“First I have to tell you that I’m sorry,” I begin as I sit on the s
ide of her bed beside her.
She narrows her eyes a little. “Why?”
“Because I wasn’t totally honest with you and I should have been, right from the start.” I feel a little guilty about it, but sneaking out to a party is definitely not as big a fib as pretending to be a dead girl. Perspective is important.
“Okay. So what weren’t you honest about with me?”
“I tried to get over the boys, I promise.”
She’s looking more and more pensive. “There’s a ‘but’ coming, isn’t there?”
“But … nothing worked. So, I went to Victoria’s Halloween party tonight, to try and talk to them outside of school.” I shake my head now. “Something about this school, I swear, it brings out the worst in people.”
Dana’s eyes, now growing wide, stare at me. “Don’t try to change the subject,” she says. “And please, please tell me you didn’t actually go.”
I grimace. “I wish I didn’t,” I say, and then I stop and add. “Well … maybe not exactly.” I go on, telling her the events of the rest of the evening. I get all the way up until I ran into Astor before she interrupts me to ask about the costume I borrowed.
She raises her eyebrows in interest. “Was it the blue Marie Antoinette looking one?”
I smile a little and nod. “Yeah. I thought with the mask, no one would recognize me.”
She looks a little star struck. “I bet you looked incredible in it.”
I sigh. “Well, I did until Victoria discovered me.”
Dana is appropriately furious when I tell her the inevitable turn of events. She gasps at all the right moments, cries out in shock and disgust, and ultimately is left red-faced and shaking at the tale of my ultimate retreat back to the school in shame.
“Oh my God.” I can see the fury raging in her. “Oh my poor Teddy! I’m so sorry!”
Even as she says it, I see her eyes dropping down to the clothes I’m wearing—and she knows the story isn’t over yet. I wonder for a moment if I should tell her the whole truth of how I ended up there in that pool house, and then I decide not to. Wills has already promised me that he won’t say a word about it to anyone. I don’t want her to worry about whether or not I may or may not have tried to drown myself.
“Then Wills came in,” and though I try to make it sound sinister and dramatic, I feel my face crack. I’m smiling, and I can’t hide it. If anything, it just makes her more confused.
Dana is stunned. “Wills did?”
I nod, and then I can’t keep it in any longer. I bury my face in my hands and let out a little squeal.
“I can’t explain it. It’s over, all that bad blood between us—at least, me and Wills.”
She’s still shell-shocked. “I don’t understand.”
“We made up,” I say. “And please … don’t judge me. He rescued me. I can’t tell you how, but he did. And I know he’s sorry.”
I hold my breath, waiting for her reaction. I know I’ve been through too much—put her through too much—for her to just accept it, but I don’t think I could handle it if she’s against it entirely.
She’s hesitant, but I don’t blame her. After a long moment, she takes one of my hands.
“Are you sure about this? I can’t see you hurt again.”
Relief floods through me, and I grab her other hand too and squeeze them, hard. “Absolutely. I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”
A smile breaks across Dana’s face, and she squeezes me back. “Then … how are we going to celebrate?”
“I don’t even care,” I say, a little breathless. “And that isn’t the whole of it.” I bite my lower lip a little bit. “Well, we more than made up …” I hint to her, and her eyes get big again.
“Did you …” She trails off. I nod and grin.