Page 84 of Hate Game

“Hello, I’m Rue Lee, Riley’s little sister.”

“Hi, Rue. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Nora. I’ve had a few classes with your sister. She’s cool.”

“Are you new to her friends’ Sass Squad?” I don’t remember Riley mentioning Nora.

Her brown eyes sparkle. “I’m not sure what that is, but no. We have different friend groups.”

“Oh. Are you Midnight or Dare’s friend?”

She shakes her head. “My boyfriend, Galley, is friends with Midnight. Their parents are friends.”

Translation: Galley’s parents are loaded if they are friends with the Sterlings, whose family’s wealth is in the billions.

“Do you go to DU?” I ask.

“Yes. Senior. Are you from here?”

“Visiting from Cambridge.”

“That’s a half hour from McMillan, right?”

“Yes. Ever was just telling me about McMillan and job openings at the bakery she works at.”

Nora smiles. “She must be speaking about Sweet Creations. My friend, Ben, owns the store.”

“That’s awesome. He must be great if you’re his friend and Ever works for him.”

“If you decide to attend DU, working in McMillan isn’t bad. The drive is short, plus less competition from the other students. They like to do work-study jobs or work in Dumas. But if you like sticking close to DU, my friend Tony is always looking for someone to help him with projects here and there. The last project I worked on with him was painting a three-thousand-square-foot house inch by inch. It was hard work but worth it.”

“One of Arie’s brothers’ names is Tony. He flips houses for a living, along with his other brother. They go between living in Dumas and working on houses in Montgomery.” What Riley told me. “Is it that Tony?”

Nora shakes her head. “My Tony is strictly in Dumas.”

“Who is this ‘My Tony,’ and when can I punch his face to the back of his skull for hanging with my girl?”

Nora’s boyfriend hands her a plate loaded with fruit.

“Ourfriend Tony.”

“Gotcha. I take back my words.” Galley smiles at me, and I nearly fall backward off the lounge with how good-looking he is.

Tyler hands me my plate and a red Solo cup that he’s holding onto with his teeth. I wipe the spit from the cup and drink on the opposite side of where his mouth was.

For the rest of the night, I make my rounds, meeting Riley and Midnight’s friends before I wait for Malice by the pool and watch Seven and Leigh swim laps in the heated pool.

They must’ve made a bet on who could swim the most laps or something because on the last lap, Leigh pumps her fists in the air and shouts, “Winner, winner, chicken dinner!”

I laugh. So does Seven. They are so cute when she throws herself into his arms, and he spins her in the water, making a whirlpool. I shake my head, my smile lingering. Those two have it bad for one another.

I glance at my peek-a-boo view of the staircase leading to the upstairs bedroom. Trace and Sorrow are in one of the bedrooms. Trace said she didn’t feel well, and he would stay with her until it was time to gather around the dining table. I hope Trace is nice to Sorrow. Ever since we broke up, he’s been moody and hasn’t spoken a word to me at school.

What gives?

Soon, Midnight and Malice return from their beer run. After everyone has had time to chat and eat more food, we gather around Midnight’s huge dining room table, hold hands, say grace, and share a second dinner at my first Friendsgiving get-together.

During grace, I sneak a peek around the table. Riley is lucky that she has great friends who love and care for her. They will never abandon her in her time of need.

I hope to someday be as lucky as my beautiful and smart sister.

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