Page 53 of The Broken Note

“It’s about damn time.” Breeze pushes her fries away with one hand and peers up at me with her big blue eyes. “Do you know how long we’ve been sitting here, waiting for your fifteen-minute break?”

“I told you to come over when I was finished with work. You’re the one who insisted on showing up beforehand.” I scowl at my best friend.

Breeze is usually bubbly and cheerful, but today she looks like a war general on a mission. Even her makeup got the memo. Dark lipstick. Dark eyeshadow. Her nails are painted forest green and she’s wearing baggy camo pants along with a crop top and sneakers.

The outfit shouldn’t work, but Breeze has a way of making Goodwill clothes look like a million bucks.

“I’m keeping up with your school’s little gossip app.” She jabs her straw at me and soda plops to the table.

I sigh, snap my rag from the pocket of my uniform, and mop it up immediately. Later, it’ll dry and get sticky. At that point, it’ll be a headache to clean.

Breeze sees she’s making a mess. Her eyes widen in apology and she swings her straw back over the cup.

But she doesn’t stop scolding me.

“Everyone is talking about you and Dutch. When were you going to tell me—yourbest friend—that you’re dating the guy who literally made your life hell at Redwood?”

My eyes snap guiltily. “I’m not dating him.”

“Explain why there are several—not just one, Cadey, butseveralpictures of his tongue five-meters deep in your throat.”

I blush.

“According to Jinx,” Breeze continues, “he’s even following you around at school.”

“He’s not.”

“He is. And I quote—‘Cinderella’, which is you,” Breeze gestures to me, “‘has a powerful puppy on her leash’.”

“I think the term was ‘werewolf’,” Serena says, smiling tiredly.

My eyes switch to hers. Earlier, I texted Serena asking if I could stop by the hospital. She begged me to meet her somewhere else instead. ‘I’m tired of smelling Clorox and sickness all the time.’

“No, she said puppy,” Breeze argues.

“Jinx called him a werewolf.Werewolf. Dutch Cross is nothing close to a puppy.”

I groan. “Not you too, Serena.”

“What? I like Jinx.”

“She’s scary.” I plop into the seat beside Breeze and steal a fry from her plate. My best friend is fuming, but she still pushes the plate at me and even sprinkles extra salt, the way I like it.

“She’s entertaining. I don’t have anything better to do while mom is sleeping, so I read everything she posts.”

“Everything?” Breeze gasps.

Serena tugs on her leather jacket. Her fingernails are painted a dark black. As usual, her eyeliner is extra heavy and her lips a blood-red.

“It feels like I’m still at Redwood Prep when I hear the drama.”

My heart flops in my chest. Despite her makeup and her armor of thick leather jacket, a black shirt and black jeans, she looks worn out. I can tell by the slump of her shoulders that the recent events have been hard for her.

Getting expelled is one thing, but she was falsely accused. Not only will she have that stain on her record forever, but Redwood Prep is about to devastate her and her mom with a giant bill.

Everything that’s happened to Serena is unfair. And although it’s okay formeto get beaten with the short end of the stick, I hate seeing people as sweet as Serena getting kicked down too.

“How is your mom doing?” I ask quietly. “Will she get chemo?”

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