One of Kate’s eyebrows rose. “What’s in it for me?”
A stiff wind blew up, numbing Hanna’s ears and the tip of her nose. She stared out at the empty road in front of Body Tonic and racked her brain. What did she have that Kate wanted? Hadn’t she given up enough? Ever since Kate had set foot in Hanna’s house, Hanna’s life had gone from bad to worse. Kate had already usurped all of Hanna’s father’s attention. As soon as she started at Rosewood Day, she’d probably become the most popular girl in their grade, taking Hanna’s place. How much more torture could she take?
What she wouldn’t give for Mona right now—the Mona she knew before all the A stuff began. The two of them could laugh in Kate’s face, tell her she wouldn’t dare cross them, and then spin around and drive away in a cloud of exhaust. Having Ali here would be even better: She’d loop her elbow around Hanna’s, lean in close, and whisper, “You’ve got something on her too, Han. That’s what’s so great about secrets—you can use them as currency.”
Suddenly, Hanna’s head shot up. It was as though Ali had spoken to her from beyond the grave. She did have something on Kate, something she’d almost forgotten.
She started to laugh.
“What?” Kate’s eyebrows knitted together.
The giggles kept coming. Hanna rummaged around in her bag for her cell phone. “You’re not posting anything on Facebook. Because if you do, I’m telling everyone about Santa.”
Kate frowned. For a split second, a look of sheer terror crossed her face. “Huh?”
“You know,” Hanna said mockingly, pulling up the photo she was looking for on her phone and thrusting it toward Kate. Santa caressing Kate’s neck. Kate burying her hands in Santa’s cottony beard. “A fitting caption would be Someone’s been naughty this year. And haven’t you heard that guy’s a major pervert?” Hanna scolded. “He hits on twelve-year-old girls!”
Kate backed away from Hanna, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. “Please don’t,” was all she whispered.
“I think we have an agreement, then.” Hanna pressed the UNLOCK button on her key chain. “If you post the boot camp pictures online, I’ll post this. ’Kay?”
Kate didn’t answer, but Hanna knew she’d gotten her. Head held high, she swung into the driver’s seat, turned the ignition, and pulled swiftly and expertly out of her spot. “Bye-bye!” she trilled, waggling her fingers at her stepsister. Kate remained where she was, the red T-shirt limp at her side.
Hanna drove away without giving her stepsister a second glance. As she turned out of the parking lot, a phrase Ali often said and Hanna had adopted came to mind: I’m Ali, and I’m fabulous. Hanna felt pretty frickin’ fabulous right now, too.
Chapter 15
Operators Are Standing By!
Back at home, the kitchen was silent and unoccupied. Water in the shower ran upstairs, and Hanna could hear the muted sounds of the morning news from her father’s room. Out the window, the six-year-old twins who lived next door whirled out into their driveway like dervishes, wearing matching Santa’s elves hats.
Hanna downed a couple Advils and started to make coffee. For a few minutes, the only sound in the room was the water dripping into the carafe. She stared blankly at the front page of the Philadelphia Sentinel, willing her headache to go away. Ian Thomas Maintains Innocence, said a headline. She turned the paper over fast. It was the last thing she wanted to think about right now. Ian had to be guilty. Who else had a motive to kill Ali?
Hanna looked down at the paper again and flinched. In the lower left-hand corner was a giant ad for Body Tonic Gym and Spa. There, in black and white, was Vince’s grinning face, telling potential exercisers that from now until New Year’s, initiation fees would only be $50.
She couldn’t believe Dinah—and she couldn’t believe Vince had chosen a freak like her over Hanna. If she’d shown up caroling instead of Dinah, would Vince have gone for her instead? Why had he acted so into Hanna in the first place? Was something of what Dinah said true—was he just trying to get the two of them to compete for him?