“Mads called me. Said you could use a friend,” she replied, hugging me back just as tightly.
Tears stung my eyes. “I’ve missed you so much.”
She pulled back and studied me, instant concern springing into her mossy green irises. “Don’t get all sappy on me.”
“Told you that you would love it.” Mads faced Ainsley. “Hey, stranger.” She gave Ainsley a quick hug.
I wiped at the dampness under my eyes, glad I hadn’t put on a lot of makeup. My mascara was waterproof, so I was banking on that meaning tear-proof too. “God dammit. You made me cry.”
Mads bumped my shoulder with hers. “What are friends for?”
I swallowed, trying to compose myself. “Thanks. Truly. You have no idea how much I needed this. Need you guys.”
My two best friends smiled at each other.
Ainsley took a long look at Kenna and whooshed out a breath of air. “And you must be the duplicate. Wow, your parents really did copy and paste the genes. Kenna, right? I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Kenna eyed my best friend critically. “I don’t have to ask if they were good or bad.”
Ainsley lifted a single brow. “We’re there already, huh? The sibling rivalry.” She’d always been good at picking up vibes.
I was about to intervene and quickly change the subject before things escalated, but a shrill voice shrieking Kenna’s name stopped me. I cringed.
It took two seconds for my elated mood to crash. Two seconds of the sound of Izzy Clayton’s voice to spike my blood pressure. It was like nails on a chalkboard and produced instant PTSD.
My heart started to race.Motherfucker.
“And there goes my Saturday,” I mumbled as Kenna turned to the side to see who called her name.
Izzy and Emily strolled through the door behind Ainsley, looking like they just finished shooting a music video. “I told you that was her,” Emily stated to Izzy, her dark blue eyes landing on Kenna.
“It was hard to tell with all the trash lingering about,” Izzy sneered as her gaze darted from me to Ainsley.
Ainsley shifted so we were standing shoulder to shoulder. “These are the back-alley bitches, aren’t they?”
I nodded. “Two of the three.”
A mean grin sprawled on Ainsley’s lips. “Good. I’ve wondered when I would get to use my knuckles.” She reached for her bag. “They are super cute, shaped like a kitten. The spiky ears look pointy enough to break the skin.”
Frowning, Izzy took a step back, closer to the door, just in case Ainsley did break out the brass knuckles. “Don’t you have some other shop to stain with your skankness? I mean, I get she is yoursister, but I don’t understand why you would choose to hang out with her,” she said to Kenna.
“Especially after what she did to Ava.” Emily tsked her tongue, shaking her auburn hair.
Kenna’s cheeks turned red.
“Why don’t you guys just leave?” Mads suggested. “I’d hate to make a scene and get kicked out of my favorite store.”
“You used to be cool. Wait. No,” Emily backpedaled. “You weren’t. We just tolerated you because of Kenna.”
Sister.My mind echoed the word. That’s what Izzy had said.Sister. I whirled on Kenna. “Did you tell them?” I meant to keep the emotion out of my voice but failed. We’d get back to the Ava comment in a minute. I could only unpack one of their idiot digs at a time. Their pea-sized brains couldn’t handle jumping topics too fast. It was like they’d inhaled too much hairspray and nail polish over the years, and somehow the thought of Kenna tellingthemthe truth about who I was, felt like another betrayal.
We were drawing more than a few eyes, including the lady working the floor. “Why wouldn’t I?” Kenna said sharply. “They’re my friends. Besides, everyone knows, thanks to the tagger. It was them who spilled your secret, not me.”
I didn’t want to get into what shitty choice in friends Kenna had, Mads excluded. “Where’s the queen bee? She hasn’t been at school all week.” A sneer crossed my lips.
Izzy shifted her bougie coffee drink to her other hand. She looked like she wanted to toss it in my face. “Please, don’t pretend like you don’t know. It’s your fault Ava transferred schools.” Izzy’s cold eyes glared at me.
If looks could kill, I’d be dead on the ground, but I stood in the shop smugly pleased. The idea of never seeing Ava’s face again filled me with joy.