The Thrashers(3)

As Julian bummed a smoke off a guy with long hair on a beach chair, Matt turned to Jodi, staring at her with new eyes.

“So how do you know Zack Thrasher?” Matt asked. Jodi got the impression he still didn’t know she didn’t go to school with him, but Matt plowed on without an answer. “He’s like Sacramento royalty or something. I dunno.”

“Royalty,” Julian hummed. “I like the sound of that.”

“He said Zack, not you.” Jodi sipped her water.

“Hm. Lucy is queen, Paige is a princess…” He tilted his head down at her. “What are you, cupcake?” Jodi swallowed, knowing how this was going to end. “Maybe you’re the court jester. You entertain the king, you’re fun at dinners, but you don’t really belong.”

She clenched her jaw, ignoring Matt as he watched the two of them like a tennis match. Turning her eyes to Julian, she took in his cool hazel gaze over the rim of his red cup.

“You can insult me, ignore my texts, conveniently ‘forget me’ after pep rallies”—she hadn’t forgotten about that one—“but I’m not going anywhere.” She pressed her lips together and hissed, “Let’s just get through senior year. When you’re at your Ivy, you’ll never have to see me again.”

Julian’s eyes flickered in amusement. His lips parted—

“Jodi!” A familiar squeal pierced her ears, and she turned to see Paige running to her—shoeless. “There you are, babe.”

She was abruptly engulfed in Fantasy perfume and luscious blond waves. Jodi shook off the irritation that only Julian Hollister could cause her and hugged Paige tightly.

“Hey!” Jodi said. “Where’s Lucy?”

But her question was answered a moment later. Over Paige’s shoulder, she saw Lucy walking down the steps to the backyard in what Jodi liked to call “Lucy-Slow-Motion.”

Lucy Reed was ridiculously hot—tall, with dark brown skin and thick black hair that always looked like it had been professionally mussed. She wasn’t only stunning, she was lethal. Lucy Reed wasn’t to be crossed. She took longer to warm up to than Paige, but once you were in with Lucy, you were friends for life.

As Lucy-Slow-Motion finally arrived at their side, Paige pulled back from her bone-crushing hug and played with Jodi’s hair. “This looks perfect, babe! You did the curls like I taught you!”

“It looks really good,” Lucy agreed.

Jodi’s chest swelled with the praise, glad she’d done something with her hair that was remotely close to Paige’s.

Paige was the antithesis to Lucy, but they complemented each other like oil and vinegar. Paige was a cheerleader, student council VP, and—hilariously—a mathlete. She was soft and bubbly where Lucy was hard and uncompromising. More often than not, the two of them went off and did their own thing, leaving Jodi to fend for herself against Julian. It was common knowledge that both Lucy and Paige were also in love with Zack.

It was weird from the outside, but there was no strain—as long as Zack didn’t officially “choose” one of them.

“Oh, shit.” Matt ran a hand through his hair, his eyes flickering over the four of them. He took a deep breath, staring as if he’d seen a ghost. “You’re the Thrashers.”

Jodi sighed and Julian rolled his eyes. The group name was stupid. They never called themselves that.

Lucy lifted a perfectly waxed brow. “And you are?”

All the bravado he’d had with Jodi melted away, and with an odd little nod, he said, “M-Matt.”

Lucy stepped forward, and Matt audibly gulped. “My name’s Lucy Reed. Not ‘Thrasher #4’ or whatever.”

“Right. Sorry. Can I get you a drink?”

She reached forward and grabbed Matt’s beer out of his hand. “I already have one.”

Lucy always seemed pretty badass when she had a few drinks in her, but Jodi knew that the real reason she stole guys’ drinks was because she knew they wouldn’t be drugged. She’d told Jodi that she had to learn that trick the hard way freshman year.

“Are you having fun, Matt?” Paige asked, sizing him up with a gleam in her eye.

“One hundo,” Matt said, and Julian snorted into his drink. “How do you guys know Caroline?”

“We don’t.” Julian smiled. “We’re just not allowed to party with our own kind.”

The dig flew over Matt’s head as his eyes widened and he lowered his voice. “That’s right. New Helvetia High, right? Didn’t a girl just die? Did you know her?”

Like the music cutting out before the beat dropped—Caroline Vallow’s party was no longer an easy distraction.

Jodi froze, like she did any time Emily’s name was mentioned on TV, or in the hallways before final exams, or behind cupped palms as she passed. Paige took a sharp breath next to her, something she’d started doing a month ago, complaining that sometimes she couldn’t breathe. Julian went very still, staring down into his cup. With her eyes intent on Matt, Lucy smiled, low and catlike, as if he’d said something amusing.

“Not really,” Lucy answered finally. But the damage was done. Matt returned her gaze with a wary expression. “I think I had two classes with her.”

Paige took another deep breath, the rattle in her ribs echoing in Jodi’s ears.