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"Sa aton my cheeks, and wished I’d stayed in my room

12

I’d spared myself a confrontation with Scout earlier in the day Since she and Lesley were playing cards at the coffee table when I returned to the suite, two brat packers in line behind me, my time for avoidance was up

I stopped short in the doorhen I saw the me in the back

"Down in front," Veronicaa tornado of shopping bags into the colanced up when I opened the door At first, she seemed excited to see me But when she realized who’d followed nificantly nastier

I probably deserved that

"Shopping?" she asked, an eyebrow arched as Amie and Veronica skirted the couch on their way to Amie’s room

"Fresh air," I said

Scout aze to the fan of cards in her hand "I think it’s your turn," she told Lesley, her voice flat

Lesley looked up at me "You were out--with them?"

Barnaby wasn’t much for subtlety

"Fresh air," Scout repeated, then put a card onto the table with a snap of sound "Lily needed fresh air"

Amie unlocked her bedroom door and azed back atone card, then a second and third, onto the table "You should go You have shoes to try on, Carrie, or Miranda, or whoever you’re pretending to be today"

Veronica snorted, her features screwing into that ratlike pinch "Better than hanging out here with geeks ’r’ us"

"Geeks ’r’ us?" I repeated

"She uses a bag with a pirate symbol on it," Veronica said "What kind of Disney fantasy is she living?"

Oh, right, I thought That’s why I hated these girls "And yet," I pointed out, "you hung out with me today And you know Scout and I are friends"

"All evidence to the contrary," Scoutyou the benefit of the doubt," Veronica said

Scout uilty"

"Ladies," Barnaby said, standing up to reveal the unicorn-print T-shirt she’d matched with a pleated skirt "I don’t think Lily wants to be fought over This is beneath all of you"

I forced a nod in agreeht over

"Uh-huh," Veronica said, then looked at , Parker You’re new to St Sophia’s, so we offered to help you out We gave you a warning, and because you handled our little gahtful," Scout bit out, "to nored her "Fine You want to be honest? Let’s be honest Friends ht people, the fact that you went to St Sophia’s won’t make a damn bit of difference Even St Sophia’s has its lanced over at Scout and Lesley, then glanced back at et her point

I’m not sure if she was better or worse for it, but the bitchiness of her comment aside, there was earnestness in her expression Veronica believed what she was saying--really, truly believed it Had Veronica been a ht now "If you’re saying that I have to dump one set of friends in order to keep another," I told her, "I think you knohat the answer’s going to be"

"There are only two kinds of people in this world," Veronica said "Friends--and ene to take nantly, then walked into A with a decided click behind her

The roolanced over at Scout Ever so cal eye contact, she laid the rest of her cards flat on the table, stood up, marched into her room, and slammed the door

The coffee table rattled

I undraped the scarf from around s and sat down on the floor, then began to order the deck of cards into a tidy pile "Granted," she said, "I’ve only known you for a couple of days, but that was not the s you’ve ever done"

"Yeah, I know"

She bobbed her head toward Scout’s closed door, which had begun to rattle with the bass of Veruca Salt’s "Seether"

"How ballistic do you think she’s gonna be?" I asked,door

"Intercontinental ured"

Lesley placed her stack of cards gingerly on the tabletop, then looked over at ht?"

I nodded "As soon as I’y?"

Lesley sathered up my scarf, rose from the couch, and headed for Scout’s door

"Just tell my parents I loved them," I said, and reached out my hand to knock

13

Four minutes later, when Scout finally said, "Cos crossed, a spread of books before her

She lifted her gaze and arched an eyebrow at ed a half ss and rose fro down the stereo to a lowish roar, shethe items in her tinyht "I’lanced over with skeptical eyes "You ignored me all weekend You’ve either been holed up in your roo with the brat pack And since I know there’s no love lost there" She shrugged

"It’s nothing"