âBut you, Montgomery, have more important things to do. Avaâs in the bathroom with a wardrobe malfunction, and youâre the only one who knows how to sew.â
âExcuse me,â I interrupted, rising to my feet, anger flaring. I was so close to getting my old friend backâI just knew it. âBecca and I were in the middle of talking. Ava will have to wait.â
Olivia rolled her eyes. âWell, I suppose we better let Becca decide that, donât you think?â She released her arm. âWell, Becca, my dear?â
I stole a glance at my friend. Please pick me, please pick me, please pick me . I swear at that moment I would have given up Olympic gold forever just to have my best friend tell Olivia to get lost. That she had her true friend back now and didnât need those brainless Boarder Barbies.
Becca looked at me, then at Olivia, her face a war of emotions. I gnawed on my lower lip, beginning to get nervous. What was going on with her? How could she even consider choosing Olivia over me?
âBecca, whatâs wrong?â I found myself asking, my eyes welling up with tears. I knew I shouldnât be acting this vulnerable in front of Oliviaâit would only give her more ammunition. But I couldnât help it. âWhatâs going on with you? Did I do something? Whatever it was, tell me and Iâll make it up to you!â My mind raced for reasons that she could be mad at me, but I kept coming up blank.
Becca squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them, her face now a mask of resignation. âSorry, Lexi,â she mumbled. âI need to help Ava.â And with that, she shuffled off in the direction of the bathroom, leaving me alone with Olivia, who was now beaming wider than the Cheshire cat.
It was the last straw. My body took over, ignoring my mindâs plea to take the higher road. Instead I grabbed Beccaâs discarded bowl and shoved it into Oliviaâs face. She screamed as the grimy whipped cream and chocolate syrup dripped down her cheeks. As she tried to wipe it away, she only managed to get chocolate on her pristine white coat and gain the attention of the other students. Now everyone was staring at her in the way Iâd first imagined them staring at me.
âYou are so dead,â she snarled in her most venomous of tones. âI will get you, Lexi Miller, if itâs the last thing I do.â
âPlease. What could you possibly do to me,â I shot back, âthat you havenât already done?â
And with that, I turned and fled the party.
CHAPTER NINE
I f life were a movie, the cameras would be following me as I abandoned the rec center, stepping out onto the snow-dusted grounds on my way back to the dorm. Maybe Iâd be stomping angrily; maybe Iâd be shedding a few dramatic tears. Either way, the sound track would be gloomy and dark and hopeless. In the credits itâd be listed as âRequiem for a Friendâ or something equally as depressing.
Then, out of nowhere, the cameras would cut away, revealing Becca bursting out of the building, chasing me down, and grabbing me by the shoulders to whirl me around, her face full of apology and regret. As the music soared, weâd cry and laugh and hug as sheâd beg me to forgive her. Then weâd sling arms around each otherâs shoulders and walk off into the snowflakes, a silver-screen-worthy rebeginning of a beautiful friendship.
But my life was not a movie. Becca remained inside with her new friends. And as I walked through the snow-carpeted campus shuffling my boots to make trails in the powder, I remained utterly alone. The wind had started to pick up, and I pulled my parka closer around me, the cold mingling with my despair.
What was going on with Becca? Why was she acting so weird? And how did Olivia fit into all this? Why was Becca hanging around her, obeying her like a pathetic little puppy dog? The Becca I knew would never, ever, in a million
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