As she dipped a spoon into her yogurt container, Bryn tried to hide her exasperation at her bickering friends. So much for eating lunch in peace. First Amanda and Tristin got all weird on her, just because Bryn didn’t want to eat with them at their table. Maybe that was a mistake. Especially since it felt like the DG was having a total meltdown today. Why couldn’t people just get along?
“What’s wrong with her?” Emma demanded as she waved her cell in the air. “She won’t answer my texts or her phone.”
“Maybe Devon doesn’t want to talk to you,” Bryn said with nonchalance.
“She ignored my texts too,” Cassidy pointed out.
“Maybe she doesn’t want to talk to either of you.” Bryn winked at Abby, who simply rolled her eyes. Abby was still in a snit because she thought Bryn wasn’t doing her fair share of her work on Project Santa Sleigh. She’d actually accused Bryn of only wanting the limelight. Never mind that Bryn and Jason had gotten a huge donation to ensure that the dance benefit could become a reality.
“Right,” Emma snapped at Bryn. “I suppose Devon would talk to you?”
Bryn pulled out her phone. “Maybe she would.” She called Devon’s cell phone and to her surprise, Devon answered.
“Hey, Devon,” Bryn said smoothly. “What’s up? Are you sick or something?”
“Yeah.” Devon coughed loudly. “Laryngitis.”
“Oh, that’s too bad. Cass and Em thought maybe you’d died or something. They’ve been trying to reach you.” Bryn wrinkled her nose at her friends. It was obvious that Cass and Em were not amused.
“I want to talk to her,” Emma declared.
“Em wants to talk to you,” Bryn informed Devon.
“I’m not supposed to talk,” Devon said hoarsely.
“Oh.” Bryn tipped her head to Em. “She’s not supposed to talk. Laryngitis.”
“Then tell her she can listen.” Emma was reaching for the phone.
“Emma says you can listen.” Bryn extended the phone and Emma grabbed it.
“Devon,” she said sternly. “What’s going on? Cassidy and I set up the appointment with Mrs. Dorman. It’s not until after school. But you’re not here.” Emma scowled as she listened. “Okay, fine. You’re sick. So you can just send the pictures and we’ll show them to—” Emma stopped talking, but as she listened her blue eyes grew bigger. “What?” she shrieked. “You can’t be serious. Where did you lose it?” She exchanged a worried look with Cassidy now. “Have you looked everywhere? Checked all your pockets? Do you think it’s in Cassidy’s car?”
“What is it?” Cassidy asked.
“No way.” Cassidy threw her head back and groaned.
“Maybe it’s where you were hiding last night. Cass and I could run over there after school and look for it.” She shook her head grimly. “I can’t believe you lost it, Devon. That’s going to ruin everything . . . No, I’m not blaming you. Well, not exactly. Are you sure it’s not in the house somewhere?” Emma let out a hopeless little sigh, told Devon good-bye, and handed Bryn back her phone.
“Bad news, huh?” Bryn slipped her phone back into her bag.
“The worst.”
“Maybe she lost it in my car.” Cassidy took a bite of her apple. “I’ll go look as soon as I finish my lunch.”
“I’ll help you,” Emma offered.
“So what does this mean for Felicia?” Abby asked with concern.
“Good question.” Emma wadded up a napkin.
“We’re not giving up,” Cassidy said as she chewed. “I’ve got a really good defense planned for Felicia. With or without Devon’s contribution.”
“I can’t believe that after all we went through last night, Devon actually lost the drive.” Emma was already gathering her stuff. “Come on, Cass. Let’s go see if it’s in the backseat of your car.”
“We’ll be right back,” Cass told them. “Hopefully with the drive.”
After Emma and Cassidy were gone, it was just Bryn and Abby. And it was plain to see that Abby was still a little out of sorts. She was folding a napkin into tiny triangles over and over—a sign that she was frustrated.
“You’re mad at me, aren’t you?” Bryn asked.
Abby shrugged. “I don’t think I’d use the word mad.”
“Perturbed? Aggravated? Irritated?” Bryn made a half smile. “Do any of those fit?”
