The Black Coats(22)

Thea felt the words rise up in her throat. “Then come be a part of the—” She paused. “The Historical Society for the Restoration of Victorian Houses.”

Mirabelle looked up at her and they both burst out laughing. She wiped her tears away with a flick of her hands. “It really is the most ridiculous name.”

Thea smiled. “I don’t know. I kind of like it.”

“You would.”

Thea leaned in toward Mirabelle. “Come back. Just for today. Give it one more shot. I know you don’t feel like you fit in with us the way you fit in there.” Her eyes darted toward the cafeteria. “But maybe it’s time to let those hungry girls take your place. Breathe. Be uncool for a while.” She grabbed Mirabelle’s hand. “Fight back.”

Mirabelle stared at her for a long moment. “Fine. I’ll come.” She stood up, her golden curls cascading over her shoulder. Then she wiped her eyes carefully. “Don’t tell the other girls about this conversation. Or Nixon.”

“I won’t.”

Mirabelle blinked as if waking up. “One condition. If by some miracle we become friends—will you let me help you?”

Thea frowned. “What do you mean?”

Mirabelle gestured to Thea’s outfit: jeans, gray flats, and a yellow-and-white long-sleeved T-shirt. “I mean this. What is this even? You’re really quite pretty, and if you just tried a little bit more, you could be on a totally different level.”

Mirabelle Watts, everyone, thought Thea. She shrugged. “Fine.”

“It would probably make sense for us to drive together, after school, to the society.”

Thea paused for a second before reaching out to awkwardly hug Mirabelle.

Mirabelle straightened up, her arms rigid. “We don’t have to do that.”

“Okay. It just seemed like maybe you needed one.”

Mirabelle squared her shoulders. “What I need to do is punch some dudes who punch women.” She sighed. “I’ll ditch this period and meet you by my car in five minutes. Don’t touch it.” As she walked back into the cafeteria, Thea saw a familiar face heading her way.

Drew’s eyes lit up when he saw Thea. “Oh, hey, Thea! I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” Thea exhaled as Drew approached, wide-eyed. “Why were you talking to Mirabelle Watts? She’s kind of the worst.”

“She’s okay, actually.” Thea shyly tucked back a piece of her hair as she remembered the hurt on Mirabelle’s face, her words echoing in her head. They don’t love like parents.

Drew didn’t notice her pause and continued. “So, what should we do this weekend?”

Thea blinked. “Oh, right, our date!” Drew’s face fell so dramatically that she couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m sorry. I’m excited for it.”

His mouth fell open. “Yeah, it seems that way. Don’t lie. You forgot about it! I can tell. I’m trained to detect lies that tumble out of the mouths of beautiful girls.”

“Is that right?”

He puffed out his chest. “I’m pretty impressive in general. Definitely the type of guy you should remember you have a date with.”

Thea nodded kindly. “You’re absolutely right. Tomorrow?”

The corners of his wide mouth turned upward, dazzling Thea with his playful, confident grin.

Thea Soloman, she instructed, do not fall all over yourself.

She practically floated down the stairs to the parking lot, where Mirabelle was waiting for her in front of the school, her silver Audi convertible purring as it idled. “Come on, come on!” Mirabelle called.

Thea didn’t have time to think about it, so she leaped over the side of the car, her backpack landing with a thud at her feet. Her butt had barely touched the ridiculously soft leather when Mirabelle shot forward, the car thundering beneath them. Mirabelle deftly wound them to the highway, and as soon as its wheels hit the pavement, the car practically flew. Thea’s curls tumbled wildly in front of her eyes as she struggled to find a hair tie in her bag. “How fast are you going?” she struggled to yell over the roar of the wind.

Mirabelle smiled. “You don’t want to know!” she yelled back, gripping the wheel. They passed every single car in front of them, the Audi roaring as it flitted around them, light as air. “I still don’t know if I’m going to stay,” Mirabelle shouted. “This whole thing is kind of . . .”

“Don’t say lame,” snapped Thea. “Because it’s a lot of things, but it’s definitely not lame.”

Mirabelle paused for a moment, her blond hair blustering around her head in a halo. “Yeah. It’s not lame.”

They settled into silence then, the car shooting past the muddy brown fields and bright yellow flowers that blurred in the sun. Before Thea could even relax into the moment, they were pulling up at Mademoiselle Corday. “No wonder you got here so long before me last time,” she muttered. Her legs felt like Jell-O as they uncurled themselves from the car.

Mirabelle looked totally unfazed as she reglossed her lips a peachy pink in the mirror. “Well, at least you can run fast. Or so I’ve heard.” She smacked her lips. “Besides, it’s not like you could even go that fast with that piece-of-shit car.” With that, she bounced past Thea and through the door of Mademoiselle Corday.