People Like Us(34)

Nola turns to Cori. “You’re the cat girl.”

Cori clears her throat. “Actually, yeah. I knew him personally.”

It’s not funny at all. What happened to Hunter was sick and vicious and wrong. But the tension at the table is getting to me, and something about the way she says it bubbles a giggle up to my lips. Brie gives me an odd look, and I cough into my hands. Nola flashes me a wicked grin behind her mug of tea.

“What’s the matter with you?” Cori snaps at Nola, not entirely fairly. I was the one who laughed. Although Nola did grin.

“So who did it?” I ask Cori, hoping to defuse the situation. “Bottom line.”

She takes a bite of avocado and chews thoughtfully. “A student. A junior or a senior. Someone who was here long enough to have a familiarity with Dr. Klein’s mansion and Dr. Klein herself, and obviously, someone who’s still here.” She takes a sip of milk and then goes on, thoroughly enjoying the spotlight. “It was someone who had a reason to resent Dr. Klein. But it wasn’t revenge. It was a compulsion.”

Maddy’s eyes widen. “So you think it’s a serial killer?”

Cori nods solemnly. “It’s textbook.”

Brie brushes her foot against mine again, and bounces it back and forth between hers playfully. “Kill any cats lately?” She came to dinner straight from track practice, just slightly breathless, her cheeks still flushed, her hair pushed back from her forehead with a scarlet band. She’s always cutest right after practice.

“Funny.”

Cori frowns. “What?”

I kick my foot free. “Brie thinks it’s hilarious that the detective at the crime scene has a vendetta against me.”

Maddy rolls her eyes. “Why was she so mean? She obviously needs a hobby.”

“Maybe she’s right.” All eyes turn to Nola, who looks at us ominously over her mug of tea. I close my eyes in frustration. Why does she have to be so weird? “I mean, Jessica stole her boyfriend. No one else has a motive. Except Jessica’s ex, and since Kay’s secretly sleeping with Greg, who knows what else they’re hiding?” She shrugs, and everyone gapes at me.

“Please tell me you’re doing no such thing,” Brie demands.

“I’m not!” I turn to Nola, who is grinning wickedly. “She made that up. I’m not dating anyone.”

“I didn’t say dating,” Nola says in a loud stage whisper.

Maddy’s mouth drops open and Brie casts me an uncertain glance. I grab my tray and storm away from the table, dumping the remainder of my dinner in the trash. Nola follows me to the door.

“Sorry,” she says lightly. “Did I take it too far?”

“What is wrong with you?” I shrug my coat onto my shoulders. “I called Greg because you asked me to set you up. I’m trying to be nice to you, Nola.”

She crosses her arms over her chest and juts her pointy, almost elflike chin out. “Yeah? Is it that hard? Is it really so painful?”

I become aware that everyone within earshot is staring at us. “Just . . . be normal.”

She shakes her head. “Take a joke, Kay.”

“Your jokes aren’t funny.”

She narrows her eyes. “Yeah? Neither are yours.”

I push out the door into a swirl of leaves and stalk back toward my dorm. In a moment, Brie rushes out and falls into step beside me.

“What is going on with you?”

“Nothing. Nola is full of shit.”

“Then why are you wasting your time on her?” Her breath clouds out of her mouth, and she bounces up and down as we walk. She’s only wearing a sweatshirt and track pants, and I take my jacket off and hand it to her but she pushes it back to me. We play reverse tug-of-war for a second until she finally drapes it over both of our shoulders. “Stubborn.”

“She’s weird, but she’s nice.”

“She doesn’t seem nice at all. She just made an ass out of you.”

“Apparently you don’t like anyone anymore.”

Brie squints at me. “Why would you say that?”

I shrug. “Maddy.”

We stop talking for a moment as we pass through a group of students, who give Brie the customary smiles and greetings, but either I’m imagining it or I get a few weird looks. “Okay, did that anonymously skanky junior just mouth the word bitch at me?” I stop dead and glare at her over my shoulder. Her name is Hillary Jenkins; she tried out for soccer two years running and didn’t make the cut. And I can make her life a living hell.

Brie steers me away from the wrought-iron lamppost where the juniors have congregated. “Look. With Tai and Tricia gone, people are starting to talk. About you ratting both of them out, getting Hannigan fired—”

“He was fired?”

“Where have you been, and why wasn’t I invited? Tai and Tricia are finishing the year at public school, and to them, that’s a huge insult.”

“Neither of them will answer my texts.”

“Well, the word going around is that you made it happen.”

“I didn’t.”

“Of course you didn’t. Just like you didn’t sleep with Jessica’s ex-boyfriend.” She purses her lips and raises her eyebrows. “Interesting how these rumors started the second you began hanging out with Nola.”