Page 27 (1/2)

There was a long pause "Are you suggesting Noel bos are you on, Hanna? He’s her boyfriend!"

"I’ questions"

Mike sighed "Well, Noel and I were practicing our routine an hour before the talent show But--okay Right before the boo back to his room So I don’t knohere he was, technically" There was a clunking sound on the other end "Does Noel know you’re asking these questions?"

"No, and I would appreciate it if you didn’t tell hi hard

"I still don’t believe that’s why you’re at the burn clinic, though"

Hanna sto’s for sure: I’m definitely, definitely not with Sean I didn’t even know he’d be working here when I signed up And he and h? Will you takemiffed "I’ll have to check your sources"

Hanna rolled her eyes Why was he being such a hard-ass? "Who told you abouthere, anyway?"

Mike cleared his throat "It doesn’t ood buddy"

The hairs on Hanna’s arms stood on end He? "Just tell o to the dance, okay? I have to get off I’one

Hanna stared at the flashing nue taste in her mouth

As if on cue, a ure walked out the double doors and headed toward the exit His head was tilted toward his phone, and he was talking too quietly for Hanna to hear He wore fitted, dark-wash jeans; Adidas sneakers; and a black T-shirt printed e

Hanna’s heart started to pound She knew exactly where that T-shirt had been purchased: the only cool boutique in Reykjavik Mike had bought one in white

It was Noel

22

The Trip to Tripp’s

"Turn left at the next intersection," said the automated voice of the GPS Emily had suction-cupped to the windshield of the Volvo She dutifully stopped at the light and angled the car into a develop right and left "Swanky"

Iris, who had taken her usual spot in the passenger seat, shrugged apathetically "I’m not surprised Tripp lives here," she said "You have to have a lot of cash to afford The Preserve"

"Are you sure Tripp lives here?" Emily asked as they passed a white stone house with a miniature version of it for aJames that afternoon, Iris had announced that she’d discovered where Tripp, her old crush, lived, and that they were going to track hiht Luckily, his house was only on the other side of Philly, in a pretty New Jersey suburb that looked a lot like Rosewood Still, there was sohborhood that made Emily feel uneasy The houses reminded her of the Crestview Manor ones, except even hborhood rehborhood Gayle Riggs lived in when Emily had azing at a notepad on her lap "His family is listed on four-one-one" Then she pointed to a country club parking lot "Let’s park here and walk the rest of the way I don’t want Tripp to see a car at the curb and run"

Es between her and Iris were back to being tense again Iris had created an itinerary of stuff for them to do this weekend that wasn’t even on her bucket list, the activities stretching long into the night It was like she was purposefully keeping Emily away from prom--if Iris couldn’t be happy, then Emily couldn’t, either

They headed down the quiet neighborhood sidewalk, which ept clean of leaves and eerily unbles The whole place almost felt like a iving a tight s, as if she was the one asn’t supposed to be here