Dead Little Mean Girl. Eva Darrows

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СКАЧАТЬ the back of my neck, unwilling to admit aloud that her unleashing her winged monkeys scared me to death, but that was the truth of it. I liked my low profile. I liked hanging out with Nikki and Laney and Tommy, and being ignored by my classmates. It was safe. Being Quinn’s target dummy outside of the house as well as in? Was the anti-safe. “Whatever, okay? I’ll leave it alone.”

      Satisfied with my cowardice, she wandered off to the bathroom. I heard the radio blare followed by the rush of water. I tossed the book onto the counter and headed out the door, my hand plunging into my jeans pocket in search of my cell phone. Fifteen minutes later, I arrived at the Bouncing Bear Coffee Shop on the corner and Tommy Naughters was pulling into the parking lot in a Jeep Cherokee so old it looked like it was held together with duct tape.

      Tommy was an old friend, like since-grade-school old friend. Tall and knobby at the joints, he had dark brown hair and hazel eyes and an Adam’s apple that bulged from his neck like he’d swallowed a baseball. He was nerdy like me with his video game T-shirts and black trench coat. We’d dated awhile but it hadn’t gone anywhere. Part of that was his propensity for writing emo poetry. I liked him too much to laugh in his face at what was supposed to be a romantic gesture. But know this: I stilled his soul, granting him the respite given only to those in the tomb.

      I still giggle thinking about it because I’m a jerk.

      The other part was my mad crush on Shawn Willis, a guy so out of my league it wasn’t even funny. Every time Shawn walked into a room at school, my mouth went dry and I lost my train of thought. Like, midsentence I’d go silent. Tommy noticed The Shawn Effect. He didn’t appreciate it, and our gropey fumblings and makeouts weren’t so good he couldn’t walk away from them.

      We stayed friends despite the split, and things were better than ever with him dating my other friend, Laney. She worked at that particular Bouncing Bear, though Tommy said she had the day off and wouldn’t be joining us on account of a family thing. Laney adored Tommy, emo poetry and all, because dead roses were more a goth chick’s scene and Laney was all about her pleather and fishnets.

      Tommy clambered from the Jeep in his usual coat, jeans and combat boots, a Dungeons & Dragons book tucked beneath his arm. Seeing me waiting inside at the corner booth, he waved.

      “I got a new adventure for us next week,” he said.

      “Cool. I’m digging the cleric. Hopefully I won’t blow this one up.”

      One of the common threads of our friendship was a mutual appreciation for tabletop role-playing games. This fact had never and would never make it to Quinn, who would have laughed herself to tears that I was one of those kids. My diatribe on how storytelling was an ancient art form celebrated in hundreds of cultures and Dungeons & Dragons was simply a modern extension of a time-honored tradition would be wasted on her.

      “What happened with the Evil One now?” Tommy sat across from me. I slid him an iced coffee I’d ordered from the woman behind the counter. Tommy would pollute his with a mountain of sugar, but I liked mine black.

      As black as my twisted soul, my sweet Ophelia.

      Poor Tommy.

      “She’s threatening me about what happened in art class,” I said. “That thing with Riddell I told you about? She says she’ll ruin me. I don’t know what that means, but I’m guessing she’ll tell people stuff about me. Or, well, make stuff up. I’m pretty boring.”

      Tommy tossed a straw my way, his fingers tracing over the cover of his book. “Were you planning to tell anyone about what happened? Was that even a thing?”

      I wasn’t sure how to answer that. Had I considered it? Yes. Planned? No, not really. After Quinn screwed over Nikki, I’d rushed to make nice with the girl who would become my best friend. Once again I felt compelled to repair Quinn’s damage, but I didn’t want it to become a habit. Quinn was Quinn. She owned her asshattery. I could apologize or tattle, but didn’t that set a problematic precedent?

      And in this case, it would be at the expense of my own neck.

      “I dunno, should I?” I swirled my drink around inside the plastic cup. The ice clicked and whooshed against the sides. “I feel like maybe I should because he’s not a bad guy, but there were thirty other kids there, too. They could say something and take less of a hit from the inevitable Quinn bomb. She’s two doors down from me, you know?”

      Tommy nudged my foot with his own.

      “There you go. It’s not on you to fix her shit. You worry about you. She worries about her. I’m sure it’ll work out for Riddell.”

      “Yeah,” I said, nodding my head.

      In retrospect, this was not the best advice in the world, but hindsight is always twenty-twenty.

      * * *

      The cosmos decided I was a huge toolbag for keeping my mouth shut because at the mall with Nikki the next week, who did we stumble across but the former art teacher himself. I didn’t see him coming, but Nikki did. She and I had just walked out of the shoe store, Nikki the proud new shoe mommy to a pair of knee-high black boots with spiky heels, when she took off down the hall like a bullet. I turned in time to see her approach Mr. Riddell, who was two stores up, his eyes huge behind his glasses.

      “Mr. Riddell! How are you?” Nikki asked. I trotted after her, my shopping bag whacking my calf.

      Mr. Riddell glanced at me nervously, like I carried Quinn cooties with me that could ruin his life for a second time. He sucked in a breath, his meaty cheeks billowing. “Hello. Yes. I’m sorry to... How are you both doing? I enjoyed having you in my class.”

      Nikki actually swooped in to hug him. He looked shocked, but then awkwardly patted her shoulder as she pulled away, his tight smile making him look like he had gas.

      “I’m good, thanks. We miss you, Mr. Riddell. The new chick’s okay but she brought us back to basics. Like 101 techniques in a 201, you know? It’s dumb,” Nikki said.

      He frowned and adjusted his glasses, the crinkles between his brows looking like a chicken’s foot. “I am sorry to hear that. Are you still taking lessons at the museum?”

      Nikki nodded. “On weekends. We’re working with pastels.”

      “Excellent. And how are you, Emma?” His head swiveled my way.

      Why’d he have to look at me?

      “I’m good,” I managed over the frog in my throat.

      Don’t be nice. I don’t deserve it. Quinn doesn’t deserve it.

      He nodded, smiling, as a middle-aged woman called his name from across the concourse. “That’s my wife. I should go.”

      Seeing that woman holding her purse, waiting for her husband, compounded my guilt. Hard. Mr. Riddell had lost a job he’d had for years. He was married and probably had a mortgage. And bills. And a lifestyle. All of those things may have been compromised because Quinn Littleton couldn’t handle a single day without her stupid goddamned cell phone.

      “I’m sorry you had to leave.” It escaped before I could think better of it. Nikki winced, but I’d opened that door and I’d reap the consequences for it. Red-faced, I peered at him, my fingers clasped together over my stomach.

      “I’m СКАЧАТЬ