The Comeback Read Online Free Page B

and I could tell by her smile that she was dying to reveal something.
    â€œJust waiting for Connor,” I said nonchalantly.
    â€œOh, yes, it’s Wednesday.” Her eyes gleamed. “Well, I wouldn’t want you to go hungry. I just saw him drive off with Angie Vogel.”
    Which is why she’d hurried back to rub my face init. I grabbed my wallet and car keys. “Oh, that’s right. They’re getting a jump on memorizing lines. I must have forgotten. Connor’s so conscientious.” I smiled at her as though I didn’t have a care in the world, but inside I was seething.
    â€œOf course that’s it,” Olivia said blandly, but I knew that look on her face. It was the look of a gossip hound on the trail of a juicy scent.
    I was going to kill Connor when I caught up with him.
    I strolled away, aware of Olivia’s beady eyes watching my every move. Fortunately, Monet hadn’t left for lunch yet. I caught up with her at her locker.
    â€œLet’s go to Wicked Jack’s,” I said.
    â€œBut it’s Wednesday,” she said.
    I smiled at some random guy who was watching us.
    â€œI know that,” I replied through gritted teeth. “Evidently, Connor has other plans.”
    â€œAre you okay?” she said.
    â€œOf course I am, why?”
    â€œBecause you just smiled at Jason Brady, the guy who put his hand on your butt in PE when we were freshmen. You hate that guy.”
    It was true. I couldn’t believe I had smiled at Jason Brady. The guy was a total perv. A casual smile was like an engraved invitation to him.
    â€œHe won’t bother me,” I said with confidence I didn’t feel. “Everyone knows I’m Connor’s girlfriend.”
    A fact I would remind Connor of as soon as I tracked him down at Wicked Jack’s and scoped out the situation.
    There was no sign of him or his gorgeous costar when we walked into the restaurant. Where were they? Connor was a creature of habit and Olivia Kaplan said she had seen them leave campus. I tried not to jump to conclusions. Connor had never given me a reason not to trust him. But I wasn’t stupid. Angie Vogel was beautiful, and he was spending a lot of time with her. He’d better have a good explanation.
    Wicked Jack’s is pirate-themed, decorated in head-to-toe pirates’ booty. There are stuffed parrots, treasure chests, and even a skeleton wearing a skull-and-crossbones bandanna. Tacky, but the food is good and affordable. And it’s close enough to school that we could make it back without getting a tardy slip.
    Vanessa waved at us from a corner booth. “Sophie, Monet, over here,” she said.
    I didn’t feel like talking to anyone, but I squared my shoulders and called out, “We’ll be right over.” Then, to Monet, I said, “Will you get me a salad? I might as well get the inquisition over.”
    â€œSure,” she said. I handed her a twenty and watched her walk off. We’d managed to stay friends even though she wasn’t into the whole popularitything and I was. I knew she thought it was silly to care so much about what other people thought, but she never made fun of me or trashed me behind my back.
    The girls at the corner booth, however, were a different story. They were my couples friends, girls who dated Connor’s friends. We had absolutely nothing in common, except that we were each one-half of a power couple.
    I plastered on a bright smile and headed for the booth. “Hi, all,” I said gaily and plopped myself down next to Vanessa.
    Vanessa was still dating Connor’s best friend, Chase McDermitt, who had been a total player before Vanessa organized him into submission. He still was a bit of a player, truth be told, when Vanessa wasn’t around. Vanessa was also in drama, but it was only a résumé padder for her. She had her fingers in every extracurricular pie.
    Everyone wrote her off as one of those