Page 35 of A Disaster in Three Acts

“Well, not mad, but upset? We’re just doing this documentary, and I’m helping him with a small photography assignment, and then things will go back to normal.” I try not to cringe when I add in the part about his photography assignment. I hadn’t even thought about it before, but I might as well get it all out in the open now.

Corrine’s eyes flick to the ceiling and then slowly meet mine, like she’s trying not to cry. I didn’t want it to be this way. I wanted Yvette’s story! Holden and I basically can’t standeach other and Corrine has new prospects in Logan. He nearly jumped for joy when I gave him Corrine’s phone number in class the other day. I thought she was moving on.

Somehow, her gaze gets even more Intense. “I don’t understand why you wouldn’t tell me unless there’s something you’re hiding.” She drops to a whisper. “Other people knew before me. This makes me look...”

After a moment, she shrugs, working her jaw.

I latch onto her arms, shaking her a little. “I’m sorry. I said I wouldn’t lie again and I haven’t and I won’t. I just knew from the beginning that it was a weird situation to get in, and I need to do this documentary, to get into the program. I had to do what was best and, unfortunately, it’s this. I didn’t mean to hurt you or make you think I was sneaking behind your back.”

“You were, though. I would have understood if you had told me as soon as it happened.”

God, I feel like a real asshole. Holden was probably sneaking around with another girl behind Corrine’s back, and now I was doing it... withhim. I’m terrible.

I scuff my shoe against the floor, checking that no one else is listening. Kayla disappeared at some point and I wish I could join her. “I’m so sorry. I really should have thought about how this would look, because of how you two broke up.” I reach for my necklace, but it’s not there. Corrine doesn’t even have it on. “I didn’t mean to bring up those feelings again,” I add quietly. “I was trying to avoid doing that by not telling you, actually. I know I’d be upset if you had to work with my cheater ex on something.”

She frowns. “He didn’t cheat on me.”

“You said there was another girl,” I say, but I’m really sayingYou don’t have to lie.

“I just meant that he liked another girl.” She avoids my gaze and I can tell we’re tiptoeing the line of What Corrine Will Talk About and What She Won’t. The line reads:Will it make Corrine cry?

“He didn’t date anyone after you, so... I mean, do you regret breaking up with him? Did hesaythere was another girl—”

“Saine, he didn’t cheat and I don’t regret breaking up with him.” She gives me a look like I should leave this alone, so I go back into apology mode, storing the fact that Holden’s not a cheater in the previously dusty Holden file I’ve been opening in my mind lately.

“All of this to say that I guess I did everything I didn’t want to do by trying to avoid telling you. I suck.”

She releases a breathy laugh. “You do.”

“I’m sorry.”

She delivers a wavering but genuine smile. “I believe you.”

“Are you okay with him and me working together for a little?” I can’t imagine she’ll say no, but I swear my heart stops while I wait for her answer. If she says she’s not okay, what am I going to do, just not apply to my dream major? Do it behind her back again? Lose her as a best friend? It almost feels like now, with her solidly saying they just broke up because they broke up, there’s notthatmuch of a barrier to working with Holden.

But Corrine isn’t selfish. She’s never been selfish. This is thegirl who did my homework for a week during my worst bout of mono sophomore year. The same girl who punched Harvey Becker in sixth grade after he made fun of me for constantly carrying a red lunch tray—the indicator that I had insufficient funds for lunch and had to get a special (and by special I mean tasteless) lunch. It led her to starting a revolution at the school, where they stopped giving out different-colored trays because it was bad enough having a whole different meal and, as she said, it was “discriminatory” and helped “bullies target lower-income students” for things that were out of their control, i.e., their parents’ money.

“Yeah.” She sounds like she’s convincing herself, too. “Who would I be to tell you what to do anyway? And this is yourdream.”

“Thank you. Can you stop avoiding me now?” I link my arm through hers and direct us toward Coach Hartl, who has come out of her office with two huge boxes stacked atop each other in her arms. Macy, still attempting to suck up for her first game no-show, rushes forward to help. I should be more like Macy, probably.

“I really did have things to do today.” Corrine starts ticking things off on her fingers. “The chess club is running out of full sets of chess pieces and the boards are cracked down the middle, the environmental club is coming under fire because apparently Vinny didn’t recycle our fundraiser banner, and the student council keeps hounding me about taking over Nicolette’s duties, but I keep telling them I don’t have any more free time between all the clubs and cheerleading and work.”

I’m woefully lazy in comparison. “What about this past weekend? You didn’t answer any texts, not even in the group chat.”

“Neither did you.”

“Touché. I’m going apartment hunting with my mom on Saturday. It went fucking terrible the last time, so... do you want to come?” I laugh a little. “I mean, do you even have time?”

“I’m free in the afternoon. After homework and chores. I still can’t believe you’re moving.” Her brows practically meet in the middle. “What about the murals?”

“Right?” I face her, eyes wide. “That’s what I said. My mom’s acting like it’s not a big deal, though.”

“Did she even give you a say?”

I raise an eyebrow. “Do you think we’d be looking for somewhere else to live if she did?”

“That’s true, and you’re probably the only other person I know who can strong-arm people into things as well as me.” She sighs, almost dreamily. “Well, you did your best, then.”

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