by McKayla Box
“Waiting for you,” I say. “Early lunch. Come on.”
She stops. “Why? No. What are you doing?”
“I told you,” I say. “Early lunch. My treat.”
“I don't want to go to lunch with you,” she says.
It's sharp and ugly and it stings.
She sighs. “Sorry. I didn't mean it like that.”
“It's okay,” I say, trying to brush it aside. “But we're going to lunch.”
“You can't make me,” she says.
“You ignored my texts,” I tell her. “You didn't talk to me after the race. You didn't pick me up this morning. At the very least, you can have lunch with me.”
She looks down. I'm trying to make her feel guilty and I'm hoping that it's working.
She looks up. “Okay.”
We walk to the parking lot and Gina and Maddie are waiting in Maddie's car at the curb.
Bridget slows down. “I thought it was just us.”
“It's not,” I tell her. “It's all four of us. They deserve lunch, too.”
She purses her lips, then continues walking to the car. She gets in behind Gina and I walk around and slide in behind Maddie.
We drive in silence to Juanito's. When we get there, I ask her what she wants.
“I'm not hungry,” she says.
I order her a taco anyway.
We are at the picnic table, our food in front of us, when I break the ice.
“I'm sorry we surprised you with the blue slip,” I say. “But I was pretty sure you would've ignored me if I'd invited you to lunch.”
She doesn't say anything.
“What's going on, Bridget?” I ask. “Just talk to us.”
She picks at the paper that holds the taco. “Nothing's going on.”
“Nothing's going on?” Gina says. “You're ghosting the fuck out of us and running around with Kane Tressle. That's way more than nothing.”
“I'm not running around with Kane,” Bridget snaps. “We're going out. We're together.”
“Just like that?” Gina says, frowning. “You go from no boyfriend to dating...him? And you don't even tell us? What the fuck, Bridget?”
“Because I knew this is how it would go,” Bridget says, folding her arms across her chest. “I knew this is what happen.” She looks at me. “I literally called it.”
I can't deny that.
“Bridge, look,” Maddie says, trying a calmer approach. “Think of how this looks to us. All of a sudden you're with this guy and we don't know why or how it happened or anything about it. Add to that the fact that you're ignoring us and I don't think it's bullshit that we're wondering what's going on with you.” She smiles. “It's not to get in your face. It's just that...it's you. So we care.”
Bridget's expression softens a little, but she still seems wary. “I saw how you looked at me on Friday. What's the point in even talking about it?”
“I think we were surprised,” I say. “That might explain the looks.”
“You can fucking say that again,” Gina says, not bothering to hide her anger.
Maddie touches her shoulder. “Surprised is the right word, Bridge. We had no idea. Again. Put yourself in our shoes. What if I'd been the one who showed up like that and you had no warning? How would you have felt?”
Maddie is way better at this than Gina or me. She's keeping everyone calm, but asking the right questions.
“Okay, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about him,” Bridget says. “I'm sorry.”
“You don't have to apologize,” I tell her. “You don't owe us an apology for that. It's your business.”
“Then what are we doing?” she asks, cutting her eyes at me. “I thought that's what you wanted.”
“I think what we want is to make sure you're alright,” I tell her. “That's all. And, yeah, I guess maybe we do want to know a little about what's going on. Wouldn't you?”
She looks down at the taco, but doesn't touch it. “I guess.” She sighs. “Okay, look. I get that you don't like him. I didn't like him before I got to know him, either. But he's not what you think.”
Gina shakes her head, but doesn't say anything. She grabs her drink and sucks hard on the straw.
“We hooked up that night at the beach,” she says. “I was walking down by the water and he was, too. We started talking and things just...went from there. I didn't say anything because I honestly didn't know what was going to happen. But he called me and we went out and we've just been together. He asked me to come on Friday. I knew you guys would be there because I knew it was going to be Trevor he was racing against.” She looks at each of us. “But, at that point, I didn't know what to say to you guys. I knew it was going to suck, so I just let it go. And then...it all happened.” She shrugs. “So that's it.”
Gina rolls her eyes. “That's not just it, Bridget. Jesus. Okay, fine. You were holding back because you didn't know if it was just a hook up or whatever. That's fine. But not talking to us? Ignoring us? Then ignoring us again on Friday at the races? What the fuck?”
She was far angrier than Maddie or I was and, as usual, she wasn't holding back.
“Because Kane told me if I talked to you guys, you'd just tell me to break up with him,” Bridget says.
“Kane,” Gina says, not hiding the disgust in her voice. “Kane told you that. Because he knows us so fucking well. And you listened.” She shakes her head and looks at Maddie. “This is fucking stupid.”
“It's not fucking stupid,” Bridget says, an edge in her voice I haven't heard before. “I really like him. And you don't. That isn't my problem. It's fucking yours.”
“We don't know him,” Maddie says. “How could we like or dislike him?”
“Yeah, because we didn't talk about him before, right?” Bridget says. “You just magically have forgotten all the shit we used to talk about him now?”
Maddie thinks for a moment. “Well, no. But if you're telling me he's different, I'm willing to listen.”
