You Should See Me in a Crown(45)

“You literally called him a Great Value Odell Beckham Jr. the other day—you can’t even stand Jordan!” I shake my head and laugh, but it’s nervous, short. “I can take wearing these Stepford Wives clothes and brokering peace between the manga and anime factions or whatever, but I have to draw the line at stealing someone’s boyfriend!”

“Stealing someone’s boyfriend?” I look up and see a smiling Amanda standing over the table. She looks so cute in her yellow jumpsuit and pigtails that I almost forget that she isn’t even in this lunch period. What is she doing here? “Do I have something to be worried about?”

Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God. My brain is full-on malfunctioning. My mouth doesn’t move, and my palms start getting sweaty. Gabi is staring at her like she wants to rip her face off with her bare hands, and Britt and Stone are just wordlessly watching the standoff. I wish I could turn to dust right here and now.

“You shouldn’t be here,” I blurt out. Her face falls immediately, and I realize what I’ve said and how it sounds. I try to backtrack. “Sorry, what I mean is—”

“What she means is you should go back to wherever you came from.” Gabi folds her hands under her chin and cocks her head to the side.

“Okay, Marino. Let’s dial it back a little, huh?” Britt says.

Whatever smile had been on Amanda’s face before, whatever joy or fondness or excitement she’d had when she walked up to the table, is officially gone now. My heart is practically pressing against my ribcage, the way it’s beating. This isn’t how I wanted her to meet my friends. This isn’t how any of this is supposed to go.

Gabi the Guard Dog is off her leash, and I know she needs to be corralled. But I don’t know how to do it. I look to my left, and a freshman is eyeing the situation curiously. She doesn’t have a phone in her hand, not yet anyway, and I take that as my cue to step in before this becomes a scene.

“I’m just curious about what this one’s intentions could possibly be with my best friend.” Gabi’s tone sounds so aggressive that I cringe.

“Gabi, relax,” I say quietly. This can’t go any further. I turn to Amanda and try to apologize with my eyes. “Amanda, maybe we can catch up later? After school?”

I hope beyond hope that she understands what I’m really saying. I’m so sorry about my friend, who I haven’t told about our relationship yet and probably never will. Can we go back to our bubble now? Where it’s safe and chill and there’s no one gawking at us like zoo animals?

But her answer tells me everything I need to know. It sounds so harsh coming out of her mouth that I know I’ve messed up. Bad.

“Sure, Liz. Later.”



I text my coworker, Victor, to see if he can cover my shift the minute I step out of school.



I thank him for covering my shift but don’t answer his second question. I’m not good yet. Not really, but hopefully I will be soon.

I look around the parking lot to see if I can spot Amanda’s Jeep, but it’s nowhere to be found. I practically flatten three different freshmen on my way to the bike rack, I’m moving so fast. I can’t remember the last time I felt so guilty. Gabi really stepped out of line today, but so did I. I should have been a better girlfriend, a better person, and instead I just froze.

I owe her an apology at least. I owe her … a lot.

“Liz!” I hear Gabi before I see her, and I cringe inwardly. I’ve never had that reaction to her before, but then again, a lot of things have been different lately. “Where are you going?”

“Gabi, I seriously don’t want to talk right now.” I unlock my bike and shove the key back into my pocket.

“I can tell. You rudely ignored all my texts during sixth period!”

“Are you seriously complaining that I didn’t respond to your texts today? After that scene you made in the cafeteria, you expect me to apologize to you?”

I would say that I can’t believe her nerve. But I absolutely can.

“Elizabeth Audre Lighty, are you drunk?” She steps closer to me and lowers her voice. “What was your plan, huh? You just thought you were going to get all cozy with the new girl and no one was going to notice? It’s not rocket science, Liz. It’s only a matter of time before people figure it out.”

Her face is pink, and I know it’s a mixture of rage and embarrassment that’s fighting for real estate inside her. I know because I feel it too.

“It’s not … It doesn’t matter what people—”

“It does matter!” She’s so suddenly so loud that I think even she is surprised by the volume. Her eyes go a little wide at the sound, and she pinches the bridge of her nose. She’s quiet again when she speaks. “Liz, it does matter here. You know that. I just want— I just want what’s best for you.”

I don’t want to fight with my best friend. I really don’t. All this has had the two of us going back and forth for weeks, and I am tired of it. Gabi has always been there for me, even when her methods are questionable, so I want to believe her. But, I definitely don’t have to like it.

“You can’t snap on her like that, G. I don’t care what your reasons are.”

And I didn’t confirm anything, not really. But there it is. My line in the sand. Gabi has to know that even if she doesn’t agree with me, she can’t come for Amanda like that again. She is off-limits.