorry.

Him: Ha. You’re the biggest softie on the planet. I wasn’t hurt at all.

Me: Good, because the apology was for show.

“Hannah Wells, please report to the principal’s office!”

My head jerks up, and I discover all four of my friends grinning at me again.

Dex, who’d voiced the booming command, addresses the group. “Oh, look, she’s paying attention to us.”

“Sorry,” I say guiltily. “I will officially put my phone away for the duration of this get-together.”

“Hey, you’ll never guess who we saw at Ferro’s last night,” Meg says, referring to the Italian restaurant in town.

“Here we go,” her boyfriend sighs. “Can’t you go five seconds without gossiping, babe?”

“Nope.” She flashes him a jovial smile before turning to me. “Cass and Mary Jane,” she announces. “They were on a date.”

“Did you know they were together?” Stella demands.

“I know he asked her out,” I admit. “But I was hoping she’d be smart enough to say no.”

But I’m not surprised to hear that MJ had done the opposite. And now I’m certainly not looking forward to Monday’s rehearsal, because if Cass and MJ are a “couple” now? I’ll never win an argument about the duet ever again.

“Is that ass-hat still causing trouble at rehearsals?” Dex asks with a frown.

“Yup. It’s like he’s made it his mission in life to piss me off. But we don’t rehearse on the weekends, so I have a reprieve from his bullshit until Monday. How’s your piece going?”

Dex’s expression turns serious. “It’s great, actually. Jon’s been really good about listening to my suggestions. He’s not crazy possessive over the song, you know? But he also has no problem saying no to my ideas, which I also appreciate.”

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