Secrets & Lies: Two Short Stories(8)

“Damn it.”

“And that makes two.”

***

Toby dropped me off at my house a little while later. It was obvious he wanted to stick around, but I shooed him out of the driveway as fast as I could.

“Bianca will be here soon,” I told him.

“Okay… So?”

“So she doesn’t know about us.”

“Why can’t you just tell her?”

“OMG, Toby, it’s not that easy.”

“And that’s sixteen,” he said. “I’m dating a girl who says ‘OMG’ nearly sixteen times in an hour.”

“I have not used sixteen abbreviations!”

“Yes. Yes, you have. But why can’t you tell Bianca about us?”

“I just… look, maybe I can—I’ll try—but I don’t want her finding out by pulling into the driveway and seeing us in your car. It’s complicated, and I need to find a good way to tell her.”

He sighed. “All right. But can you do it soon? I’m not really the sneaking-around type.”

“Yeah… me neither.” I kissed him on the cheek. “I’ll see you soon.”

He drove away. And literally five minutes later, Bianca pulled up in front of my house. I tried to play it cool, not look too guilty or anything. But the harder I tried, the more uncomfortable I got. B kept looking at me like I was on crack.

“You okay?” she asked on the way to Jess’s house.

“Yeah, of course. I’m fine. I’m just cold. Your car is f*cking freezing. You still haven’t gotten that heater fixed?”

She shrugged. “I’m in New York, so it doesn’t really matter most of the time. Dad’s tried, but he can’t figure out what’s wrong with it.”

“Is Wesley good with cars?”

B snorted. “Have you met Wesley? He can afford to pay people to fix his car, so he does. I don’t think he’d even know how to open the hood if he had to.”

Jess met us at her front door, dressed in a hideous reindeer sweater and a Santa hat. “Girls’ Night!” she squealed, dancing in a little circle while B and I hung our jackets on the rack by her front door.

“God, Jessica,” B said. “How much caffeine have you had today?”

“Not a drop!” She sprinted into the kitchen and emerged a second later with bowls of ice cream. “Chocolate swirl, naturally.” She handed each of us a bowl. “Now, upstairs!”

I glanced at B and we both shook our heads.

“Some things never change,” I said.

“Yeah,” B agreed. We reached the top of the stairs. Jess waited for us just outside her open bedroom door. “And some things really should. Like that sweater.”

“Don’t dis the reindeer!”

“Sorry. Couldn’t resist.”

We all headed toward Jess’s bedroom. Like everything she owned, it was glittery and pink. Every inch of it.

“I’m glad some things do change, though,” B said, settling onto the edge of Jess’s bed. “I so do not miss high school. Last year was a mess. Well, for me. You two were pretty much saints. Like always.”

“That’s… not exactly true,” I said.

The last semester of senior year had been a little rough. B had been sneaking around with Wesley and lying to Jess and me about it. Then there had been some stuff with her parents and she kept ditching us and it was just a lot of drama there for a while. Luckily, we managed to patch things up.

“Please. What have you two ever done wrong?” she asked, laughing like it was just inconceivable. “It’s pretty annoying, actually. How freaking perfect you two are.”

“Stop it!” Jess said, nudging her.

“Yeah… I mean, I was pretty horrible to you during that fight last year,” I said. Her landslide of praise was making me feel seriously guilty.

“But then when I needed you, you were there,” B said. “You were pissed, but you were there. That’s pretty saintlike, Casey. I’m a pretty lucky girl to have you—both of you—as friends.”

I was about to tell her—I really was—but before I could get the words out, Jess cut me off.

“Aww, thanks, Bianca. You know I love cheesy bonding moments,” she admitted, “but, seriously, sentimental Bianca is creeping me out.”

“Ugh,” B said. “Okay, you’re right. Fuck this, f*ck that, and f*ck everything in between. Is that better? More like me?”

“Much.” Jess got to her feet. “Now what movie are we watching?”

“Something with James McAvoy?” B guessed.

“Oh no. I mean, he’s great, but I’ve moved on. I’m a Ryan Gosling girl now.”

“Jessica, I swear to God, if you make me watch The Notebook, I’m going to murder you in your sleep. No f*cking way.”

I didn’t say much for the rest of the night. B thought I was so perfect, and yet somehow, I couldn’t spit it out that I was sort of dating Toby Tucker. I wasn’t nearly the best friend she made me out to be.

Usually Girls’ Night made us all feel closer.

But this time, I felt further from my best friend than I ever had.