Razzledazzle [ ✓ ]

Chapter 8 | The Argument

"Oh," says Troy sheepishly. "Right. Um."

Alex rounds on him. "Do you know where she went? Singleton, I'm warning you—"

"Which one?" Tyler asks. "There's two of us."

"There's going to be zero of you if you don't hurry up and tell us where Glory is," retorts Alex. "Now."

"Um," Tyler says. "Disneyland?"

Alex storms up to him with clenched fists. "I'm serious, Singletons. You watch it."

Troy swallows. "Well—um—Glory went home."

I raise an eyebrow. "How, though? She was supposed to ride home with us! Who drove her home?"

Troy rolls his eyes. "She picked up her phone and she pressed some buttons and called her mom to come pick her up," he tells us. "Isn't that just amazing?"

Alex turns from her chokehold on Tyler and rounds on Troy. "Can I choke both of you at the same time?" she explodes. "You both drive me crazy—"

"Calm down, Alex," I soothe. "I'm sure they're just trying to be helpful—in the most unhelpful way possible, but still. They're trying."

"Why did she go home, though?" Lee wonders out loud, voicing the question on everyone's mind. "Did she tell you, Troy?"

"Yeeeaaaaaah," jeers Tyler. "Did she teeeeeeell you? Because I know she liiiiikes you—"

"She doesn't like me, and I don't like her," Troy snaps, turning away. "That's the end of it. Period. End of story."

"You never answered my question," complains Lee loudly. But then, when is Lee ever not loud?

"Cancer, I don't give a—"

"Oooookay," I interrupt their heated debate. "That's enough out of both of you. Troy, did Glory tell you why she left?"

Troy looks me evenly in the eyes.

"No."

"Well that was a disappointment!" Lee shouts. "You could at least pretend to know."

I sigh. "Lee, why does everything have to be a complete and utter drama-fest with you?"

"Because. It does." Lee smirks at me, and I seriously contemplate smacking the smirk right off of his lightly-freckled face but then decide against it.

I'm too nice. But only just.

"Well, are you two going to go home, then?" Tyler asks us. He sure is in a hurry to kick us out.

"Whyyyyyy?" Lee questions, his voice returning to that awful flirtatious drawl. "You want more time with your girlfriend?"

"Lee," Ann cuts in.

"Yes?" he replies, batting his eyelashes.

"Do me a favor."

"What would that be?"

"Shut up."

He lets out a low whistle. "Okay, then. But I have to agree with Tyler—when are you guys leaving? You guys are no fun."

"If we're no fun, then why did you invite us?" I asked incredulously. "It sounds like you had your own reasons."

Lee shrugs. "Because Troy told me to."

Oh.

I wasn't expecting an actual answer.

Troy looks a little guilty. "What? Am I not allowed to have friends?"