Little Birdie
It doesn’t take long for the messages to start pouring in after that.
Mabel
It wasn’t me who told her, I swear!
Rue
I’m SO OVER LB!
Carlton
I can’t believe Little Birdie left me out of the story.
Meredith
I bet Little Birdie is Zayne. Who else would have known about this?
And then a message from Zayne.
Zayne
Where are you?
Me
At home.
Zayne
Why?
Me
I’m sick.
I sink back into the covers, grateful I decided to stay home today. The last thing I need is the entire school staring at me again after they finally stopped. At least Carlton isn’t mad this time.
It’s times like this I miss being homeschooled.
I sleep the rest of the afternoon away, waking to make myself some peanut butter toast and study for tomorrow’s chemistry test. I know I should be more worried about skipping school possibly jeopardizing my chances to get into an amazing college, but I just don’t have it in me. Maybe it’s self-sabotage at this point.
A little bit after four, someone knocks on the front door. It’s probably Carlton with my soup. I take a deep breath. I’m not sure I want to see him. He’s the reason I stayed home, after all. But I force myself out of bed, checking my reflection at my vanity table before I answer the door, because I still want to look pretty, even if I’m not excited to see him.
But when I open the door, it’s not Carlton waiting outside. It’s Zayne, still in his school uniform. He must have come straight from school. I feel an annoying rush of excitement as soon as our gazes collide.
“What are you doing here?” I can’t keep the surprise from my voice.
Zayne’s expression is stony. Irritated. “You missed rehearsal.”
“I know. I’m sick.”
“You are not sick,” he says, walking in though I didn’t invite him. “And not only did you miss rehearsal, but also your boyfriend’s little temper tantrum after Little Birdie sent out her latest blast.”
“What—Carlton?” I frown. “He was upset? And youknowhe’s not my boyfriend.”
“Whatever.” He crosses his arms, leaning against the entryway wall. “He thought I was the one who shared the story since no one else was there.”
