I shook my head. “I don’t think highly of Mara, but if anything, she’s loyal when it comes to you. No, I was thinking that maybe Elizabeth or Bri wrote it. What better way to stir up trouble than to write something like that? They don’t strike me as the friendliest of people, and no offense, but they seem to like Georgia more than you.”

“Ugh. I know,” Rosalee moaned, falling back on the pillows again. “I just want to go home,” she said, miserably.

I lay down beside her, turning my face toward hers.

“You can’t run away now, Rosalee. You and I both know that the only way to deal with bullies is to stand up to them. We will find out who wrote these things, the secrets and the sex advice … Do you know what? I’m not even sure if I believe either one of them is serious. They seem petty and mean, like something someone who wanted to stir up drama would say.”

“Speaking of stirring up drama, do you think Mara purposefully overlooked the coconut allergy because she doesn’t like Georgia?” Rosalee asked, still gnawing at her lip.

I grimaced. “I know Mara’s your best friend, but she’s a total bitch, Rosalee. I’m sorry to say that…”

Rosalee surprised me with a chuckle. “I know, I know. Mara can be a bitch, but she was a good friend to me in college. I missed you so much when I was gone, and she was all I had then.”

“You missed me?” This was the first time I’d heard Rosalee talk about having regrets when it came to leaving me behind.

“I did.” Rosalee leaned her head on my chest and closed her eyes. I closed mine too, imagining we were kids again, back in Mom’s townhouse, Mom just a few rooms away. We were so safe and secure then, at least for a little while.

Moments later, Rosalee was purring like a kitten. I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling, unsure what to think of it all.

Chapter Eleven

Rosalee

The bride-to-be

When I opened my eyes, it took a few minutes to remember where I was and what I was supposed to be doing.

The digital clock on the bedside table read 2:17 a.m. I sat up in the fluffy, white bed and shoved the heavy quilted blankets aside. My temples throbbed and my stomach ached; instantly, it all came rushing back: the champagne and all that food, Georgia’s allergic reaction, those horrible anonymous warnings. No, not warnings. They were definitely threats.

I’d fallen asleep with my cousin Tinsley at my side hours ago, but she was nowhere to be seen now. I stood up slowly, blinking in the dark, and tried to use the moonlit shadows to guide me. It took a minute to find the light switch for my room.