"Like what?"
"Like you're sorry, for starters."
Now, it was my turn to scoff. "Why wouldIbe sorry?"
"For what you said."
"You mean cursing you out?" I wasn't sorry, and I saw no reason to pretend. "You totally had it coming."
"I did not," Derek said. "And while we're talking, a thank you would be nice."
My jaw almost hit the floor. Over the past few weeks – no,months– he'd caused me nothing but misery. If I weren't so irritated, I might've laughed in his face. "You can't be serious."
"Sure, I am. You owe me."
"For what?"
He gave me a what-the-hell look. "Youdidget my message, right?"
I tried to think. And then it hit me. On my way back from seeing Jake and Luna in Detroit, Derek had called to tell me that he and his dad wouldn't be trying to get Joel arrested for violating the terms of that suspended sentence.
But of course, by the time I'd received that message, I'd discovered something that had changed everything. The suspended sentence was toast.
I had to wonder, did Derek know? And if hedidn'tknow, should I tell him?
No, I decided. Definitely not.
The less Derek knew, the better. I gave him a thin smile. "I shouldn’thaveto thank you for living up to your promise."
"Oh, that's funny," Derek said. "What aboutyourpromise?"
"To give up Joel?" Now, I smiled for real. I didn'thaveto give him up, and I wasn't planning to, ever. Feeling suddenly cheerful, I said, "That's none of your business."
"Are you forgetting, we had a deal?"
What a joke."You mean the deal you tried to break?"
Derek stiffened. "Well, I'm not breaking it now. So you're gonna get rid of him, right?"
I smiled. "Nope."
Derek stared at me. When I said nothing else, he said, "Nope?"
"That's right," I said. "And I might as well tell you, this interference, or whatever it is, I'm not having it, not anymore. Joel's staying." I lifted my chin. "And there's nothing you can do about it."
Derek gave me a nasty smile. "Wanna bet?"
I smiled right back. "Sure."
Derek blinked. "What?"
I made a breezy motion with my hands. "Bet away. Knock yourself out."
His eyebrows furrowed. "Knock myself out?"
From the back room, Cassie called, "If it helps, we've got a bat!"
Derek glanced in her general direction. "What doesthatmean?"
