One of Those Faces (57)

I remembered the sound of the car doors closing behind us as we walked up the steps. Danny and Erin had left together. I clutched my throbbing forehead. “No. But I haven’t been sleeping well. Not since everything with Jeremy.”

He got up and walked to the kitchen. “Coffee or water?”

“Coffee, please.” I swung my legs out from under the blanket and dangled them over the edge. I was still in the clothes from last night, the dress wrinkled and sticky from the spilled drink. Jenny’s spilled drink.

Iann handed me the warm mug. “Your friend seems like a nice guy.”

I took a sip; the coffee was more bitter than usual. “Danny?”

He bent over and closed his laptop. “Yeah. You’ve never mentioned him before.”

I gulped. I couldn’t remember the time between dancing with Iann and then ending up in Danny’s arms. How much had he seen? “We haven’t kept in touch. I hadn’t seen him in years until recently.”

“How do you know each other again?”

“Northwestern,” I said quickly.

“I thought you dropped out of college?” He leaned against the bedpost at the foot of the bed.

I held his gaze. He’d been compiling these questions while I slept. “I did. We were freshmen together.” I placed one hand under the cup, letting the heat sear my skin. “Does it bother you that I’m friends with him?”

He laughed and shook his head. “Come on, I’m not that guy. Why? Do you want me to be jealous?”

“Of course not.” I inched my fingers back to the handle.

“He seemed to be hitting it off with Erin.” He left the side of the bed and bent over to put his laptop in his backpack.

I shivered. “Are you leaving?” My voice was finally returning to normal.

“Yeah, I have a meeting with my faculty advisor,” he said, slinging his bag over one shoulder. “Are you going to be okay? How are you feeling?”

I took a bigger gulp of coffee, burning my tongue. “I’ll be fine.”

He stared at me. After a moment he dropped his backpack and returned to my side. “Will you promise me that you’ll stop?”

I didn’t need to ask what he meant. I nodded, avoiding his eyes.

He kissed my cheek. “I can’t lose you.”



After Iann left, I fell back into a dreamless sleep and woke hours later soaked in sweat. I could feel the judgment in Woodstock’s eyes as I finally sat up and dared to look at my phone.

There were no texts or calls from Erin, and the whole day had already passed by. It was 8:42 p.m. Erin was only this silent when she was barricaded in her apartment with a guy.

More sweat broke through my pores as I imagined Danny’s hands on her. I twisted my fingers through my hair and shook my head, but the image remained. I replayed all the moments from the night before. The way Erin had treated me last night. The way she had treated me our entire friendship.

It wasn’t just about Danny, I told myself. It was about Jeremy, about all the things she’d said to make me doubt Iann. And yes, it was a little bit about Danny. She hadn’t even tried to listen to how I felt about the situation.

I pulled my knees into my chest, the dress riding up to my waist. A quiet thought slipped in.

Why do you care so much?

My anger continued to build on my way to the studio, more memories of Erin’s slights and insults replaying with each step.

The class had just ended as I entered the studio. Everyone was tugging their parkas back on and chatting over their final glasses of wine.

I walked past Hannah to the back room. Erin was grabbing her handbag from the break table, already halfway out the door.

“Erin, this isn’t working out. I’m quitting.” The words spilled out.

She stopped and looked at me, and the lids above her bloodshot eyes twitched almost imperceptibly. “What? Where is this coming from?”

I slid my hood back. “I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me, but I think I’ve been using this job as an excuse not to move forward with my own work.” Maybe it was true, but it seemed like a lie.

She thought so too. “What’s wrong with you? You’re really going to abandon me right now?” She threw her bag onto the table.

I’d stumbled all the way here in a rage, but facing her now, a wave of guilt washed over me. “I’m not abandoning you. We’re still friends.”

She shook her head, pressing her fingers against her eyes as if trying to push away tears. “You know what? No, we’re not friends. We never were. I’ve been playing babysitter for you since you got here, and all you’ve ever done is made my life harder.”

I couldn’t speak. It was as though she’d slapped me.

She narrowed her eyes and scoffed. “And good luck finding someone else’s pills.”

My blood went cold. “What?”

“Yeah,” she continued, taking a step toward me. “I’m not blind. I know you’ve been stealing my pills for a while. And I assume your little show last night was because you snagged another one or two.”

“I—”

“Have a nice life, Harper.” She swung open the back door and disappeared.





CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE