I laugh at his cute, concerned face. “I’m fine. Everything’s fine, I promise. I’m just helping her with something, I’ll tell you about it after.”

I give him a quick kiss and adjust my shoulder bag.

“Wait, wait, wait. You’re actually going to go somewhere with her? To help her? Are you on drugs?” Annalisa exclaims before I can walk to Kaitlyn’s car.

“It’s a long story, Anna—”

“I’ve only been a Silver for, like, a week, and you’re already best friends with the bitch who got me expelled?”

She’s mad. Even the wind picks up, as if angry with me as well. It doesn’t help that the last time we argued about Kaitlyn, Annalisa thought I was choosing Kaitlyn over her, which is kind of what this situation looks like.

“And did you say you’re helping her!? Kaitlyn? Evil incarnate? The girl whose life goal is to make you miserable? The girl who lied and got me expelled? You’re choosing to hang out with her and help her over me?”

“Anna, it’s not like that and you know it—”

“What the hell are you thinking, Amelia? She’s just going to screw you over and you know it. Do you ever think before you do shit or do you just rely on Aiden to clean up your messes? That’s basically all he does.”

“Hey.” She gets a warning from Aiden and Mason at the same time.

That was undeserved and she knows it. Before I can think, I snap back, “Well, all Julian does is chase after you when you run out of a room after a dramatic outburst!”

I don’t care how upset she is, that was uncalled for. I get that she hates Kaitlyn; she has a reason to. But that doesn’t mean she can jump down my throat and not let me get a word in to explain myself. The wind whips my hair around my face, and beside us, Julian, Aiden, and Mason are silenced by shock. The normal sounds of kids laughing and talking as they emerge from school and get into cars is nothing but distant background now. The tension is louder.

I take a calming breath. I know she didn’t mean it. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.”

“I did,” she bites back.

Throughout all of this, Kaitlyn’s been relatively calm. She hasn’t even started honking impatiently or anything. Now, she leans out the window again. “Are you coming? Gas isn’t cheap, you know.”

“Give me a second,” I tell her, then turn to look at Annalisa. “I know you’re pissed, Anna, but attacking me isn’t going to fix anything. I’ll explain everything after, and when I do, you’ll feel bad about saying that.”

I turn back to Aiden and give him a reassuring kiss.

“Everything’s okay. I love you,” I murmur against his lips before pulling away.

He seems confused but doesn’t stop me. “I love you too,” he says possessively as I walk away.

“Gag, you guys are so gross,” Kaitlyn tells me as I get in her car. Her arm’s finally out of the sling, and she fixes her lip gloss in the mirror. I hate to admit it, but it’s really nice inside this car; the leather feels smooth and expensive.