“Maybe.” Abby pursed her lips. “It’s just that we’re supposed to be partnering on Project Santa Sleigh, right?”
“Right.”
“I’m in charge of the whole project. Plus it feels like I’m going to be responsible for our own sleigh project too. Do you really think that’s fair?”
“I never said you were in charge of our own sleigh project,” Bryn clarified. “I simply said that I haven’t had time to do anything.”
“And that means what?”
“It means I’ve got a lot on my plate right now.”
Abby looked unconvinced. Now she actually seemed mad.
“Look, Abby.” Bryn softened her tone. “I’m willing to do more. But you act like I’ve been doing nothing. Already I’ve helped to secure the funds for the dance. As well as the prizes, which are pretty fabulous if I do say so. Besides that, I’ve gotten everything all set up for Friday’s assembly, in which I will be starring—”
“Starring?” Abby blinked. “Really? That’s how you see yourself? Like you’re the star of the show?”
“Sorry . . . for lack of another word.”
“Oh, I think it was rather fitting,” Abby said a bit smugly. “Bryn Jacobs, the star of Project Santa Sleigh. Never mind that she sloughs off the work on all her friends while she goes out getting her hair and nails done.”
“Seriously?” Bryn frowned. “That’s how you think of me?”
“Well, you did admit that you have an appointment this week.”
“Yes . . . something I do about once a month. Nothing new about that. Besides, you seem to forget that I’m also supervising both dance committees—the one for the actual dance as well as the benefit. What more do you want me to do?”
“For starters, you could help me build our sleigh,” Abby said in a snippy tone. “That shouldn’t be all up to me alone.”
“What about letting the boys handle that part of the project?” Bryn suggested. “Why is it that all the girls seem to assume it’s their responsibility? Guys do know how to wield a knife to cut cardboard, don’t they? Or how to apply some paint?”
Abby seemed to consider this. “Okay, that’s probably a good point. Hopefully, we’ll get our dates lined up after the assembly.”
“Yeah. That was the plan, remember?” Bryn felt somewhat vindicated.
“Right. So I won’t obsess over the sleigh anymore. I guess I was getting worried because of what Emma was saying. Don’t forget—this is a competition. Just because we’re on the committees doesn’t mean we can’t win, right?”
“No, we never said that, but we do need to ensure that the judges are impartial.” Bryn was making a mental note to herself about this. “And everyone needs to know that’s the situation.”
“Anyway, it sounds like Emma and Cass’s sleigh is already coming along nicely. I guess I was feeling a little jealous.”
“That’s because Emma’s an artist. FYI, it sounds like Emma’s been doing all the work herself. Don’t forget that their sleigh had to get done early so she can bring it to the assembly as our sample. Remember?” Bryn wanted to point out that Abby was acting pretty childish but knew that wouldn’t help matters.
Abby made a slight nod. “Yeah, you’re right. I remember.” Even so she was still frowning. “But . . .”
“But . . . you’re still ticked at me, aren’t you? Did I do something else to offend you, Abs?” Bryn’s patience was wearing thinner.
Abby glanced over to the table where Amanda and Tristin were sitting with their usual friends. “Lately I get the feeling you’d rather be with them,” she said slowly, “than here with your old friends.”
Bryn held up her hands. “Hey, can you blame me? Cass and Em were going on and on about Devon. You were acting put out. The tension here was getting a little old.”
“That’s nothing new. We don’t always get along, but we’re usually loyal to each other. Besides, it’s not like Amanda and Tristin are candidates for Miss Congeniality.”
“They look pretty congenial to me.” Bryn wished she could entice Abby to go with her over there to join Amanda and her friends. That might help change her attitude toward them.
“What about what Cass and Em said about Tristin? That she’s the one responsible for what happened to Felicia? Doesn’t that bother you at all?” Abby’s tone sounded very accusing.
“We don’t know that for certain, Abs. Cass and Em admitted they never saw a shred of evidence. Now Devon claims she’s lost it anyway. Seems pretty flimsy if you ask me.” Bryn looked over to where Amanda and Tristin were laughing with their friends—having fun instead of casting suspicion on others. “Really, I cannot imagine that Tristin would do something that despicable.”
