Hanna took a big step back. Tears were in her eyes. Ali peeked in and saw Josie and Sean cuddled up on the couch, clearly almost kissing. “Oh my God,” Ali said, grabbing Hanna’s hand.
All kinds of expressions crossed Hanna’s face. She shook her head, then fled toward the bathroom. The door slammed hard. Ali rattled the knob, but it was locked. “Hanna?” she called out. “Han, please let me in!”
A small, dry cough emerged from inside. Water splashed. The toilet flushed. Ali cupped her palm around the knob. It was déjà vu of what had happened in Annapolis in February. She suddenly felt a pang. She had made this happen today. Then again, she had sort of made the Annapolis thing happen, too.
Ali twisted the knob, and it gave—it was almost like Hanna wanted her to come in. The door opened to a familiar scene: Hanna crouched over the toilet bowl, her eyes red. She looked up at Ali not with horror but with defeat. Ali slipped inside and shut the door again.
“I’m really not doing it that much,” Hanna blurted.
“I know,” Ali soothed. “And seeing what you just saw . . . oh my God, Han. It’s awful.”
Hanna nodded. “I told her I liked him. I told her he was going to be here. And she went right for him!”
“Some girls are just like that,” Ali said, stroking Hanna’s hair. “You know what you need to do? Never talk to that bitch again, starting now. If she tries to talk to you, freeze her out. She’s dead to us.”
Hanna swallowed a sob. “But she was so cool. And fun. And—”
“You can’t let her get away with this,” Ali interrupted. “Girls like that will walk all over you if you let them, Han. And if Sean doesn’t realize how special you are, that’s his problem. I’ll make sure that Josie’s reputation is trashed at Rosewood Day, okay? I’ll even make sure no one shops at Otter. I’m texting Spencer right now to ask her and Sean to leave. And we’ll find another boy for you this summer—someone way better than Sean, anyway. I promise.”
Hanna wiped away a tear. “You will?”
“Absolutely.” Ali slicked Hanna’s hair off her face. “No offense, Han, but Sean’s too straitlaced for you. You need a guy who’s wilder, cooler, a little more fun. I know tons of boys like that.”
“Okay,” Hanna murmured. And when she looked at Ali, Ali could tell that she wouldn’t speak to Josie again. She would do anything Ali asked, especially now.
Then Hanna cleared her throat. “And you won’t tell anyone about . . . this, will you?” She gestured to the toilet.
Ali shifted her weight against the sink. “Hanna, don’t you think you should tell someone?”
“No!”
“Not even your mom?”
Hanna shook her head, her hair flopping back and forth. “Please,” she begged.
Ali crossed her arms over her chest, pretending to think about it. “Okay,” she said. “Best friends have each other’s backs—I have yours if you have mine.”
“Definitely,” Hanna said eagerly. “I’ll do whatever you want.”
“Perfect,” Ali said, and patted Hanna on the head. “That’s all I ask.”
She got Hanna a cup of water and told her to wash her face. Then she helped her out of the bathroom, Hanna’s girth leaning heavily on her shoulder. Even though Ali’s clothes now smelled as pukey as Hanna’s, she didn’t complain.
That was what good friends were for, after all.
25
TREE HOUSES MAKE GREAT FIRST DATES
By eleven o’ clock, the party had wound down and almost everyone had gone home. Aria said she was tired, Hanna said she was sick, and Spencer had a field hockey camp orientation the following morning, so Emily was the only one who stayed over. The next morning, the two of them sat on the patio, staring at the rising sun and then the gaping hole in the backyard. A tarp flapped on top of it. A few tools had been left on the grass nearby.
“Have the workers said anything else to you?” Emily whispered.
“Here and there,” Ali said, pretending to be upset.
“That is so wrong.” Emily clucked her tongue.
Ali pulled her legs underneath her on the chair. The truth was, even when she’d paraded in front of the workers in a bikini, they’d barely looked at her. She wondered if her dad had warned them or something.
She stretched out her legs. “Did you have fun last night?”
“It was okay.” Emily shrugged. “Hanna seemed really upset about Sean, though.”
“Yeah.” Ali inspected her fingernails, hoping Emily hadn’t seen any of the machinations of that. But even if she had, she might not ask.
“Aria seemed quiet,” Emily went on. “So did Spencer.”
“Sort of,” Ali said.
“Do you know what’s going on with them?”
The overhead light seemed to make a halo over Emily’s head. She was flicking the loose threads of her Jenna Thing bracelet again and again. “I think they should probably tell you themselves,” she said.
Her phone beeped, startling both of them. Ali grabbed for it, hoping it was Nick, but the call came up as Unknown. She turned the phone over.
“Do you need to get that?” Emily asked.