Page 26 of The Party Plot

“Who cares? I want you there.”

“I don’t know. The last ball I was at, I spilled a whole platter of deviled eggs onto the floor and called Lavinia Bonard a hypocritical cow.”

“Ooh, I would have paid money to see that,” Kierra remarked. (Lavinia Bonard basicallywasthe school board.)

“You don’t want to come?” Laurel asked, his stomach sinking. He sure hoped she did. He had only promised Casey a hundred and fifty thousand dollars and made out with him in a car about it.

“It’s not a good idea,” Melody said. “Even if this stupid thing is off my foot by then, I—I wouldn’t know what to say to people. And what if Howie’s there? I just—”

“He might not be, though,” Kierra said. “Actually, if the restraining order’s in effect, he can’t be, right? So it might be a good opportunity…” she trailed off, glancing at Laurel, whose face must have indicated his surprise.

“Restraining order?” Laurel’s heart fluttered, a mix of hope and anxiety.

“I’m trying to get one.” Melody looked away, tapping a nail against her glass. “He’s been texting me awful things. And showing up at the library when I’m volunteering there. Kierra has seen it, so we’re hoping, with her as a witness—”

“It’s not just her he’s been bothering,” Kierra added darkly. “I could mention several former students whose DMs he has slid into. But no one wants to speak out against him.”

“We do,” Chip said. “We will. I’m friends with a couple of local judges. We should be able to accomplishsomething.” He knocked on the coffee table for luck, and Kierra followed suit.

“I didn’t know about any of this,” Laurel said, feeling all too aware of the dried film of sweat on his neck, the imprint of Casey’s hand on his thigh. “I could have helped.”

“I didn’t want to bother you. You’re so busy.” Melody looked away. The translation was clear. Laurel was never around, at least not often enough to be reliable. He’d gone from her best friend to a side character in her life, and he couldn’t exactly place when or how it had happened. Laurel swallowed, lungs feeling tight. He squeezed Melody’s arm.

“At least come to the party.” God, was that all he had to offer her? A stupid Halloween party?

She sighed, making a reluctant grimace.

“It could be fun, Melody,” Chip said. “You could dress up as a sexy swamp monster.”

“Oh, please.Youcould dress up as a sexy swamp monster. You’ve got the legs for it.” She rolled her eyes, but she was laughing. “I’ll think about it. You’re right, it would be good to get out somewhere he isn’t. And Halloween’s a good time to reinvent yourself. It’s worth a try.”

*

They were lying on the floor, in that kind of buzzed, easy intimacy that made Laurel think of stargazing and sleepovers, his fingers playing through the wool strands of the carpet and his thoughts feeling comfortably submerged. Kierra and Chip had left hours ago, and Melody was splayed out on her stomach, one hand under the couch, trying to coax Luna out into the open with baby talk and nasty-smelling tubes of pureed meat.

“I’m sorry,” she said, and for a moment, he thought she was talking to the cat. Laurel turned to see Melody staring at him, her expression stark, her eyes glimmering.

“Melody, what—”

“I’m awful, I really am. You must hate me.” She curled in on herself, hugging her knees to her chest. “I didn’t mean to out you to Ms. Nelson. God, I’m a piece of shit. I—I was drinking, and I didn’t even think.” Her voice was muffled, her spine protruding through her blouse, a fragile, bent thing.

“Oh, I don’t care,” Laurel said.Maybe you shouldn’t drink so often, he thought about saying, but pushed it away. He was the one who’d been sweating out Midori all day, after all. “She’s great. I trust her. It’s not like you told my mom.”

“You know I would never.” Melody looked up, eyes hollow. There were crumbs of mascara on her cheeks, and her skin was slick with tears. “And I was just trying to be funny—I didn’t think—I mean, I don’t think he’s your boyfriend. I mean, is he? Are you, like—I would be happy for you, you know I would, even if I don’t really like him and—oh my God, I’m sorry. I’m such a dumb bitch.” She covered her face with her hands. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Just ignore me. God.” Her shoulders shook, and Laurel couldn’t tell if she was laughing or sobbing.

“It’s okay.” It wasn’t really, but he’d get over it. He swallowed. “Look, let’s talk about something else.”

“Yeah, okay.” She lay back on the carpet, looking up at the ceiling. Laurel could see her chest rise and fall. The air conditioner was a consistent rush of white noise. When Melody spoke again, her voice was almost too quiet to hear.

“I was doing fine, you know. I quit drinking and—and everything else. But then it just—with his brother, and the campaign ads everywhere, and suddenly I couldn’t avoid it anymore.” She sighed. “I’m a mess.”

“You can’t let him get into your head.”

“I can’t help it. I tried to ignore him, even the texts, I really did. He always starts out so nice. And then I don’t write back, and then he’s calling me a whore and a bitch and a worthless piece of shit.”

Laurel could feel his nails digging into his palm. “Can’t you block him?”

“He gets new numbers. Or uses different apps.” Melody bit her lip. “Do you really think it’ll work? With Chip’s help, do you think—do you think I can get him to finally leave me alone?”

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