Pushing Perfect(32)

“That’s not exactly cleaning,” I said. “Cleaning would be putting them back in the closet.”

“Too time-consuming,” she said. “Ooh, treats!” She grabbed a croissant and started eating it right away, crumbs getting everywhere.

“More like bribery,” I said. “Looks like it’s working, too. How was the party?”

“That is so not the topic at hand. I mean, it was fine. It would have been more fun with you there, though. Did Raj end up coming over? Is that the news?”

“He did, but that’s not what this is about. Although it is kind of about him.” The easiest thing to do was just to show her, so I got out my phone and pulled up the texts from Blocked Sender.

She took the phone. I watched her face as she scrolled through the texts and tried to read her expression.

First shock, then recognition.

She looked up at me. “So he got you too,” she said.

That was not what I expected. “What do you mean? Do you know who Blocked Sender is?”

“Is that what you’re calling him? I just went with Asshole. No, I don’t know who he is. But I got some texts like this a few months ago. Nothing to do with the Novalert—just someone who knew a little too much about me. Scary threats, just like you, then requests for favors.”

“The same favors?”

“No, different for me. It was like the person knew me well enough to know what to ask for. The favors were mostly about setting up offshore bank accounts and how to move money around online.”

“How do you know about all that?”

She pointed to her computer. “I told you about the poker, but it’s a little more serious than I let on. I make a lot of money. Like, all those clothes in there? I bought them myself. And I have enough saved to pay for college.”

“You’re kidding,” I said. “I knew you were good, but I had no idea you were that good.”

“Well, I learned from the best,” she said. “My uncle made millions before all that bad stuff happened.”

“What bad stuff?” I asked.

She took a sip of her coffee. “He was doing great, and then he threw it all away. He had a problem, though. It wasn’t just about poker for him. He gambled on everything, and not all of it was legal. He spent some time in jail, and other than some money he’d socked away overseas, he lost everything. Including this family. My parents totally cut him off, and I never see him anymore.”

“I’m so sorry,” I said.

“Yeah, it sucks. We email sometimes, but if my parents found out I was in touch with him they’d kill me. And if they found out about the poker, they’d cut me off too.”

I didn’t want her to get mad at me, but I had to ask. “Why do you keep playing, then?”

“Because it’s the only thing I’m really good at. It’s the only thing I love. And I don’t have my uncle’s problems—I don’t gamble on anything else, and poker isn’t really gambling, anyway. My parents don’t understand that now, but I think someday I can make them see. I just have to wait until they’ve calmed down about my uncle.”

“How long has it been?”

“A couple of years,” she admitted. “They’re not getting over it quick.”

“I still can’t believe they’d cut you off, though. You guys are so close.”

“You only know their happy, everything’s-going-well-so-let’s-cook-dinner side. You haven’t seen what I will diplomatically call their other qualities. Let’s just say embarrassing the family is not on the agenda.”

I could relate. Back when my dad got kicked out of his start-up, he’d get in his car and leave at the same time he normally would every day, so no one would know he didn’t have anything else lined up yet. He’d rented a little office a couple of towns over to work on new projects, but he kept the same routine. And I heard Mom on the phone, talking to her friends or her parents, never mentioning any of the trouble she and Dad were having. Family problems stay within the family, they’d say. I wanted to note that their parents were also their family, but I didn’t think they’d appreciate it. “I know what you mean,” I said. “My parents can never find out about this.” It’s not that I thought they’d cut me off, but the weight of their disappointment would be more than I could bear. And them finding out was the best-case scenario, at this point—there was still the risk of the police. As far as I knew, Marbella High had never had a felon as valedictorian. I’d never get into college, either.

If this came out, my life was over. My heart started thumping away. So much for Novalert making things better.

“My parents can’t find out either,” she said. “But if it makes you feel better, I did what your Blocked Sender asked me to do, and it was over. I never heard from him again. If you do it, maybe that will be it.” She didn’t sound convinced, though.

“Maybe,” I said. “But I still have to figure out how to get more Novalert.”

“That part’s easy. Just ask Raj.”

“I told him it was just for the test, though.”

“Who cares? Besides, he’s so blinded by his crush on you, I’d bet he’d do anything to make you like him back.”