Bridget looks at me. “And what about you?”
“What about me?”
“I'm sure Trevor told you all sorts of shit about him, right?” she says. “Don't tell me he didn't.”
I consider lying to her, but figure it's pointless. “He did. But, like Maddie said. If you're telling me it's different, I'm willing to listen.”
“Oh, bullshit you are,” she says, frowning at me. “Trevor has you wrapped around his finger. And his dick.”
My cheeks go warm and I look down at my food.
“Hey, fuck you, Bridget,” Gina says, standing up. “Presley's been the one who's been so worried about you and wanted to do this. So fuck you for being a bitch like that. You wanna go fuck some asshole, fine. But you don't get to be a rotten bitch about it.” She shakes her head. “I'll be in the car. I'm not hungry anymore.” She stalks off toward the car.
The three of us sit there in silence for a minute.
“I don't wanna do this,” Bridget says, standing up. “I shouldn't have let you talk me into this anyway.”
“Come on, Bridge,” Maddie says. “Sit down.”
“No,” she says, shaking her head. “I'm done with this.” She looks at me. “Whatever he told you, it's a lie. Kane told me all about Trevor. He's worse than we've ever known. He's a pathological liar.”
I look at her. “If you say so.”
“You'll see,” she says. “And don't come crying to me about it when you figure it out.” She shakes her head. “You swore you wouldn't do this. You swore you wouldn't judge. But here you are.”
“I haven't said shit,” I say, the anger rising up inside of me. “I've been on your side. But you aren't even listening. You've just decide that you know what you think you know. I'm not sure how we're supposed to reason with someone who's so fucking defensive.”
“I'm not defensive!” she yelled. “But I'm not sure what else I'm supposed to do when my friends are attacking me!”
“No one's attacking you,” Maddie says.
“The fuck you ar
en't,” Bridget snaps. “You fucking kidnapped me and brought me here to tell me how I don't know what I'm doing. You already told Presley about Evan, as if this is even the same thing. So spare me your bullshit.” She looks at me. “And spare me Trevor's.”
She storms away from the table and Maddie and I watch her walk down the street, disappearing around the corner.
THIRTY THREE
“Wow,” Trevor says. “That's crazy.”
It's after school and we're on the beach. I've been angry since lunch and I texted him and told him I was going surfing after school, with or without him. He texted back and said he'd take me home to get my board. We don't talk much on the way there. I run inside, change into my bikini, and throw my board and wetsuit in his truck and as we drive to the beach, I finally tell him about what happened at lunch.
“Crazy is one word for it,” I tell him. “She just lost it completely.”
“Fucking sucks,” he says.
We pull into the lot at the beach and get out. I don't even look at the water to see what the waves look like. I don't care. I just need to get out there.
I pull the neoprene suit on over my biking and grab the board out of the back. Trevor pulls on a rash guard, once again proving that he's inhuman. The water temperatures have dropped, but he rarely needs anything more than the short sleeved T-shirt in the water. I need to check him for gills.
We walk down the sand to the ocean and I hesitate when the icy water washes over my bare feet. I take a deep breath, take a couple more steps, then drop the board into the water, and start paddling. I push the board down under a small wave, letting the chilly water swallow me up. I come up on the other side and take a deep breath, throwing my now wet hair back.
The ocean is home.
The lineup is non-existent and we have the water to ourselves. The waves suck, but I don't care. They are windblown and mushy and the sets are inconsistent, but I'm happy to paddle and ride whatever shows up. Trevor mostly straddles his board outside the break and watches. He's a wave snob.
After an hour, my muscles ache and my arms are heavy. We paddle in and I drop my board in the sand, sitting down next to it. Clouds are rolling in above the water, giving the sky an angry, uncertain look.
“You were tearing it up out there,” Trevor says, sitting down next to me.
“Was I? Didn't feel like it.”
He nods. “You were. Like you were mad at the world.”
“I kind of am,” I say, still breathing hard and trying to catch my breath.
“I get it,” he says. “Rough day.”
“And then some.”
“He's going to hurt her, Presley,” he tells me. “He knows she's your friend and you're with me. It's all connected and he knows it. I don't know what it is, but I swear to god this isn't some coincidence.”
I take a deep breath and the feeling starts to come back in my numb toes. “What if it is?”
“What do you mean?”
“What if it is all a coincidence?” I ask. “What if Kane didn't know that she and I are friends and they just hooked up and it turned into something else? That isn't impossible, is it?”
He stares out at the water for a moment. “Impossible? No, I guess not. But I don't think it's very likely that this isn't a set up.”
“Why not?” I ask.
“First, he came up to you on the beach,” he says. “He knew who you were. He did his whole act. So he already knew you or about you or whatever. Second, he goes to Del Sol. Our schools, they don't really party together. We're rivals. But he just coincidentally shows up at a party we're having at The Hump?” He shakes his head. “Doubt that very much. But let's say it's true. He's just magically there somehow coincidentally. But then he also manages to hook up with your best friend? While you aren't around?” He raises an eyebrow. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
The way he says it, it does all sound insane.
