Real Bad Things(49)

Angie smirked. “You have a husband?”

Out of habit, Jane popped her on the thigh. Angie responded by smacking her in return. Hers always stung more. She didn’t hold back like Jane did. Both tried and failed to contain their smiles.

“Asshole,” Jane said.

Angie let a smile slip but then shook her head. “They’re just rehashing old rumors.”

“Well, they’re not wrong.”

“Even so. Who’s to say it’s not Jason doing the talking? Or Georgia Lee? You’re the one who should’ve kept her mouth shut.” Angie leaned back against the building and stretched. “And your legs.”

“Jesus, Ang.”

“Look, I told you Georgia Lee was no good. You can’t trust her. How many times did I tell you that?”

“Yeah, but why?”

“Because she’s a white girl from Maud Proper. What more do you need? They’re monsters. They used to terrorize me in gym class. Don’t you remember?”

“Dodgeball?” Georgia Lee wasn’t in their gym class. She was always on some special sports team that kept her away from the plebes who had to do step aerobics and dodgeball.

“Among other demeaning activities, yes.”

“I thought we got hit on purpose to get it over with.”

“No, dummy,” Angie said. “I mean, maybe you did. But I certainly didn’t. They grabbed those tiny rubber balls and whacked me on purpose.”

“Shit. I’m sorry. I didn’t know. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I thought you knew. I thought you were being supportive,” she laughed. “At any rate, beyond that, you can’t trust her. She’s a politician.”

If there was one thing Maud could rally around, regardless of which part of the city one occupied, it was the universal hatred of anyone in an elected position. They’d even booed the high school class president for suggesting a blood drive. Probably because the Maud Proper kids did Molly; Maud Bottoms, weed. One could lead to grounding; one could lead to lockup.

“I think it’s more like an honorary position,” Jane said. “It’s not like she’s dealing with real problems.”

“Well, she’s friends with cops”—she pointed at Jane—“another reason not to trust her. They always endorse her. But not this year.”

“What’s that have to do with anything?”

“If they’re not willing to support her this year, that means they might have something on her.”

“Like what?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Accessory to murder?”

Jane didn’t think Georgia Lee would talk. Well, she might. But so would Angie if things escalated.

“What makes you think she wouldn’t turn on all of us?” Angie asked. “Sell out your brother? We don’t even know what happened. Not really. Only Georgia Lee and Jason do. For all we know, she could’ve dealt the final blow and tricked your brother into saying he did it.”

“What?” Jason had been quieter than most, but he wasn’t some dumb kid who could be swayed. “That’s ridiculous . . . we know what happened. You’re being paranoid.”

“Am I?” Angie tipped her head, flashing back to all the times she had been right about something Jane had insisted was not true or could not happen, not even in a million years. Like every horror movie they’d ever rented from Maud-ern Movies and More. Angie predicted the plot of When a Stranger Calls after the first ten minutes. She knew the old woman in lot 14 had probably died inside because the feral cats had stopped coming around. “Have you been to see her? Are you sleeping with her?”

Jane paused, tripping on the idea of what Angie suggested.

Angie grumbled. “We’re all going to jail.”

“Nobody’s going to jail. Nobody but me,” Jane said. “And I haven’t slept with her. She’s married.”

“Like that matters,” Angie said.

“She wouldn’t.”

“Sell out your brother? Or sleep with you?” A smile lit Angie’s face. It didn’t last long. “You don’t know her anymore. You can’t predict what she’ll do. And I predict she’ll turn on us in a heartbeat. Her name is already out there and attached to yours, thanks to Let’s Talk About Maud. It’s only a matter of time before she tells all in exchange for a deal. Probably also get a book deal in the process.”

“I don’t think she would.” The look on Angie’s face told Jane everything she needed to know about how she felt about that. “In the unlikely event you’re right—worst-case scenario, it’s three against one. We’ll say she’s lying. That I’m the only one to blame. Again. Shouldn’t be that hard this time. There’s a body.”

Neither talked for a while. The sun hit its peak and slowly began to cast shade from the building, offering some respite. Across the way, the fake mountain with the waterfall gurgled, the only sound other than a few passing cars from the nearby highway and the dings from video games inside. The life-size giraffe stood in a shallow pool of water, staring at Maud Proper in the distance. Even the animals wanted out.

Back then, Jane wouldn’t have believed that she and Angie wouldn’t be friends forever, still complaining about work, still rolling their eyes at teenage boys who thought they were the first ones to come up with the brilliant idea of taking a picture of themselves fake humping the faded gorilla statue on the course, still talking every day.