“Or that Amanda would be involved?” Abby tilted her head to one side.
“I seriously doubt Amanda would do something that low-down and lame. The more I think about it, the more ridiculous it seems. And that whole story about Devon and the flash drive . . . really?”
“I don’t know about that.” Abby’s brow creased. “I do know that having Amanda in the DG makes everything feel different.”
“Are you blaming me for that too? I mean, sure, I like Amanda, but I wasn’t the one who invited her into the DG. You can blame Devon for that.”
“It was originally your idea, Bryn. You can’t deny that. And you and Amanda obviously get along just fine.”
“I try to get along with everyone . . . or haven’t you noticed?” Bryn gave her a tolerant smile.
“Yeah. I get that. But when Amanda mentioned the possibility of Tristin joining the DG—followed by Cass and Em’s little fireworks show—well, it’s like the DG is changing. And not for the better.”
“What’s not for the better?” Cassidy sat next to Bryn.
“Nothing,” Abby mumbled.
Bryn peered curiously at Emma and Cassidy. “Any luck?”
“No.” Emma glumly shook her head.
“What’s going on?” Cassidy asked. “Looks like you guys are having another disagreement. What about the DG is changing for the worse?”
“Abby’s all worked up over Amanda and Tristin,” Bryn said lightly.
“Well, Abby’s not the only one,” Emma declared. “No way will I ever agree that Tristin can join the DG. If she’s in, I’m out.”
“Same goes for me,” Cassidy said. “After last night, I’m pretty certain Devon would vote no as well.”
“So, really, it’s a moot point.” Bryn set her empty yogurt carton on the tray with a clunk.
“We weren’t just discussing Tristin,” Abby continued. “I was expressing my opinion on Amanda. Since she joined the DG, things are different. Not in a good way.”
Emma and Cassidy exchanged looks then nodded somberly. “Yeah, we were just talking about that too,” Emma admitted. “Things are changing.”
“Like I just told Abs a few minutes ago, I was not the one to invite Amanda into the DG. And I don’t plan to be the one to uninvite her either.” Bryn slowly stood. “FYI, it was Devon, and she kind of jumped the gun too.”
“Well, if we had that flash drive right now, like we’d expected, we would find out if Amanda had any involvement in the Felicia scandal,” Cassidy told them. “If she did, we were going to request that she be ousted from the DG.”
“That’s right,” Emma chimed in. “I’m guessing that once Felicia is in the DG, like we hope she’ll be, Amanda will want to quit anyway.”
“Oh, I’m sure Tristin will want to be in a club with the same girl she bullied,” Cassidy said sarcastically.
“You honestly think that Tristin will still be in this school after that flash drive exposes her?” Abby asked.
Bryn waved a finger in front of their faces. “You girls are forgetting something. Right now there is no flash drive. As far as we know, there may never have been one. It seems like if anyone is acting questionable here, it might be Devon.”
Abby looked shocked. “You’d take Amanda and Tristin’s side over Devon’s?”
“What about DG rule number two?” Cassidy blurted. “We’re supposed to be loyal to each other.”
“All I’m saying is that Amanda and Tristin have a deeper history at Northwood than Devon,” Bryn pointed out. “I agree we should be loyal, but you guys know the crazy stunts Devon’s pulled. Does anyone here totally trust that girl?”
“Does anyone totally trust Tristin?” Emma challenged Bryn. “Do you?”
Bryn considered this. “I’m not sure. I guess I need more evidence to make up my mind.” She picked up her bag. “Evidence that seems to be missing.” As she looped a strap over her shoulder, she gave them a sugary smile. “I’m sure everything will work out just fine in the end, girls. Now, as much as I hate to leave your delightful company, I must pay a visit to the ladies’ room.”
As Bryn strolled away, she felt completely fed up with her DG friends. Their obsession on proving Felicia’s innocence seemed to be interfering with everything. Not only was it distracting them from the task at hand—the Christmas ball—it seemed to be dividing them as friends as well. Were they going to allow their concerns over Felicia to unravel the DG? Then again, who knew—maybe that would be for the best.