Smart girl.
I’m also thankful. I wish I only felt that way for pure, selfless reasons, but I’m not as lovely as Hannah. Yes, I think he would be horrible for her well-being, but I’m also afraid he would like her if he ever spent any time with her—how could anyone not?—and the idea of him liking someone else is somehow painful.
Which is ridiculous since he has a girlfriend.
My god, what is wrong with me?
“Do they seem… happy to you?” I ask, even knowing I’m crossing a line.
“As happy as a couple of spiders sharing a particularly juicy fly,” she answers after a moment. “I don’t know him well, but I know Anae. Mean people are mean for a lot of different reasons, but with Anae… I hate to say this because I don’t like to believe something like that about anyone, but… I’m really not sure she’s even capable of love. If she is, I sure haven’t seen it.”
Any lingering thoughts I had that Hannah might be a double agent are swept away with that statement. I definitely don’t know Anae as well as she does. I think she’s awful, but if even someone so close to her agrees, that must mean it’s real and not because of some bias I have.
Hannah finishes braiding a ring around the back of my head, then she says, “There,” with a trace of happy accomplishment in her tone.
I can’t see, of course, but she gives me a little compact mirror from her purse and uses her phone as well to show me how freaking pretty she made my hair look.
I love this girl. I want to take her home with me.
“That is so cute,” I tell her. “I love it.”
She beams. “Isn’t it? I love waterfall hair. I just think it’s so pretty. And you have really nice hair to begin with. That style really works for you. You look so good.”
“Thank you,” I say, not for the compliment which I can tell she really means, but for being so nice to me. I’ve felt like utter crap since I got to school today, and just hanging out with her for a little while, it all melted away.
She smiles back like she understands what I’m thanking her for. “You’re welcome.”
Since Hannah has to get back to her study hall, she doesn’t stay once she has finished my hair.
Even once she’s gone, though, I feel better. After a while, I even feel silly for letting Anae and her friends get to me.
I can’t help thinking that if I had time for friends, I would definitely want to be Hannah’s.
And then, realizing she is the second person in Anae’s orbit I have taken to lately, I can’t help wondering what the hell is up with that?
Chapter fourteen
Aubrey
This Friday hasn’t been much better than the one where I nearly died, but at long last, it ends, and I am free to climb in my bed and go to sleep.
My bed feels incredible. I haven’t even pulled back the bedding and climbed underneath yet, I just crashed on top and don’t want to move.
I didn’t bother turning on my bedroom light after I took a shower. I knew I didn’t have any energy left to do homework tonight. All I want to do is go to sleep.
My phone lights up on the bed next to me.
I grab it, trying to ignore the niggling hope that it’s Dare.
It isn’t. It’s just a social media notification.
I’m disappointed as I swipe the notification and open the app, but my disappointment ebbs when I see it’s a follow request from Hannah Dupont.
I accept it, then tap home and look at my feed. Stories are displayed at the top. Hannah’s profile picture is her lying in a field of flowers which is honestly the most appropriate thing I can possibly imagine. I smile looking at her in her powder blue dress, gazing up at the sky.
God, she’s so pretty.
I wish I had time to be your friend.
Her story is the first one displayed at the top of the screen, so out of curiosity, I click it.
To my surprise, it’s an extremely flattering picture of me under the shade tree at school today, my beautiful waterfall braid in peak condition since she had just styled it. The caption reads, “She’s so pretty omg” with the hashtag #hairgoals.
The whole hair goals thing is obviously bullshit because Hannah has long, gorgeous curls women would literally kill for, but I know what she’s doing. Putting this positive post and picture of me out there to combat all the mean ones Anae and her squad shared today.
My chest feels all funny. Kinda tight and… heartburny.
I’m caught completely off guard when I see a text from Dare flash across the top of my screen.
I tap it before it has time to disappear.