Paper Flowers (Pretty Plastic People) ★

040. Her Final Sacrifice

"Sorry I woke you up," I say.  I hadn't been thinking of staying quiet in my state of blind panic.  "I'm just looking for my ring.  I lost it yesterday and woke up paranoid."

"Oh."  Allison accepts my bold-faced lie without hesitation.  Then she adds quietly, "The one Dad gave us on our sixteenth birthday from Mom?"

Now I feel worse about my lie, but there's no going back now.  I nod.

Allison steps further inside my room and shuts the door behind her—she looks more awake now.  Then she starts poking around the textbooks on my nightstand, helping me search.  When she's done there she progresses to my closet, which she rifles through for a second or two before she calls out, "Found it!"

I feign surprise as I hurry over to her and she says, "It was in your jewelry box, right where it normally is."

I take it from her.  "Wow, thanks.  I don't know how I overlooked it."

Grinning, Allison follows me as I set the ring on my nightstand and crawl back into bed.  I still haven't finished my search for the camera and doubt I'll be able to now that Allison's on my case, and yet without knowing whether or not my room's safe I won't be able to go back to sleep.  To my surprise, she plops down at the foot of my bed and crosses her legs, her fuzzy socks pressed into my bedspread.

"Honestly?  I can't sleep, either.  I've been tossing and turning all night."

"Why?"

She looks away from me, concentrating very hard on the shadows my lamp makes on my shutters.  Then, in a rush, she turns back and says without stopping for breath, "I know it makes me a terrible person and friend but I think I like Liam."

"Liam Alvarado?"  As if my situation could grow any worse.

"Of course, Liam Alvarado," she says.  "What other Liam?"  When I don't respond, she exhales loudly and adds, "I know Celia's my best friend.  And I'd never dream of making a move while they're still together.  But they don't seem really happy these days, you know?  Do you think I have a chance with him?"

"Honestly, I don't know."  I can't imagine what she'll think of him after I tell everyone the truth.  "I think you should try not to like him, though.  He's still really obsessed with Celia, even if she may not feel the same about him."

"I think he just wants the sex."

"Then do you think you'd be any different?"

She shrugs and scoots closer to me, resting her head on my shoulder so that her blonde curls intertwine with my hair.  "I just feel like I would be.  Maybe because I'd care about him as a person.  I don't think Celia does."

To my surprise, we're both able to fall asleep like that, taking comfort in each other's presence and our abilities to fight the other's nightmares away.

*

"What time is it?" I demand exactly halfway through lunch period the next day.

Celia checks her phone with a roll of her eyes.  "11:45.  You literally asked us two minutes ago.  What's wrong?"

"Nothing."  I avoid Liam's pressing gaze as I swirl my soup around in its bowl.  "Just nervous for my speech."

"You have nothing to worry about."  Taylor's beside me—he's making a rare appearance at our lunch table to the displeasure of all of my friends, and it's nearly impossible for me to continue to hide the obvious chemistry between us.  "You're a great public speaker."

I offer him a tight smile and shovel a bite of soup into my mouth.  It's hot and burns my tongue, and I reach for Allison's cold water as fast as I can.