“Thanks for doing this,” Mia said, seeing the chance of asking Lou for a quick drink slip through her fingers. Perhaps it was too soon. Perhaps this was all she could ever hope for and there would always be a wall between them. “You know them best. Do you think they’ll go for it?”

“I learned to stop predicting people’s behavior and decisions a long time ago,” Lou said matter-of-factly, and whether this was an intentional jibe at Mia or not, it still hit her straight in the gut. “We’ll see.”

A taxi pulled up, Lou gave her a quick wave good-bye, and disappeared into the falling darkness.

Chapter Seventeen

The day after the meeting with Annie and Jane, after which Lou had dashed off in a taxi even though she might have said yes if Mia had asked her for a post-meeting drink, Lou asked Micky if they could have a private chat. If she’d had the opportunity to talk to Micky, and to find out what she knew about Mia that Lou didn’t, she might have been inclined to hang out in Newtown longer last night, but she needed to know first. She needed to know now.

Between Lou’s last afternoon class and her evening one, they ended up at a bar. Wine for Micky, sparkling water for Lou.

“I don’t really know how to broach this topic,” Lou said, “without just blurting it out.” She couldn’t quite meet Micky’s gaze. There was something so vulnerable about making eye contact with someone of whom she suspected she knew all about what happened to her as a teenager. Lou had been uneasy around Micky since Amber had suggested Lou talk to her, and it had been surprisingly hard to bring herself to ask the question. But last night’s stint in Newtown had urged her on. “I know Mia has told you something about our, er, past. And I would like to know what.”

Instant pity in Micky’s glance. Great. Lou was not after pity. She just wanted information.

Micky cleared her throat. “She told me she bullied you during your last year in high school. That there are no excuses for her behavior and that she’s very ashamed of the person she was back then.”

“That’s it?” Lou could hardly believe that was all Micky knew. These were just the simple facts. This was not information Amber would urge her to obtain from Micky.

“That’s all I can tell you,” Micky said, “without breaking Mia’s trust.”

“But you understand the reasons why I would want to know?”

“Of course I do, Lou. And I want you to know. But she explicitly asked me not to tell you because she doesn’t want her behavior to be excused. And she certainly doesn’t want me to make excuses for her.”

Lou scoffed. “That’s because it can’t be excused.”