Page 46 of The Glittering Edge

Please, he thinks,don’t let this be a mistake.

Penny

“PENNY, YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND. I WOKE UP TO PEOPLE TEXTING MEphotos of you with Corey and Alonso. Onstage. And they’re wearingthe vests.” Naomi whimpers. “It’s not fair.”

“I swear it wasn’t as fun as it looked. They almost fought twice.” Penny adjusts her earbuds as she gets out of the hospital elevator. Even thinking about last night makes her tired. In the moment, it seemed smart to get Corey and Alonso on the same page, to see if they were willing to work with Penny to break the curse. But in the light of day, it seems less like a brilliant idea and more like history’s worst babysitting gig. “Are you feeling better?”

“I’m fine, but that’s not what we’re talking about. You literally pulled off the greatest piece of performance art I’ve ever seen. How did you convince them to do it? Did they know they would be wearing matching outfits?”

“Definitely not.” Penny needs to change the subject, and fast. She’s a bad liar to begin with, and she’s not about to drag Naomi into all this magical nonsense. There’s a slim chance Naomi would believe the whole story, and that’s what Penny is afraid of: Her best friend wouldn’t stand by and do nothing. She would insist on helping, and that’s a risk Penny isn’t willing to take. “I just got to the hospital, so can I fill you in once I check on Mom?”

“Oh,” Naomi says, a note of disappointment in her voice. “Sure. Give Anita a kiss for me.”

As soon as Penny hangs up, the quiet of the hospital becomessuffocating. She sinks into her usual chair at Anita’s bedside. Today, her mom’s face has more color, and her breathing is measured. Calm. It’s not much, but Penny chooses to see this as a good sign.

Her phone vibrates with a text. Penny almost chokes on her own saliva when she sees who it’s from.

Where should we meet?

Alonso De Luca is texting her. Penny’s heart hammers against her ribs. Maybe one day this will feel normal. But not today.

She types,Meet me at the cafe at 5. Ron won’t be there.

He likes her message, and then it’s settled. Penny has plans with Alonso.

“I should promise to be careful, right?” Penny says to her mom.

Except Penny can’t make herself lie. She’s officially entered the De Luca–Barrion orbit—will it ever be possible to escape?

Penny is sitting behind Horizon Café’s counter when Alonso arrives, a bottle of Fizzy Barrel Root Beer hanging from his hand. When he sees Corey in janitor mode, he starts pouting.

“What areyoudoing here?” he says.

Corey holds up the mop. “We broke a laptop, remember?”

“Do you want a leftover raspberry bar?” Penny asks.

“Don’t try to distract me with food. Next time you need to warn me.”

“He took the first shift to pay Ron back,” Penny says as she sorts receipts. “You should be thanking him.”

Alonso frowns. “Never.”

“Hey.” Corey straightens up. “We agreed we were all going to meet today. If you’re trying to do magic behind my back, I’ll find a way to contact the Council and tell them to pay you a visit.”

“So you’re blackmailing me now?” Alonso asks.

“It’s not blackmail. It’s insurance.”

Alonso snorts, dropping into one of the booths. “Okay, Liam Neeson, what happens if the Council seals my magic? Then this curse keeps doing exactly what it’s been doing for years. Where are all the other De Lucas waiting to help you?”

If this were any other day, Penny would back away slowly, or tune them out. She would want them to forget she was here at all. But today, Penny feels a strange tension in her chest. Something like… annoyance.

Penny sighs, dropping the receipts on the counter. “Would you guys please stop?”

They both fall silent. The root beer was halfway to Alonso’s mouth, and now it hangs in the air, a few drops falling onto his black T-shirt.

“You told us youmight’vefound a way to break the curse, Alonso,” Penny says. “We don’t even know the details, but you both want the same thing, don’t you? So if we’re going to give this everything we have, maybe you two should… I don’t know. Stop fighting?”

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