CHAPTER 59

GIOVANNA COULD HARDLY BREATHE. She needed to get out of this cafeteria.

Alexa looked at her. “You’re crying?”

“Something’s in my eye.” She blinked and rubbed her eyelid with her fingertip. “I’m going to the bathroom.”

Kat’s flawless face morphed into one of her classic smirks.

“Aw, Giovanna took a hit from OneInAMillionMaggie,” Kat said in a super condescending tone. “What’s wrong, princess? Doesn’t your mommy wuv you?”

No. Giovanna wanted to scream the answer. No . . . she loves her liquor and her work and her never-ending line of men more than she loves me. Giovanna’s eyes were stinging again —something she really didn’t want the other two to see. “I need a mirror.”

“You’ve needed that for a long time,” Alexa said. “News flash. You’re not going to like what you see.”

Kat draped her arm around Alexa and laughed like it was the funniest thing ever.

Yeah. Hilarious. They wouldn’t stop. Not ever. Giovanna knew that. Why not just break away from them? Would being alone really be that much worse?

Stupid question. Oh yeah. Way worse. They’d stop pretending they were her friends. Giovanna took a step back. They’d crucify her.

“Listen” —Kat stepped in close —“suck it up, girl. You’ve got a job to do. Everybody’s depending on you. Alexa. Me. Zach. Mitch. Skirt. Everybody. We planned it all out, and you agreed to everything.”

Yeah, after they totally pressured her. There was dirty work to do, and guess who was elected to do it?

“Giovanna?” That tone Kat used —a definite threat. Agree —or else.

“I’m good.”

Kat raised her eyebrows. “Ninth period. Just like we said. Got it?”

Dirty work. “I told you, I’m good.”

“You’d better be.”

Kat said it with a smile that was about as real as their friendship. There was no breaking away from her. Giovanna was no more than a slave. There was only one way to stop this, wasn’t there?

“Everything is in place,” Alexa said. “I did my part.”

Yeah, the easy part. “Stop worrying. I’ll do what I need to do.” Giovanna gave her the dead eyes and walked for the exit at a good clip. She didn’t look back, and didn’t slow her pace. What she really wanted to do was run. Get away from the voices. Alexa. Kat. Maggie. Hudson. And the voices in her head.

You know what you need to do.