Chapter 59

Larissa

With a final rattle, the engine stopped, and I pulled the key out of the machine, took off my helmet and eyed the diner where Bay and I had been the other day.

The inscription Lola's Diner shone in its orange neon letters above the entrance, and you could see through the windows that there was a lot of activity inside.

Grace had just told me today that this was the favorite downtown hangout of all Blairville students. It really wasn't a bad place, because the food tasted good, and you quickly got the feeling of being part of the town.

However, a quieter place would have been better for the conversation I wanted to have with Bayla. I'd been relieved when I'd seen her on campus earlier, especially after the drama that had happened on the first floor of our accommodation on Monday.

"Larissa Champson, if I remember correctly?"

I wheeled around and eyed Jenny Bexley suspiciously. She was wearing a light yellow, tight dress and a felt coat of the same color. Her make-up was perfect, but her face looked unnatural, somewhat strange, as if she had tried to cover up an accident.

The fact that she was holding her iPad didn't put me at ease. What did the radio announcer's eldest daughter want from me?

"How do you know my name?" I asked suspiciously, relieved that she didn't know my middle name. How could she... I had made sure it was erased from the network.

"I know every important person in town, sweetie," she laughed, pulling out her iPad pen.

I raised both eyebrows, but before I could ask further, she was already babbling on.

"You're a friend of the DeLoughreys. Could I ask you a few questions?"

I looked at her, dumbfounded.

Friend of the DeLoughreys . Did she want me to have a laughing fit?

"What makes you think that?"

"You and Adrian seemed very familiar on campus the other day."

Now, I really had to fight the burst of laughter.

Familiar . If Adrian's menacing appearance on campus and the way he had interacted with me had looked familiar to her, then maybe she should get her eyes lasered next instead of investing in her fake lips.

"I'm sorry, but I have nothing to do with these rich people," I laughed and tried to pass her, but she pushed in front of me and held out a business card.

I took it with a sigh.

"If you change your mind," she said. "I'm always available."

Then she turned away from me and strode back to the diner.

I shook my head and threw the card in the nearest trash can.

The last thing I was going to do was let the reporter Mady had warned me about squeeze anything out of me.

When I entered the diner, the smell of deep-fried golden-brown fries immediately hit my nose. Only now did I realize that I hadn't had a chance to eat anything all day. I was starving.

That's what it was like when you took your studies seriously. School had never been my thing, but I had known that things would be better at university, and indeed they were.

I realized I was being stared at by a group of young men I was all too familiar with. The Copeland gang. Of course, they were here too.

Nash seemed distracted by a conversation with his handsome dark-skinned friend. But the light brunette muscleman in his group seemed to be eyeing me.

I turned to the other side, where I spotted Julie and Bay in a seating area. They seemed to have been waiting for me here for a while.

As I walked over to them, I could feel Nash's friend's gaze clearly on my back, maybe a little further down, but when I glanced at him as I sat down, he had already turned back to Nash and the other five guys.

"You're already here..." I said apologetically, knowing I was the one who was late.

"It's already ten minutes past four," Bay cleared her throat and leaned back.

Good , at least she didn't seem as dead as she did on Monday.

"Yeah, yeah, grumpy ," I said with a grin and reached into her bag of fries. She even pushed it toward me, and I looked at her in surprise.

That behavior was untypical for my foodie best friend.

"You should eat something yourself," Julie said with concern and pushed the bag of fries back to Bay, who sank further into the comfortable seat.

Normally, Bay ate like a barn thrasher.

"I don't know. My appetite is gone," was all she said.

That didn't sound like her at all . Just a few days ago, I thought she had become thinner. Apparently, I wasn't mistaken.

"What's wrong with you?" I asked.

She looked up at me briefly as if she wanted to say something, but didn't.

"Are you still taking your medication?" I tried again and got a shake of her head in response.

I sighed and leaned back with my arms crossed.

"And then I'm still surprised when you just faint like that."

I brushed one of my long strands of hair behind my ear.

If there was one thing Diana Adams and I agreed on, it was those stupid pills that Bay simply refused to take on principle.

"What medication?" Julie asked.

She looked worried, which was interesting because her expression was often blank.

"Bayla has these strange seizures all the time," I explained to Julie.

She wanted to say something else, but was interrupted by Bayla.

"You don't have to tell everyone about it."

