Page 55 of Fraternizing with the Enemy
“Riley.”
I should’ve guessed. “Why didn’t she come?”
“Busy.”
With Ashton, probably. I didn’t pry further, though, because their absence—along with Kyle’s—was a reprieve Isoneeded.
“You’re up first, Mads,” Connor said as he stepped around the back of Jade’s chair, hesitantly putting his hands on her shoulders. He really was putting on a show for Babble. Was Ava the one he kept looking at?
Maisie and I both ended up at the ball return at the same time, and I had the sudden urge to turn around. Our gazes locked as we both reached for the same orange ball. “Hey,” I greeted, nothing short of awkward.
Maisie swiped up the ball first. “How are you?” she asked, but it was one of those throwaway phrases—one she didn’t care about the answer to. Instead of waiting for my reply, she walked up to the lane, lining her aim.
I bit my lip, grabbing a random ball that was too heavy before heading to my own lane. The brush off didn’t matter. It meant nothing. Maisie… meant nothing.
Is that peak in high school behavior?
I shoved it all out of my mind, but I couldn’t shove away the feeling.
Without bumpers, I was hopeless. Two gutter balls later, and I was doing the walk of shame back to my seat beside Jade. “Better luck next time,” Reed said, hopping up for his turn.
Landon came back to our table then, easing himself down onto a chair. “What was that about?” I demanded, lowering my voice. “What did you have to talk to her about?”
“Lacey,” Landon answered, reaching up and touching the backs of his fingers to his freckled cheeks. They looked pinkish in the low alley lighting. “I figured… Babble would want to know.”
“Youwant the publicity?” I asked, dubious.
Jade shook her head. “At leasthe’smaking headlines.”
I didn’t miss her emphasis. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“We need to get you a boyfriend, Mads. Like, now.”Jade raised an eyebrow at Landon. “Someone else is trying to take your It Couple status.”
It Couple status. I’d been so obsessed with it before school started, and now… “I’m kind of okay with hanging out like this for a while,” I said, still quiet, in case Ava overheard. “Landon can take the top spot.”
“Landon does not want the top spot,” Landon said in the third person. “I was only talking to Ava because?—”
“Madison, you need someone. That way everyone talks aboutthatand not your label.”
Underneath the table, my hands curled into fists.I told you, I wanted to shout, and could feel the words forming behind my closed lips.You should’ve thought it through. Because I knew she’d seen the same Babble comments I had—about how it was a little harsh the Top Tier put one of their own friends on the list. And Jade wanted to be seen as benevolent, never cruel.
But I couldn’t bring myself to say it. “We’ll see.”
Jade turned back down to her phone. “Go put in an order for pizza.”
I leaned around to see her phone screen. “What does Riley even want, anyway?—”
“Gosh, nosy much?” Jade jerked her phone back, shooting me a glare. “Can’t you cover the pizza this once?”
She forced me to come bowling, made me pay for shoes when she wasn’t even playing,andwas going to make me buy a pizza Reed and Connor would devour in five seconds? I opened my mouth, but above her, Connor slowly shook his head at me.Don’t provoke the beast.
“I’ve got it,” Landon said, pulling his card out of his wallet. “Get a large. We all know Connor’s going to have, like, four slices.”
“As if you’re any better,” Connor shot back with a grin.
There was a longish line for the food, and I stepped up behind a kid begrudgingly, turning over Landon’s card in my grip. I wasn’t sure if Jade was just tense because the owner of Babble was present, but I had no idea why she was taking it out onme. Whatever was underneath her skin was beginning to creep under mine, making me way too on edge for a simple round of bowling.
I stood in the line at the food counter, thinking about a certain text thread on my phone. I’d gotten away with our secret date on Tuesday—it was too risky to text Logan again. I needed to remind myself of that. That it was a bad idea.
