I quickened my pace to catch up to him and tapped on his shoulder. “Hey.”

He glanced at me but didn’t stop. “Hi.”

It wasn’t the warm greeting I was accustomed to, but I figured I deserved it. That didn’t make it sting any less, though.

“I don’t know how Finn’s getting through to Brian, but it’s brilliant,” I said as brightly as I could. “Did you notice how he asked something that didn’t make Ellison cringe? And he was, like, totally focused.”

A small grin tugged at the corners of Jake’s mouth, but he didn’t look at me or say anything.

We continued on in an uncomfortable silence. The few seconds of uneasiness felt like hours. I cleared my throat and said, “Riley didn’t like my posters.”

“Bianca told me,” he said, bobbing his head almost mechanically. “Sorry.”

“There was one she sort of liked, but I have to fix it and show it to her and Mr. Collins on Friday.”

“At least she’s letting you try again, right?”

“Yeah, that’s what everyone’s telling me, especially since Riley never gives second chances.”

We stopped in front of his trigonometry class, and he turned to me. “Then don’t complain.” Then, after a beat, he said, “See you later.”

He disappeared into the room, and I doubled back to my French class, pulling up my hoodie tight to ward off a chill that didn’t come from the air.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

The Bookish Bean was crowded when Bianca, Ally, and I arrived after school that day. We had some time before Ally needed to be back at school, so my friends told me what they wanted, and I stood in the queue while they claimed a booth by a window near the front of the coffee shop.

“I was thinking something kind of short and flirty,” Ally said when I arrived with our drinks. “But I might freeze if it doesn’t warm up by then.”

“I can’t do short,” Bianca said almost wistfully. “Knee-length on you ends up being mid-thigh on me, so your short skirts are totally indecent. I feel like I need leggings or something so I don’t flash everyone.” She took her cup from the tray I set down and shrugged. “Tall girl problems.”

“Not everyone’s an Amazon like you,” Ally said as I handed her a small paper bag. “At least you don’t trip over floor-length gowns.”

I sat beside Bianca with my decaf chai latte, unable to add to the conversation. I’d forgotten the Sweetheart’s Dance was just two weeks away. Between everything that happened with my dad and whatever was going on with Jake, it was like my world had ground to a halt while everyone else’s lives were moving at light speed.

Ally sipped her drink. “I wish you were going,” she said. “What are you going to do that night?”

“I’ll think of something.” I looked out the window to avoid their gazes. We used to avoid school dances, opting for movie marathons at Bianca’s house instead. It had changed when Tim invited her to the Winter Formal, of course, but Ally and I had still hung out with Jake and Finn. With both of my friends going to the dance, though, it would be different. I’d be on my own.

“The purple’s almost washed out,” Bianca said, referring to my birthmark. “When was the last time you dyed it?”

I reached up and twirled a lock around my finger to study it. Bianca was right; most of the color had washed out. What was once a bright purple streak in my hair was now a pale lavender.

“Like a week ago,” I said. “The night before my dad’s funeral.” The night before I kissed Jake.

“You should do magenta again,” Ally said. “That looked awesome.”

“I don’t know.” I rotated my cup on the table. “Maybe I’ll totally give Jorgensen a shock and do a permanent dye job and make it match the rest of my hair.”

Ally was scandalized. “But if you do that, you’ll totally undo your image!” She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “Remember how everyone freaked out when Vanessa Petrakis stopped bleaching her hair and came back from winter break, and it was super short and really dark?” she said, referring to a junior in my biology class. “I never posted about it because I couldn’t verify them, of course, but there were all kinds of rumors about how she joined a Wiccan cult or something.”

“That’s stupid,” I said with a snort. “Wicca isn’t a cult. And besides, no one’s going to think I’ve turned into some religious fanatic if I lose the stripe.”

“No,” she said, lifting her drink to her lips. “But people will talk.”

“They’ll talk anyway,” Bianca said with a dismissive shake of her head. “I think you should go with bright blue again. Everyone does pink.”

A bell on the door behind me tingled, and Ally’s eyes grew wide. “Oh, ew.” She wrinkled her nose, and her lip curled into a sneer. She grabbed Bianca’s hand. “Keep your head down,” she said between gritted teeth, “and for the love of all that is good, do not turn around.”

She didn’t direct those instructions at me, so I looked over my shoulder and raised my eyebrows when I saw Dante Schwartz, Bianca’s ex-boyfriend, headed for the line. There was no mistaking his dark hair and sharp features. I’d never understood what Bianca had seen in him, but I was probably the only girl in our class who’d never been interested in him. I appraised the short girl hanging on his arm. She was dressed in a peasant blouse and navy pleated skirt, obviously from St. Lucy’s, and I shook my head. Dante’d had no trouble finding another girlfriend once he’d left Westgate. I wondered if he was as possessive of this girl as he once was of my best friend. The thought made me cringe.

“Oh no,” I said.

“Right?” Ally shuddered. “I can’t believe I ever thought he was cute.”

Bianca lifted her head and shifted in her seat, trying to look around me. “Who?”

“Do you think she knows he’s an abusive control freak?” I said.

“Doubtful,” Ally said, scrunching up her nose again. “Besides, everyone knows St. Lucy’s girls don’t have any standards.”

“Who are you talking about?” Bianca stood to look over my head and then sank slowly back into her seat. She cursed under her breath and said, “Sorry, guys. I think he saw me.”

Ally and I exchanged glances. “Time to go,” I announced as I sprang to my feet.

“But we’re not done with our drinks yet,” Ally said, slowly getting up.

“So you’ll pay for detailing if you spill,” I said. I glanced over my shoulder. Dante had spotted us for sure, and it looked like he was headed our way. “Come on, you guys. Hurry.”

I stepped aside as Bianca slid out of the booth, and we turned it over to some eager kids Ally recognized from Lakeridge High. We were almost at the door when Dante’s voice stopped us.

“Bianca?”

She stiffened at the sound of her name, but she tossed her hair back before she turned around, her chin up high. If she was nervous, she wasn’t showing it, but Ally and I still winced. At least we were both there to offer support if she needed us.

“Hi, Dante,” she said with a plastic smile, her voice trembling ever so slightly. She craned her neck to look behind him. “Where’s your little friend?”

“What? Oh, Rachel.” He looked over his shoulder and waved to the girl who’d arrived with him. She was holding his place in line.

“Classy,” Ally murmured, but if Dante heard her, he didn’t react.

He slouched as he shoved his hands into his pockets. “Look, I wanted to apologize for everything.”

I snorted. “Is this part of some twelve-step program or something?”

Ally’s eyes were wide as she stared at me, and Bianca nudged me. Dante didn’t respond.

“My parents are making me see a therapist,” he said, his eyes downcast. “And your friend’s mom made them promise to make me take these anger management classes.” His eyes darted in my direction as he said that. “So, um, I’m sorry.”

Bianca nodded. “Thanks.”

The four of us stood there for a while, looking at each other. People jostled past us as they came in and out of the coffee shop.