Page 141 of The Glittering Edge

The EMTs try to lay Alonso on the stretcher, but he waves their hands away. His eyes find Penny, and she wishes she knew what to say. Then the ambulance doors close, and the emergency lights speed off into the night.

Donna De Luca sighs and crushes her cigarette underfoot. Then she walks over to Penny. “You tried to break the curse?”

Penny nods.

“And did it work?”

Penny squeezes her eyes shut. “No.”

Donna sighs. “There was only a slim chance, but I’m glad you tried, anyway.”

“You are?”

Donna leans closer. “It was brave. I would’ve done the same thing. I hope that helps you sleep at night.”

“It won’t,” Penny says, her voice ragged.

Donna De Luca considers Penny. “Your mom needs peace. At this point, you can’t give that to her.” She turns around, letting Emilia grab her arm as they walk inside.

“Hey,” Naomi finally says, “look at me.”

Penny does, but it hurts. Because Naomi’s expression is hard. This is the way she usually looks at people like Dylan—people who don’t know her, or whom she doesn’t want to know.

“That was magic,” Naomi says. “What you were doing back there. With the wind, and the incantation, and the ropes disintegrating.”

Penny nods.

“Because magic is real.”

Penny nods again.

“Which means all of those stories about the De Lucas being witches are…”

“They’re true,” Dylan says, and she steps in front of Naomi. She’s glaring at Penny, her eyes molten. “You put something in my drink that night we went to the pharmacy, didn’t you? I didn’t remember at first. I thought it was a dream. But I said all this stuff to you about my family and my life…” Dylan shakes her head. “I guess I’m not the only one who likes to know people’s dirty secrets.”

Penny stares at the ground. There’s nothing to say.

Dylan turns her glare on Meredith House. “I always knew something was wrong with the Barrions. I just never thought it was acurse.”

Naomi’s face is drawn, suddenly gaunt. “Anita?”

And then, because it’s much overdue, Penny tells Naomi the truth.

She tells her about the curse. About her mom and Helen Barrion. About the drag show, and the truce between Corey and Alonso. Penny tells Naomi that magic is real, that she’s done spells, that she’s worked with a member of a famous witch family. That the Barrions have found them out, and there’s no hope for Penny’s mom anymore. It’s over.

When Penny is done, Naomi’s eyes are wide and shining with tears. Dylan is glaring at the grass. And it occurs to Penny far too late that this news doesn’t just change Idlewood as they know it—it changes Dylan’s entire life.

Dylan laughs, and it turns into a choked sob. “I was right. Corey never loved me at all.”

This whole time, Penny has always seen Corey as the bigger person compared to Dylan. The one who had to deal with so much pain and loss, and who was only doing the best he could. Now, seeing the look on Dylan’s face, Penny isn’t so sure.

Dylan turns on her heel and marches away from them, toward the King Ranch parked way down the street. Then Naomi goes off like a bomb.

“What thefuck, Penny? How could you keep all of this from me?”

Even as Penny tells her the truth, it sounds like a weak excuse. “I was afraid that if you got too close to this, you’d get hurt—”

“So you cut me off. And while you were running around having magic fun times with Alonso and Corey, I was worried sick about you. I was saying your mom would get better soon, and I even believed it! How can I call myself your friend when you’ve been carrying all these secrets, and you couldn’t even be honest with me? I could’ve helped you, even if it was justlistening.” Naomi backs up, her face twisted in anger. “And meanwhile, I was heartbroken over Kyla, and youbarelychecked in on me. Even the occasional text would’ve been enough, but all I got was radio silence.”

---