But not impossible.
“She also said that Kane told her you were the one lying about him,” I say.
He laughs. “Of course he did. What would you expect?”
I don't say anything.
“Wait,” he says. “You don't believe that, do you?”
I put my head on his shoulder. “No. I'm just over the drama. It's bullshit. And if Bridget is going to get hurt, I don't know what to do about it.”
“There's nothing you can do about it,” he says. “If she doesn't see it and she doesn't want to listen, there's nothing you can do. You're gonna have to let her figure it out on her own.”
I know that he's right, but it doesn't make me feel any better. I want Bridget to listen to me, to trust me. And I don't want to be the cause if she gets burned. I hate the drama. I hate the lying. I hate all of it.
“Don't ever lie to me,” I say. “Please.”
“Why would you say that?” he asks.
“Because I don't want you to hurt me,” I tell him. “Just always be honest with me. It will always be better that way.”
He puts his arm around me. “Alright. Same goes for you. Don't ever lie to me.”
“I won't,” I tell him. “I won't.”
THIRTY FOUR
“Check your phone,” Gina says. “Right now.”
It's Wednesday night and we're at The Hump. I haven't heard a word from Bridget since we pulled her out of class on Monday. I saw her once in the hall, but she was gone before I could even decide if I was going to say anything to her. Maddie was picking me up for school and Gina was giving me rides home and the three of us were having lunch together.
And it was all still weird.
I didn't want to go out on Wednesday, but my dad was at the office and Trevor was hanging with Brett and Jake, so I didn't have a good excuse when Gina said she and Maddie were coming to get me.
I was standing near the fire, sipping vodka and Sprite from a cup, when she came up to me.
“I thought you were chasing that sophomore kid,” I tell her.
“I was,” she says. Then she takes me by the arm and drags me away from the fire and from the people around the ring. “Presley. I'm serious. Check your phone.”
“For what?” I ask, confused.
She's clearly nervous. “Do you want me to just show you?”
“Show me what?”
Maddie comes running up, a panicked look on her face. “Jesus, Presley!”
“What the fuck is going on?” I ask.
Gina pulls out her phone and starts tapping the screen. “It started showing up on Snap stories. It's fucking everywhere. I don't...I don't even know what to say.”
“If you don't show me I'm going to lose my mind,” I tell them.
Maddie is pale, shaking her head.
Gina finally stops tapping her phone, then looks at me. “You're sure you wanna see this?”
I rip the phone from her hand. “See what?” I look down at the screen.
It takes me a second to realize what I'm looking at.
Then I realize it's a photo of me.
Without any clothes on.
“What the fuck?” I whisper.
“I don't know where it came from,” Gina says. “It just started showing up like ten minutes ago.”
I'm on my back in the picture and you can see...everything. It looks like I'm on a bed. My legs are spread wide and my hands are under my boobs, pushing them up.
But there's something wrong.
“That's not me,” I say.
They both look at me like I'm crazy.
“What are you talking about?” Gina says. “That's your face, Presley. I stared at it for a long time to make sure. That's you.”
“Yeah, it's my face,” I tell her. “But that's not my body.”
They both lean in to look at the screen.
“I mean, you wouldn't know unless you've seen me naked,” I say. “But there's a scar on her thigh, near her hip. I don't have that. And my stomach isn't that ripped.” I shake my head. “It's not me.”
They stare at the
screen, then me, then back at the screen.
I can tell they don't believe me.
“Jesus Christ,” I say. I give the phone back to Gina. I set my cup in the sand and unzip my shorts. I push down on the left side, until the shorts and my underwear are below my hip. “Look.”
They both lean down.
“Holy shit,” Gina says. “It's not you.”
I lift up my shirt to show them my stomach. “And look. I don't have muscles.” I point at the phone. “She does.”
They look between me and the phone.
“You're right,” Maddie finally says.
“I know I'm right,” I say, pulling my shorts back up and zipping them up. “I know what I fucking look like.”
“It looks so much like you,” Gina says. “I mean, it is your face. And the body size is right. And you have nice boobs.”
It's funny, but I don't feel like laughing.
“The problem is unless you're going to show everyone your leg and stomach, no one's going to know it's not you,” Maddie says. “Because that is your face.”
I took the phone from Gina again. It really is my face. And it really could be my body.
But it's absolutely not.
“Who the fuck did this?” I whisper.
Maddie starts to say something, but her eyes drift past me, then narrow. “I might have an idea.”
I turn and look.
On the other side of the fire ring, I see Shanna.
With Athena.
And they are laughing.
At the phone in Shanna's hand.
THIRTY FIVE
I pick up my drink and storm across the sand. “Hey!”
Neither of them look my way at first.
“Hey!” I scream again.
This time, they both turn toward me.
Shanna quickly shoves her phone in her pocket. “Oh, hey what's up, slut?”
“You fucking did it,” I say. “You fucking did it.”
“Did what?” Shanna says, smiling. “I don't know what you're talking about.”
“I knew you liked attention,” Athena says. “I just didn't realize you wanted everyone to see...everything.”
