The Good Girls

Chapter Three

MONDAY AFTERNOON, UMA PULLED into a lot that was empty except for a boatlike green Cadillac under a canopy of trees. When she got out of her own car, her ears rang with the peaceful silence, and her nose twitched with the scent of freshly cut grass and newly planted flowers. She looked beyond the wrought iron gates and into the rolling hills peppered with tombstones. Suddenly she heard a sound behind a tree, and her heart seized. For some reason, she felt like she was being tailed . . . maybe by the cops. Was she? Were they following all of them around, trying to find something that might link them to Jay's death?

But then she looked again. It was just a squirrel.

Sighing, Uma locked her car, pocketed her keys, and made her way to her brother's grave. She could probably do it blindfolded at this point—pass the headstone with the big angels on top of it, a right at the guy who was buried next to his two Italian greyhounds, and then up the little hill and under the tree. Hey, Urson, began the monologue in her head. It's me again. Your crazy sister, skipping soccer practice, here to vent about how crazy my life has become.

There was so much she had to tell Urson, who'd passed away at the end of last year . . . and so much she wished he could tell her, stuff she would never get to know. Like how much he suffered at Ben's hands, or why he'd decided it would be easier to die than to show his sweet face at school for just one more day. Had there been a final straw? Uma would probably never forgive herself for not seeing the signs in him sooner. If she had, would he still be here?

She rounded a tree. Her brother's grave was ahead—and a new Dragon Ball Z figurine rested atop his headstone. Uma stopped, confused. She was the only person who placed new action figures on his grave. Well, she and . . .

Her thoughts halted as a figure appeared from behind another tree. It was Harry. The only other person who cared enough to leave Urson little tokens.

Harry turned and saw Uma at the same time. His eyebrows shot up, and his eyes softened. His expression looked hopeful, which filled Uma with all kinds of emotions—love, relief, excitement, and anxiety, too. She took in his frame, holey white T-shirt, and dark jeans. If you'd asked her even a few weeks ago if she'd go for someone like Harry, Uma would've laughed. But he was perfect. A diamond in the rough. He'd been under her nose this whole time, and she hadn't seen how special he was.

And what was even more perfect? That Harry was smiling at her instead of scowling. The last time she'd seen him was two nights ago in the Legumes' basement, when all the Jay stuff had gone down. Gil, her ex-boyfriend and Harry's step-brother, had caught them together, and instead of standing up for their new relationship, Uma had just kind of . . . bolted. She'd assumed Harry hated her for that.

But when she stepped toward him, he pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry," Uma blurted, overwhelmed. "About everything. I'm sorry I just ran like that. I just . . . I don't know."

"It's okay." Harry kissed the top of her head. "You were caught off guard."

"That's an understatement," Uma said emphatically.

"But, well," Harry faltered, playing with her hair.

"Do you still want to be with me? I mean—I understand that it's really complicated, so . . ."

In reply, Uma stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him, cutting him off. "Does that answer your question?" she breathed, when they broke apart.

He rested his forehead against hers. "That pretty much tells me everything I need to know."

They looked down at Urson's grave. Uma wondered what Urson would think about this turn of events—her now being with quirky, kinda-awkward Harry, her younger brother's best friend, instead of popular ultrajock Gil. It had happened unexpectedly: Uma had run into Harry at Urson's grave a few weeks ago, when she was going through a particularly tempestuous time—she wasn't sure if she wanted to continue playing soccer, she didn't know if she was with the right guy, she was still so mixed up and angry about Urson, and she and the others had just pulled that prank on Ben. They'd got to talking, and Uma had realized how easily she connected with Harry. And how much he understood what she was going through. Gil never even asked about Urson. He seemed to think that avoiding uncomfortable issues was the answer.