I nodded, though I couldn’t help thinking about earlier that night, when she’d left me behind for her other friends, when she made me feel like I was a burden.

“That’s all that matters. You and me, just the two of us,” she said, and I decided then that all was forgiven.

“You and me,” I said in agreement, like it was a promise.

26.

When I woke up again, it was almost noon and Elise was sitting cross-legged on the couch watching Kill Bill: Vol. 2 with the TV muted.

“Hey,” she said, smiling at me.

“Hey,” I said, rubbing my eyes and sitting up next to her. “Why are you watching this without sound?”

She shrugged. “I didn’t want to wake you. And I know pretty much every word anyway.” Nudging me over, she shifted to rest her head on my shoulder.

“What happened last night?” I asked quietly. I couldn’t wait to tell Elise about Jack, about us swimming in the dark, kissing under the stars. But I pushed all of that aside for now. “Did someone hurt you?”

“No, nothing like that.” She sighed. “So we went to the football field. Then word got out and everyone showed up. I mean everyone. It was less an anti-anti-prom party and more a prom after-party.”

“That sounds fun?” I said, unsure of where this was going.

“It was, for a while at least.”

The movie continued playing in front of us in silence—the Bride showing up at the residence of her next target, Bill’s brother Budd. She geared up, katana drawn and ready, but before she could even get close, Budd hit her in the chest with a shotgun blast of rock salt. I winced even though it was still on mute.

“Christian came,” Elise said, her voice tensing. “We—”

“What?” I was shocked.

She’d said that he wouldn’t be there. But she was only talking about Summer’s anti-prom party—she hadn’t said anything about the party she was throwing on the football field. Had she known he’d be there? Was that why she ditched me?

“What happened?” I asked, wondering if he was back at the house too, if that was why she’d insisted on staying in the basement the night before.

She looked miserable. “I have to tell you something first,” Elise said. “About Christian. And me.” She looked away. “Last night wasn’t the first time we hung out.”

I didn’t immediately understand what she was saying. “Wait, what?”

“I was sleeping over one night, and I went downstairs for a glass of water. He was there too, and at first we just talked. But then—”

I could picture it: she and him in the kitchen, chatting and laughing. Flirting. Maybe even talking about me. What would Christian have said about me? What would Elise?

I knew she had feelings for him. She didn’t acknowledge them after the fundraiser, refusing to admit she liked him when I asked, but she defended him unprompted. And now I was almost certain she wanted to throw that party on the football field because she thought he might come. Maybe she hadn’t wanted to talk to me about it because he was my brother or because she knew I hated him.