Page 56 (1/2)

“What are you doing here?” I ask, but then I notice the hunch of her narrow shoulders like she’s shielding herself from a blow, and some dormant best-friend instinct sputters creakily to life “Are you okay?”

Chloe shrugs, squinting at the 3D sea-glass sculpture on the wall in the hallway instead of looking at me “Can we talk?” she asks

I glance fro discreetly into her office, then back to Chloe again “Sure”

I pull a hoodie off the row of hooks next to the front door and we head outside to sit on the porch swing, the chain link groaning quietly as we rock back and forth We’ve had almost every irade, the two of us trying valiantly to decipher the primitive dick-and-balls cartoon Brandon Farrow had scribbled on the back cover of her notebook; freshe to do inpatient eating-disorder treat if I wanted to lose inity to Jacob I used to think I could tell Chloe anything But now I don’t knohat to say

In the end it turns out I don’t have to

“Can I ask you a question?” she begins, picking at the polish on her freshly painted thu at me “Why did you trash Bex’s car?”

I whirl around, shocked all over again “That’s what you came here to yell at me about?” I demand “His douchey car? Because if it is you can just—”

“Can you cal to look atat you Do you hearyou why you did it”

I shrug “Why do you even care?”

Chloe huffs a breath out “Marin,” she says, tilting her head back against the swing “Come on”

“You co a baby—but I can’t help it I don’t kno to not be hurt by what she did

“Look” Chloe peels a flake of polish off her pinky nail, flicking it onto the floor of the porch “I know I haven’t been a very good friend to you lately—and I know that’s even an understate a hand up when I let out a sound of protest “And you don’t owe , if you want to tell me”

So: I tell her I tell Chloe everything, frorip on et back at uess I just wanted toget back at hi harder than Iforward quickly “But the only person I actually ruined anything for was myself”

The swing creaks back and forth, back and forth, and Chloe doesn’t say anything When I glance in her direction her face is almost as white as the clapboard on the front of the house

“I’ so suddenly with tears that I can’t keep fro “Marin I’m so, so sorry”