"Leave her alone," Lottie told them.
She pulled me aside to where the vending machines were. "It's okay if you don't want to be my guitarist anymore, but I'm not gonna quit just because you're quitting."
"It's not just because I'm quitting; it's because - "
Her tone became harsh. "You're jealous of me. I get it. But in case you forgot, WE'RE NOT FRIENDS."
"I'm not jealous of you! I want to protect you!"
"From what? Happiness?"
"No, from Gloria killing us both! Believe me, if me just warning you would make her not kill me, I'd have stopped right there. But as long as you are still singing her songs - "
"ESTEFANY'S SONGS!"
"Okay, as long as you're still singing ESTEFANY'S songs, I'm gonna die right along with you!"
She rolled her eyes. "Riiiight, like I'm supposed to believe that. Even if this 'Gloria' person IS real, she doesn't know where I live and there's no way she could possibly track either of us down."
"Gloria is a GHOST, and she fucking CHOKED ME IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HALLWAY. With. Her. HAIR."
"I think maybe you should see a psychiatrist. If this were really happening, people would try to help you."
"I'm not crazy! It's the same ghost I saw at your house!"
"Oh, now you're telling me she's in my HOUSE? And she somehow followed me to school and strangled YOU? Ghosts are made of AIR, Jiao. Air can't strangle people."
"That's what I used to think too, but - "
"You're jealous, just admit it. You can't sing and I can, and you're mad because I'm getting the attention you somehow think should be yours."
"That's ridiculous. When my eighth-grade friends and I won the Battle of the Bands last year, my name was all over the middle school and I got so much Facebook fan mail it wasn't even funny."
"Ooh, the MIDDLE SCHOOL. That's a HUGE accomplishment."
"Well, now they're all freshmen at this school, and I still get high-fives from them on the way to my last class. Not only that, but some of them even pay me for lessons."
"Because they know that those who can't do, teach."
"Oh, so now you're saying I CAN'T play guitar? Did I not pick up the chords and the fingerpicking for your great-grandma's song in under five minutes?"
"Stop getting so mad at me, Jiao. Can't you take a joke? You're like a little baby."
"Yeah? At least I'm not a little bitch like you. You know what? Screw you! I don't give a SHIT if you die!"
"But you said if I get killed, so do you. Or did you forget that part as well?" She smirked. "If you're gonna tell a tall tale, maybe you should make it easy to remember."
