It was like the bakery had never existed. The Story had created it all, set it all up. Once the tale was completed, it had erased everything, leaving no lasting impact on the human world. Mina started to feel her chest heave with pain. Her hand went to her heart as she turned to look at Brody. It wasn't real, none of it. Had the Story created his feelings for her? Maybe it hadn’t, but would he remember?
Nan was still talking. “If something that cool had happened, don’t you think I would be the first to know about it? I would have, like, a million followers on Twitter!” She had moved over to the red notebook and nudged it with her foot before picking it up.
“Don’t touch that!” Mina cried. Rushing over, she snatched it from her best friend’s hands. Nan backed away, hurt by Mina’s harsh tone. “Sorry. But don’t you think we should get out of here before we get in trouble?”
“And we had better get Brody. I don’t want to be the one to explain to Savannah White that we took off with her date.”
Nan was right. Brody began to stir.
Mina took two steps back from Brody as he leaned forward and looked around at his surroundings. He looked dazed, especially when he saw the two girls he was with. Mina held her breath as his gaze finally came to rest on her. She was waiting for a spark, a glimmer of recognition, and for his eyes to crinkle up in happiness when he saw her. There was nothing. He looked at her like a stranger before resting his cool blue eyes on Nan.
“Um, I know you, right?” He stood up and dusted off his pants.
“Yep,” Nan answered crisply.
“Nan Taylor?” he asked.
“Right again…ding, ding, ding. Give the boy a prize.” Nan snorted as she continued looking for clues as to why they were here.
“What are we doing here?” Brody asked. He sounded helplessly lost.
“I think we’ve been punked. And this had better not be one of your ideas, Brody. Now, if you don’t mind, I would like to get back to the dance.” She walked over to Mina and looped her hand through Mina’s arms. “Let’s get out of here, prom date. This place gives me the creeps.”
Mina nodded and followed in step with Nan, grateful for her best friend’s support. She was doing everything she could to hold back her tears, but she couldn’t even see where she was walking. She let Nan lead her out the back and toward a waiting SUV limo, the means by which Brody had mysteriously appeared. Nan marched forward, opened up the door, and climbed up inside. Brody walked behind them slowly and slid in after closing the limo door. He knocked on the window for the driver to pull away.
Mina scooted as far away from him as she could, hoping the darkness would hide her tears. She wiped her chin and came away with blood. Sighing, she tried wiping it on her dirty and stained dress, which was ruined anyway. She didn’t remember that from the fairy tale.
Mina looked up when she felt someone staring, and caught Brody’s gaze before he quickly looked away, as if embarrassed. Mina tried to stare out the window and compose herself. But fresh new tears began to fall as she realized Jared was gone forever, too.
Brody cleared his throat. “Uh, I’m sorry. Here.” He slid down the bench and handed her a handkerchief out of his pocket. She almost laughed at the gesture. Who used handkerchiefs anymore?
Mina shook her head, scared to look at him for fear of crying harder.
“Your name’s Mina, right?”
Mina bobbed her head.
“Well, Mina, you’ve got a cut on your chin, and I think it needs to be looked at.” He leaned forward and gently pressed the cloth to Mina’s wound. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened tonight, but obviously it was some sort of prank. Rest assured I will find out how we ended up here. And I’m sorry you got hurt.”
He was talking to her as if he barely knew her. Were all of those kisses and feelings they had for each other gone? They couldn’t be, could they? Mina was too scared to ask, too scared to get turned down and made into a fool. But she was used to being the fool, right? Just when Mina opened her mouth to tell Brody the truth, Nan shouted from the seat down by the minibar.
“Look, sparkling cider! And it’s open.”
Chapter 24
“Ugh, the water polo team!” Nan fumed on Monday during lunch. “I hate those guys.” It had turned out that the Story seemed to like Nan’s suggestion that they’d been pranked, and had used it to explain their appearance at the factory. Supposedly, the polo team, on a dare, had kidnapped Brody and two random girls to rile up Savannah, who was furious when her boyfriend was stolen during the dance. It was meant to look like a seamy affair, and got a big laugh for most of the students, except for Mina. She was mortified.
Nan couldn’t stay mad long, as her tweets about the encounter nearly doubled her followers on Twitter. “I must admit, seeing Savannah’s face as we stepped out of the limo was priceless. I gained major points among the Savannah haters.” Nan smiled and waved cattily at Savannah, who was nuzzling with Brody three tables away. Savannah fumed at Nan, who just laughed.