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But was it even possible? How many times could I make some “grand gesture” as Chloe had once called it, and get my sorry ass forgiven? Besides which, I was out of ideas. Getting her championship ring for her last year had been genius, if I do say so myself, but this year, I had nothing. Not a clue. And I was desperate.
I stopped at the corner of Orchard Avenue and Elm. Up ahead, the lights of the strip mall where Ally worked were all on. My jaw clenched. There was one person who could definitely help me. I just wasn’t sure if she would. And I also wasn’t sure if I could stomach the idea of groveling to her. But then, I’d already decided I was desperate.
The light turned green. The car behind me honked. I hit the gas and lurched through the intersection. Five minutes later I yanked open the door of CVS. A
“Hey,” I said.
The bubble popped. She stared at me as it deflated over her chin. Her eyes were round. I could tell she was trying to come up with something rude to say.
“I need your help,” I blurted.
Very, very slowly, A
“It’s about freaking time.”
may
I just heard that Chloe Appleby is coming back to school.
What? I thought her mother sent her away to a convent.
Do people really do that?
I heard it was Catholic school.
Right. Because Catholic school girls never hook up.
Can we focus, please? I can not believe she’s coming back!
Do you think she’s still with Will?
Maybe she’ll get back together with Jake.
After the way he treated her? Please. Girl has some pride. I don’t know. She’s probably hella huge. And her stock has definitely dropped. Jake Graydon could turn that right around.
God. Sometimes I’m glad I’m not popular. It sounds like a pain in the ass.
I heard that.
ally
“These are your order forms for your caps and gowns,” Dr. Giles a
“Wow. Someone’s in a good mood,” A
Behind us, a few girls kept snickering and texting. I glanced sideways at Chloe, who sat on my left. It was her first day back and already her cheeks were red with embarrassment. So she thought that snark fest was about her too. She noticed me looking and tried to smile.
“I’m just glad we don’t have to wear maroon like the guys,” she said nonchalantly. “No one looks good in maroon.”
“Too bad they don’t have a double XL in the girls’ column,” someone said in the row behind ours. “Some people might need it.”
My heart plummeted and I glanced at Chloe. Her expression darkened and the order form crumbled in her fist atop her thigh. Part of me wanted to grab her and just walk out of there. But then she lifted her head and turned around with a bright smile, hooking her arm over her seat in a casual way.
“Excuse me, Denise, but have you actually seen this body I’m rocking lately?” she said, flicking her fingers in an up-and-down motion. “Because I happen to weigh less than I did before I got pregnant.”
Denise Zeldina turned momentarily white. Clearly she had not been expecting a comeback. But she recovered soon enough.
“I wasn’t talking about you,” she said. “God. Self-absorbed much?”
“Oh, really?” Chloe’s eyebrows shot up. “Then who were you talking about?” she asked loudly. “I’m just curious which one of our classmates you think is in need of a double XL gradu-ation gown. Because I’m sure that whoever she is, she would love to hear your opinion on her body.”
Everyone around us swiveled to stare at Denise. She turned beet red and sunk down in her seat.
“Yeah. That’s what I thought,” Chloe said.
“I think that’s enough, Miss Appleby,” Dr. Giles said as he strolled by.
Chloe crossed her legs casually, smoothing her skirt over her knees, not the least bit thrown by the vice principal calling her out.
“Oh, I’m done,” she replied. She fished a pen out of her leather bag and put a big check mark inside the SIZE: S box.
I couldn’t stop smiling. Looked like Chloe Appleby was officially back.
“All right, that’s it for today,” Mr. Giles a
The room filled with voices and laughter, everyone giddy with an overwhelming sense of entitlement. The casual way in which we’d just been dismissed said a lot. It said we were out of here. That it didn’t entirely matter what we did from here on out. Thirty minutes of hanging out in the caf instead of going back to class? That was a gift only the seniors could be given.
“I’ll be right back.” Chloe slipped out of her seat and jogged up the aisle ahead of us. I assumed she was going to catch up with Will, and I almost tripped when I saw her grab Jake’s arm. The two of them turned and walked out into the lobby together, talking quietly. I would have basically killed to know what they had to say to each other. I mean, had she seriously forgiven him for everything? Had he finally forgiven her? I’d been wondering about it ever since he’d called me to get Will’s number that night, ever since he’d shown up at the hospital the next day. What, exactly, had gone on between those two?
“Please tell me you’re not paranoid about them coupling up again,” A
“I know,” I replied, feeling warm all over. “And even if it is, who cares? We broke up, remember?”
“Yeah. Right. Who cares?” she said, flicking a blue nail polish chip at Denise Zeldina’s hair.
As we approached the doors, Jake walked off and we caught up with Chloe. “What was that all about?” I asked casually, even though my heart was pitter-pattering with curiosity.
“Nothing.” She lifted her shoulders. “He texted me this morning that he wanted to help decorate for the prom, so I was just telling him I’d e-mail him the meeting schedule.”
My brow knit. Jake had volunteered for prom committee? When? And why volunteer to help Chloe? She hadn’t even attended a meeting yet. Not that I thought for a second he’d come to me, but he could have talked to Faith. She was, after all, in charge.
“Um, okay.” We turned and walked slowly toward the caf with the throng. “So you two are, like … okay?”
Chloe tugged open the door and let A
I couldn’t take it. She was talking about this way too simply. I stopped by the bathrooms and she and A
“Seriously? Even after everything he did? Everything he said? That crap he—”
Chloe lifted a hand. “He apologized for that. That’s why he was at my house when my water broke,” she added under her breath.
I felt like someone had just spun me around five times fast and left me to try to focus. How had I never heard about this before? This was monumental. “Wait. He apologized? What … what did he say?”