"Unlike you , my dear, I'm an open book," I said to Bay with a grin and looked at Julie again, hoping that she didn't feel uncomfortable with us.

I found quiet people always radiated a lot of resilience, even if Julie's shyness made it harder to see how she was feeling. She was very secretive, and until now, I knew little about her.

"Tell me, have you guys come up with a plan for Friday?" I asked, looking at both girls in front of me and grinning mischievously.

I was still wondering how I had managed to persuade them to go to this party.

Julie's cheeks reddened, and it was clear that she hadn't thought about anything else since her Loverboy had suggested the meeting.

"Not really..." she stammered and began to play with her fingers until she made them disappear under the table.

"So, if I've understood correctly, you want to find a way to meet him without him finding out who you are ..." I thought aloud.

"Masks..." Bayla whispered playfully.

"Masks?" Julie looked confused.

"You put on a mask, and he won't recognize you."

"Good idea," I said, convinced, directed at Bay and looked at Julie, who didn't seem to like it.

"Isn't that a bit flashy and extravagant?" she asked, but all I could hear from her words was an excuse.

"Do you know how many people might come to this party wearing masks? It's a Halloween party , sweetheart." I smiled and looked across the diner, over to the Copelands.

The guys seemed to be joking around, having fun. Then I saw the guy again who had been watching me so strangely earlier.

I lowered my voice. "Who is that again?"

"That's Noah, one of Nash's newer friends," Julie replied quietly, as if no one was supposed to hear us.

"Has Nash ever had any other friends?" I asked curiously.

"Julian," she said.

"Julian? Bay's neighbor? " I asked and looked surprised at Julie.

"Julian is your neighbor?"

Grace came over to our table in the corner by the window and took off her orange apron.

"Yes," I answered for Bayla and made room for Grace.

Grace looked with a questioning expression at Bay, who seemed to avoid her gaze.

"Yes, Julian was his best friend. The four of them had been inseparable," Julie continued, lost in thought.

"The four of them?" I asked.

"Julian, Nash, Kieran, and Emely," Grace answered me.

"Who's Kieran?" I asked, realizing that I would probably never know all of these guys by name.

"Another go-getter who I'm glad is doing an exchange semester in the United States," Grace snorted.

I'd heard the name Kieran before. Wasn't that the guy Emely had talked to on the phone in the student residence?

"What happened between Julian and Nash?" Bayla asked with interest.

Julie and Grace looked at each other like it was a secret. But when I pierced Julie with my gaze for longer, she seemed unable to keep quiet.

"There had been an accident with Julian's mother," she began, blushing again as Grace looked at her in warning, as if indeed it had been a long-kept town secret.

"It kind of drove them apart. The Bardots moved away from there, and since then there's been radio silence," Grace finished the story.

"That sounds very sad. Did Julian tell you about it?"

I looked at Bay, but she shook her head slowly.

"Where were you today?" I asked and she looked up.

"Julian showed me around town."

Grace's jaw dropped. "Didn't I tell you not to do so much with the...the Copelands?"

Julian wasn't a Copeland. But that was what Grace seemed to call every guy who'd ever been around Nash.

"Apparently, he doesn't have that much to do with them, after all..." I said, confused.

A slight mistrust of Grace spread through me. She seemed friendly, no question, and yet... she seemed to have something against the Copelands and the Copelands and the Bardots seemed to have something in common. It was about time I got to the root of this strange gut feeling.

"Remember, we're going costume shopping tomorrow!" I tried to change the subject and winked at Julie.

I knew she'd like to sink into the ground right now.

Grace stood up again. "I'm going alone."

"Why?" Bayla and I asked at the same time.

"I don't want to spend my time with a traitor."

I looked up at her in astonishment. And then I remembered that she and Mady were at war.

I had asked Mady a while ago, and she had been so excited about this party, but that had changed when I had told her that Grace and Julie were going with us. I had tried to convince her, but she had just shaken her head in panic and hurried away.

"Mady canceled," I sighed.

My good mood was about to disappear.

Grace just smiled and tied her apron again. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow."

She smiled and turned to leave.

I understood if she had something against the Copelands and also if she didn't trust the DeLoughreys. However, I drew the line at my Madymouse . I thought it was childish and not fair toward her.

But in this case, I had decided to prioritize helping Julie and unfortunately Mady was not going to be convinced anyway.

Maybe the two girls would make peace at some point. Because this couldn't go on without someone always being excluded.