Page 243 of Tis the Season to be Bullied

I glance in the rearview mirror, expecting to see her standing on the porch, arms crossed and lips pursed, and breathe a sigh of relief when she’s not there.

Most of the trip to Lavish Prep I spend thinking about Addy. In all the fun and excitement lately, I’d forgotten I have a bone to pick with her.

I park and head over to her sports car. She gets a fright when I rap on the window, and I frown at her as she unlocks the door.

“Everything okay?”

Her hair isn’t as smooth as it usually is. She’s only wearing a touch of mascara, as if she was in a rush or couldn’t have been bothered to do her usual morning makeover routine.

“Yeah, course.” She smiles at me, and grabs a joint from the ashtray. Half of it’s gone already.

So that accounts for the red eyes. I thought she’d been crying.

She unlocks the passenger door for me, and hands me what’s left of the joint as I slide in. It’s already lit, and I hit it hard as she starts to speak.

“So you ready to?—?”

“Why didn’t you tell me you argued with Jess that night?” I exhale a plume of smoke.

Addy looks away, grabs the steering wheel, and straightens her arms. “I didn’t?”

“Tiffany said you two had a huge fight.”

“Tiffany exaggerates about everything.”

“So you didn’t fight?”

Addy licks her lips. “I’ve never seen her that drunk before.” She glances at me and then stares straight ahead again. “But she didn’t want to leave.”

“That’s it?”

“Yeah.”

“So your fight had nothing to do with the fact that you both had a thing for Briar?”

Addy’s hands fall into her lap as she lets out a rough laugh. When she turns to me, her eyebrows are arched. “What did you say?”

“You. Briar.” I use the joint to gesture from one side to the other, trailing smoke. “Nothing going on there?”

“Pfft.As if. He’s a fucking prick.”

Which isn’t a no. Not even close.

But I’m also not getting any jelly vibes from her.

“Sure there’s nothing else I need to know?” I lean to the side a little, trying to catch Addy’s eye. “I mean, we are about to go after this guy for rape and murder. I need to know what I’m getting myself into.”

Addy grabs the wheel again, and chews on her lip. Then she snatches the last bit of the joint from me and finishes it. When she grinds it out in her ashtray, her long manicured nails come back dusted with gray.

“I…after the cops dropped the case, I went…I kinda went a bit nuts.”

“How nuts?”

Addy shrugs, and then clicks her fingers at the cubby hole. I open it and take out a packet of wet wipes. She plucks one out and cleans her fingers, eyes downcast. “Briar almost got a restraining order against me.”

“Wh-what?” I say through a laugh. “You’re shitting me!”

“I know he did it, Indi. I fucking know it.” Addy’s throat moves as she swallows. “Turns out I was the only one.” When she looks at me, there’s moisture welling on her bottom lids.

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