Page 42 of His Pretty Little Lies
All his sweet words now mean nothing if his other words are filled with lies, and I don’t care if it wasn’t a full lie. He stepped around his words to make sure it wasn't a lie, which, you know what? I think that’s worse.
Doing what he did shows he really knew what he was doing and was being conniving, so he didn’t get caught. This is why you don’t date a Marino. Duh. I knew that, but here I am stalking my non-man.
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch sight of the two girls from the football game. One is turned oddly away, clearly trying to hide what she's doing. She is Annie, the one that kept pushing for details about Jax and who I was to him. The taller one is trying to shield her with her body.
I lean back to get a better view of what the two of them are up to over there by the cabanas. I can’t really see from this angle, so I tip my chair back a little farther, only catching her rubbing her nose, but Annie’s eyes lock with mine and narrow.
I try to glance away like I wasn’t staring, but for some odd reason, my coordination isn’t the best, and I almost fall over in the chair. Blair catches it but it doesn’t stop me from spilling half my drink in the process.
“You!” the girl hisses loud enough that I can hear her over the music. She’s got one of her shiny blue nails pointed right at me. A few people turn to see what’s happening as Annie comes stomping toward me. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“All right,” Blair puts a hand out. “It’s Kin who asks the questions around here. Not the other way around.” I snort a laugh, but it’s short because I remember I’m pissed.
“Oh, I know who she is now. Are you trying to write a story about me?”
“You really think you’re that interesting?” Blair smirks at her, cocking her head.
"This isn't your business. Don't you have a graveyard to haunt and a sad poem to craft?" I can see more people turning their attention our way to see what the hell is going on.
"Craft, you say? Sure." Blair shrugs. "Okay, I can do that."
"What?" Annie asks, her tall sidekick shadow right behind her, glancing between Blair and me and then back to her friend. She appears confused or maybe lost. I don't know.
"Black as night, erase death from our sight. White as light, mighty Hecate, make it right," Blair says loudly and bops Annie right on the nose with her finger.
Annie lets out a loud, terrified gasp, stepping backwards and running into her friend, who also appears equally terrified.
"What was that?!" Annie screeches so loudly that if people weren't watching before, they surely are now.
"You asked me to craft, so I crafted a spell." Both girls gape at us.
"You're fucking batshit crazy!" the taller one hisses, grabbing her friend's arm, trying to pull her away from us.
"Take it back," Annie shouts at Blair, now pointing that blue nail at her. "You take it back right this second." She stomps one of her heels. It makes her start to sway, almost losing balance.
"No can do." Blair gives her a sarcastic, sympathetic expression. "What is done can't be undone."
I am certain that my expression reflects bewilderment, as I cannot comprehend what is happening right now. Did Blair just cast a spell, or am I drunk? How many of those tiny drinks did I have?
“All right, let's break this up.” A boy around my age steps between us. “It’s too early for fights to break out.” The two girls try to argue with him, but he moves them along.
I shoot back the rest of my drink. “Did you just cast a spell?” I ask Blair, who is happily sipping on her own cocktail again.
“Maybe. But I more quoted the moviePractical Magic. If Aunt Mildred shows up, then the spell is real.” I burst into laughter. “Why did she come rushing over here?”
"I think I spotted them doing cocaine." I roll my eyes. “Did she think I was going to go tattle or call the cops?” It’s stupid. Her losing it on me only confirms what I was thinking.
“Girls like her worry about their reputation.”
“And that scene helped?”
“Likely more to scare you, but if what you’re saying is true, she’s high, so who the hell knows.” True. My brain is fuzzy, and I suddenly feel drained.
“Should we go?” I ask.
“I think we should move around the party. See if Jax is here yet.” My hand goes to my back pocket, feeling my phone there. I itch to pull it out and turn it on, but I manage to control myself.
“Let’s go with your plan.” I put my empty drink down on one of the tables. It is best to move away from here because people are still whispering about what happened. Time to head to another part of the party to watch people.
