Page 47 of The Art of Us

“So what’s the latest with the hobo in your house?” Tinsley asked Mara. She said it in a whisper, as if she hadn’t wanted to be overheard, but she had to know they were close enough to hear, right? Tinsley turned, made eye contact with Ireland, and smiled with a dismissive curve of her lips as she turned her attention to Kal.

“I heard you play last week, Kal. You were lit.” Tinsley’s eyes slid briefly to where Kal’s hand connected with Ireland’s, and then she let out a light laugh as her brow furrowed in evident disbelief. “I’ll be there this weekend too.”

Kal hadn’t ever liked Tinsley. The girl was an oil spill in the ocean. He always left every interaction with her feeling saturated in her toxic waste. But that was probably because Tinsley had a thing for him, and her obvious attempts to get him to pay attention to her irritated him.

Why did she think he’d be okay with her hating on the girl he was obviously with? His mom always told him that ugly behavior got ugly results. Tinsley had a collection of ugly results coming if she kept it up.

Kal decided to ignore her. “Hey, Mara,” he said, turning his attention to her instead.

Mara nodded at him. She looked tired, as if evenshefelt exhausted by her friends.

“Do you have to work at the café tonight too?” he asked.

“No.” Tinsley interrupted. “Our girl’s coming with us. Party at Cooper’s.”

“I told you guys,” Mara said. “I can’t tonight.”

“You have to come. Rowan’s gonna be there!” Tinsley insisted.

“Yeah,” Emily agreed. “You don’t want him to get tired of waiting for you and find someone else. Besides, this party is going to be brill.”

Mara popped a hip and gave Emily a flat stare. “How brill do you think a Wednesday night party is really going to be? Cooper’s parents might not be home tonight, but everyone has school tomorrow. It’s going to be basic.”

“But Rowan’s gonna be there!” Tinsley insisted.

“Tinsley, stop,” Mara said.

Tinsley closed her mouth, as if Mara had clamped it shut by force with that one word. Wild that Mara could hold so much power.

Kal walked Ireland to the passenger side of the car and opened the door. “You okay?” he whispered low enough that Tinsley couldn’t hear him.

She slid onto the seat. “Fine.”

Maybe she hadn’t overheard Tinsley talk smack about her.

“I’ll see you later then.”

She nodded and shut the door.

Mara, who had also got in, turned the car on. The stereo blasted Taylor Swift’s music as they drove away. Ireland had told him she was starting to worry she might go deaf with the music that loud.

“So, you coming tonight?” Tinsley asked Kal as he watched the car leave. He had to step back since she’d entered his personal bubble.

“Can’t see why I would.” He turned to his own car.

“I’ll be there!” she called after him.

Exactly why he wouldn’t be. But he didn’t say that out loud. He did not want to get pulled into her drama. And there was no reason to hurt her feelings, Though he wasn’t sure she had any.

Except as he was driving home, Cooper called him. He hit the hands-free button. “’Sup Coop?” he said.

“Party at my house tonight.”

“Yeah. I heard.”

“Oh good. So you’re coming.”

“I didn’t say that.”

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