Looking At Us

16. cori

‘‘Remember what I said about Megan being a whore?’’ said Hadley. 

     ‘‘Yes,’’ I replied, ‘‘why?’’ 

     ‘‘Because I changed my mind. She’s an ugly, dick-sucking bitch.’’

     I looked up. Usually Hadley swore carelessly without checking to see who was in the room, but today she was being exceptionally nasty. Maybe it was the exhaustion from our gathering on Friday night, or she was pissed at Sasha or Cody, or maybe even me, but she wasn’t laying off. 

     ‘’Is this about—’’

     ‘‘Her and Cris texting?’’ Hadley finished. ‘‘Yeah. I hijacked her phone and read the messages.’’ 

     ‘‘You hijacked Megan’s phone?’’ I repeated. 

     She grinned innocently. ‘‘Well, Cody did, but I payed him a twenty.’’ 

     ‘‘And these were worth every cent,’’ finished Cody, entering Hadley’s bedroom with a bag rolled up in his fist. 

     Hadley frowned at him. ‘‘Where were you?’’ 

     ‘‘Uptown. Somewhere secret.’’ 

     ‘‘Are you going to tell me?’’

     Cody looked at me like he expected me to answer for him. So I did. 

     ‘’No,’’ I said. 

     ‘‘I’m not,’’ Cody added. ‘‘It’s a guy place.’’ 

     Hadley rolled her eyes but kissed him anyway. 

     It was Sunday evening, a few hours until midnight, and I was spending time with Hadley, looking at haircuts and clothes, watching Dirty Girl in the background. Previously, I had just been about to call my mom to pick me up, but after Hadley revealed that she’d hijacked Megan’s phone, I decided that I wanted to stay for a bit longer. 

     ‘‘Cody, what’s in the bag?’’ I asked. 

     He grinned as if it was obvious. ‘‘Condoms.’’ 

    ‘‘What?’’ 

     ‘’We were running low.’’ Cody pulled out a package with a definite label that proved he was speaking truthfully. He winked at Hadley. ‘‘Thought we might need to stock up.’’

     I stared at both of them. ‘‘You two are sex addicts.’’ 

     ‘‘Thank you,’’ said Cody, like I’d given him a compliment. ‘’We work very hard to get at it. Good work out, too.’’ 

     Hadley, examining the package, giggled.

     I tried to end the conversation, because I really didn’t need to hear it. ‘’So, tell me more about you getting into Megan’s phone.’’

     Hadley looked up and smiled. ‘‘Well, remember the conversations you and Cris used to have?’’

     ‘‘Yeah.’’ How could I forget?

     ‘’I was just thinking—if Cris starts flirting with Megan, we might want to know what he’s doing. You know how heavy the texts between him and you were.’’

     Cody laughed at a private joke, and I ignored him. 

     ‘‘Check it,’’ he said a minute later, fiddling on Hadley’s computer, and we stood behind him to peer at the screen. Hadley slid her hands into his V-neck and rubbed her fingers on his chest. 

     I found myself looking at a texting conversation between two people whose names were unidentified. The most recent discussion was about colors: 

               What’s your favorite color?

              Um. Green. And purple. And pink. I don’t know, I got lots. What’s yours?

               Blue. 

               More specific, maybe?

               Light blue. Like . . . sky blue. Jean blue, I guess. 

               Like Shain’s toque?

               No. Like the color of your eyes. 

‘‘Who’s this between?’’ I asked Cody and Hadley. 

     They looked at me, and I answered my own question. 

     I whispered, ‘‘Megan and Cris.’’ 

     Cody smirked. ‘‘Yes.’’ 

     A new text popped up on the screen:

               Aw, you’re sweet :D I really like your eyes, too. 

Hadley met my eyes, and I felt something die inside of me. 

     ‘‘You know,’’ I said, ‘‘this might not be such a bad idea.’’