Pieces of You

Chapter Three

Blaire | Before

It takes me twenty-five minutes to get to school and, despite stepping on the gas, I'm already ten minutes late. With Anna's house only two minutes away, Megan, who lives on the edge of town and whose house adds another five miles to the journey, might just have to find her own way there. Shame.

Pulling up to Anna's gated street, I press the passcode in and wait for the iron gates to open before continuing, the heating of the car warming my cold skin as it blows through the vents. When I round the corner, I find families walking their kids to school, each one of them dressed in the notorious blue uniform of Berewood Prep, the thirty-thousand-dollar-a-year school you need to get your kids into Berewood Seniors and, eventually, the Ivies.

At the end of the long stretch of houses, I find Anna already waiting outside her drive. Her slender hips are rocked to one side as she examines her new fifty-dollar manicure and, standing there, she reminds me of the paparazzi photos taken of Gigi Jones in Paris – long and shiny beach blonde hair, completely aware of her own beauty while wholly unaware of everyone else. When she hears my engine, though, she glances up from her lashes, and a knowing smirk on those pink lips tells me she knows exactly why I'm late.

'Dean stay late again?' she asks, helping herself to my cup of iced coffee as she buckles her belt and shuts the door. 'You know you're gonna get caught eventually, Bee.'

I clench my teeth. 'I don't remember asking – but I'm great, thanks for asking.'

I pull the car into reverse, trying my best not to hit the child in the blue school dress playing with her tricycle behind me. I see her mom standing a few meters away, barely watching her child as a 7000-pound vehicle slides slowly towards her. Apparently, the neighbourhood gossip is more important than her child's life.

I roll my eyes as I drive on, sliding a look to Anna who watches the street pass through her window. Anna, like most of the women who live on this street, is just a pretty face filled with empty threats. She does whatever the hell she wants whenever she wants – typically without a thought on how it'll affect anyone else.

But I'll be damned if she doesn't know what she'll lose in the process.

An awkward five minutes precede as I drive to grab Megan, deciding the extra drive will be worth it only so I don't have to spend the next twenty alone with Anna. At least Megan doesn't care about Dean.

Well, actually, she doesn't know – but little details, right?

I sigh. Raindrops fall on the windshield, the drizzly type that Berewood always gets this time of year. It's my favourite season – green leaves turning brown, falling into piles on the ground. The pitter-patter of rain relaxes me, a melody of nature that never gets old. Even in Berewood, where this type of weather is notorious even in the midst of Spring, I can barely get enough of it.

'Hey, guys.' Megan glides into the car. Thanks to her sixteen years of ballet lessons, the girl can hardly do anything without looking like an elegant swan. She closes her umbrella, shakes it off and looks up with a bright smile, dark skin bright despite the autumn rain. 'Damn, fall's really setting in, right?'

'I love it,' I say at the same time as Anna says, 'I hate it.'

Megan laughs, flipping her brown hair behind her shoulders. It's a practised move, one I've seen her perform a thousand times. But there's something different about it this time – a look in her eyes perhaps, one that's heated.

It's a look that whispers trouble.

'You will not believe what I saw last night.'

There it is.

'What?' I ask, flicking a look to the side mirror as I pull out.

'Archie Murphy. Addy Rodgers. In a car, making it particularly steamy.'

'Jesus,' Anna says, 'there must be something in the water.'

I ignore Anna, how her eyes slide to me as she says it.

'It is interesting though,' I reply. 'I know she's on the team, but I didn't think Addy was the type. Should we tell Jamie?'

'She's never done anything for us,' Megan replies, which makes Anna's gaze narrow into a glare. 'Don't look at me like that. Why should we do anything for her? The girl walks around so – so righteous. As if getting straight As and a letter from Harvard makes her so much better than us.'

Anna snorts. 'That does make her better than us. Jealous much?'

'No. I just think –'

'Well, I think we should. I'd wanna know if my best friend was hooking up with my boyfriend.' Anna turns to me, eyes sharp as the devil's. 'Wouldn't you, Bee?'

From the backseat, Megan frowns. 'Wait. What am I missing?'

Anna smirks. It's subtle – a tug in the corners of her lips. If you didn't know her like I do, you might not have even noticed. But I do. I always do.

At the stoplight, I tilt my head. 'Anna just needs to learn when to keep her mouth shut.'

'And Blaire needs to learn when to keep her legs shut.'

'Anna!' Megan's wide eyes dart between us both. 'What the hell is wrong with you?'

I take a deep breath, setting off to drive again as the light changes to green. This isn't the first time Anna's said something like this, but with the memories of last night's dream still chasing away in my mind, I'm much less patient for it.

Staring straight ahead, I try to figure out what to say before something red catches my eye. When I realise what it is, I can barely hold back my smile.

'Are those your new Louboutins?' I ask, forging curiosity.

Anna's perfectly shaped brows frown, those calculating eyes dark.

'Yes,' she replies slowly. 'Why?'

'They're cute,' I continue. 'I'm glad you bought that pair, you know. They really show off your legs.' I smile, but there's nothing friendly about it. 'You should probably wear them in, though. I'd hate for you to get blisters on your first day. Especially with try outs tomorrow.'

'Try outs?' Anna repeats, shoulders suddenly tight. 'Why would I be trying out when I'm already on the team?'

I ignore her and pull the car to the sidewalk, switching off the engine and looking at my watch. 'First period isn't for another fifteen mins. If you're quick, I'm sure you can make it.'

There's a moment of enveloped silence as they digest my words. Behind us, Megan stays smartly quiet.

'Blaire,' Anna deadpans. 'You can't be serious. It's raining!'

I raise my brows. 'Did I stutter?'

Anna huffs – literally huffs. She pulls a hand through her blonde hair, curling her lips as she throws herself from my car and slams the door. Megan immediately opens the backdoor and moves to the front, watching through the window as Anna hops to avoid a puddle.

I wonder if she'd jump into her grave that quickly too.

'But her shoes,' she whines. 'They'll be ruined.'

I shrug, turning the ignition. 'Probably shouldn't have worn thousand-dollar shoes to school, then.'

As I drive away, I stop a smile from tugging at my lips.