The evening became a bit of a blur. Everything was chaotic. The others never made it into the room, spooked by Jessica's dramatic warnings, and the whole time I was in there with Heather, they were hiding out in the small lobby behind a giant potted ficus. It was a miracle they stayed unnoticed.
Heather's mom rushed in about half an hour later, smothering her daughter with kisses. But as the kisses became less frequent and her expression more stern, and Heather's face more guilty, I realized it was time for me to get the hell out of there. I crab-walked sideways out of the room like an old-school cartoon character and fled to find the others. I don't think Mrs. McMillan even noticed me — she was too caught up in her emotions.
After a couple of minutes searching for my "Dream Team," as Heather had dubbed them, I whispered that everything was fine, Heather's mom had arrived, and it was time to leave. In uncharacteristic agreement, the group swiftly headed for the exit like a SWAT team following orders.
Only once we reached the parking lot did we finally exhale.
"That was an adventure!" Alisha laughed. "I'm so glad Heather's okay. She can still walk and everything..."
"Yeah, and everything," I echoed, glancing around. "Where's Bianca?"
"She went after you," Lamar said, climbing into the truck like some kind of mountaineer.
"No, she didn't," I replied, uncertain. "She didn't come into the room. I would've noticed."
"She definitely peeked in," Alisha insisted, helping Lydia clamber into the RAM. Lydia was like a mix of Tweek from South Park, but overall, she seemed content. Being with us clearly made her feel special, probably more attention than she'd had since elementary school. "I saw her. She stuck her head in, then bolted out without saying a word," Alisha continued, with Ishani nodding along in agreement.
I swallowed, or at least it felt like I did. Jessica shot me a meaningful look, but said nothing, even though I could tell she was dying to.
"Whatever, she left. Maybe she has other things to do or plans," I finally managed to say.
"Can we just chill and go somewhere?" Lamar suggested as the truck eased out of the hospital parking lot.
"I've got a great idea!" Ishani giggled. "How about we hit up a club?"
"You really wanna hit up a club right now? Mel's the only one who's eighteen. The rest of us wouldn't even get in," Lamar pointed out.
"There's this exclusive club," Ishani replied, all excited. "This girl I know said even The Myth goes there, along with a ton of cool vloggers from town. I read on a forum that if you look cool enough and act mature, they don't even check IDs. Some kids from our class have already been and posted pics — it looks sick! The vibe is unreal."
Jessica chuckled. "You really think there are cool vloggers in this town? I'm not even sure this town shows up on a map."
"Watch your mouth, Jess, don't piss me off," I snapped. "You know I'll shake the life outta you at home, and daddy and granny won't save you. You live in this town now, too. Though, fair point — maybe the town isn't on the map. That might explain why your dad's never bothered to visit you.
Bam. I'd hit Jessica right where it hurt. I didn't care. She could say whatever she wanted about me, smear me in glue and roll me in feathers for all I cared. I was already too far gone to know who I was or what I wanted.
"Fine, let's go to the club. Is it far?" I caved. I was eighteen, and I wanted to drink and dance or whatever it is cool extroverted girls do when they become adults.
"Wait, I can come too?" Jessica asked, her face shifting from almost offended at my jab about her rich relatives to surprised when she realized I was actually going.
"Do whatever you want, Jess. Who's ready to party?" I asked with a fake smile. I already felt like I'd had a drink, even though the only alcohol I'd ever tasted was a sip of wine at dinner with my Mom's permission.
I nodded distractedly. "Just a broken arm and a few stitches on her forehead."
"There you go! She'll be out of there in no time. And we never properly celebrated your birthday. Lydia, you coming with us?" Alisha asked hopefully, eyes gleaming as she looked at our bashful class rep.
Lydia looked like Dopey from Snow White. Her ears didn't wiggle, but she came close.
"Then it's settled! Let's go."
•••
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