When Bee and I shook our heads, Sara gave a relieved sigh and handed us sign-up forms. “Fill these out and get them back to me by next Monday. That’s the next rehearsal.”

“We can’t rehearse today?” Bee asked, gesturing up at the stage. A girl I didn’t recognize—she either went to Lee High, the big public school on the other side of town, or was one of the girls from a neighboring county—was tap-dancing like her life depended on it.

But apparently Sara had already broken enough of her rules today, because she gave a very firm shake of her head. “Absolutely not. Not until your paperwork is sorted out.”

“That’s fine,” I said quickly. I needed time to prepare myself for pageant practice anyway. Just coming in here had been weird enough. But, hey, if my trial ended up being public humiliation, at least I’d given the Ephors a heck of a setting.

Agreeing with Sara made her happy, because she flashed that super-white smile at me again. “Good. So are y’all gonna do the Festival, too?”

I wrinkled my nose. The Azalea Festival was the big fair on the outskirts of town. We had it every spring, along with the pageant, a giant bake sale, and this thing where people drove around looking at old houses with girls in hoop skirts out front.

The fair was like any carnival—rides, fried food, cheesy games, and oversized stuffed animals. I’d never been that crazy about it, even as a kid, but I’d always gone. The last few years, it had been a double-date thing with Ryan, Bee, and Brandon, and I’d kind of been looking forward to skipping it this year.

“Ooh, I hadn’t thought about that!” Bee said, slipping her arm through mine again. “We ought to go tonight.” Her brown eyes were warm when she looked down at me and added, “It might cheer you up.”

I was pretty sure a cheesy town fair couldn’t cheer up anyone, but, hey, I was already doing this pageant. In for a penny, in for a pound, I thought, and smiled back at her. “Sounds great.”

Chapter 20

Chapter 20

WHEN I GOT HOME, David’s car was parked against the curb, and I took a deep breath.

My parents were still at work, so David must have used the extra key like I’d told him to.

He was already in my room when I came up, standing at my desk, fiddling with his phone.

“Hi,” I said, and he glanced up quickly, fumbling to put his phone in his pocket.

“Hi.”

I inwardly cringed. This was ridiculous. A few days ago, he had been my boyfriend. In fact, the last time he’d been in this room, we’d done a fair amount of making out, and now I was standing in my own room, feeling awkward and... oh dear Lord, was I blushing?