Page 76 of Come As You Are

“Excuse me?”

“Oh, don’t get me wrong—I’m glad you held out so long; you made me fifty bucks. Matty thought for sure you’d hook up within twenty-four hours of the talent show, but I said, ‘No, I know my girl Evie—she is absolutely going to find some way to bungle this.’ And look! I was right!”

I stop in my tracks and turn to her, watching her take a delicate bite of a scone I just pulled out of the oven fifteen minutes ago. “He wasn’t even single that night! Wouldn’t I have been an asshole for kissing your best friend’s boyfriend?”

“Please, that was a technicality. The only reason she didn’t dump his ass on the spot was because we were in public.”

“Okay, well, technicality or not, I don’t fool around with other people’s boyfriends.” At least not on purpose. “Have been on the receiving end. Am not a fan.”

“Such a good girl, Everett. Matt’s not right about a lot, but he was right about that.”

“I don’t know about that,” I say as we resume walking, although I have no intention of elaborating. “But why were you and Matt even talking about me?”

“Well, he had to convince me that we should tell you about Salem and Jenna hooking up. He said you deserved to know, that it would take forever for you to figure out you had feelings for him otherwise. He can be very persuasive when he feels like it.”

“Matt saidwhat?” I shake my head. “And youdidn’ttellme about Salem and Jenna,” I point out, breaking the edge off another scone.

Isabel rolls her big green eyes. “Does Jenna really strike you as the type to leave her underwear behind, Evie? Or have you considered that maybe, just maybe, someone put them there for you to find.”

Someone put them…“How could you possibly know I’d find them?”

“First of all, I saw you at the poker night, getting all comfy in his bed; I knew you’d end up back there. But just in case, there were five different pairs hidden around Salem’s stuff. You owe me a hundred bucks, by the way.”

“Cute. And completely ridiculous.”

She swallows the last bite of her scone and grins. “You say that like it didn’t work. Tell me it didn’t work.”

I keep my mouth shut. You don’t need to be in AP Psych to know when you’re not winning a battle against Isabel McEvoy. “Honestly, I can’t believe you’re still allowed to talk to me. I’d think Jenna hates me.”

“She does,” Isabel says coolly, “but she’s Jenna; she’ll find someone new by next week and forget all about Salem.”

“And me?” I ask hopefully.

“Oh, no—you, she’s gonna hate forever.”

I laugh, assuming Isabel’s kidding, then stop when it becomes obvious that she isn’t. “Oh.”

“Yeah, she’s like that.”

“And you still wanna take the risk of being friends with me? Is this a ‘keep your friends close, enemies closer’ type of thing?”

“No, please, I’m not that bored,” she says with a snort. “But I think you’re interesting. You surprise me. Not a lot of people manage to do that.”

“I can’t tell if that’s more egotistical or patronizing.”

“See?” She flashes a broad smile. “Who talks like that to me? Nobody.”

“But like, what was even the point? Why did you evenneeda middleman? Jenna could get any guy she wants by just blinking pointedly in his direction. Did she really think he wouldn’t fall down at her feet if she just said hi?” I mean,Ilike to think he wouldn’t, but I’m a realist.

Isabel fixes me with a Look. “Youdoknow he’s a sophomore, right? Jenna would never.”

“Jennadid,” I remind her. “And I’m a sophomore too.”

“Okay but it’s one thing to be friends or hook up with a sophomore when you’re a junior; it’s an entire other thing topursueone.” She nods down between us. “Honestly, this friendship is bad enough.”

“I really appreciate your humbling yourself.” I’m not even entirely sure I’m kidding.

“Well, thereisone more thing I want, and before you get mad, I’m telling you. Directly. So this is different, and born of friendship.”

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