Fire with Fire

I’m touched, but I don’t like the way she’s talking. It’s as if she’s saying her good-byes.

Lillia gives her a shaky smile and tries to say something, but Mary keeps talking, and her voice gets louder, more intense. “Did you know that Reeve cried? He cried after you told him off in the parking lot. That’s how much he cares what you think of him.”

I watch the shock cross Lillia’s face. “Reeve cried?” Mary nods her head, resolute. “It’s because he likes you.” “There’s no way,” Lillia says. “That’s just . . . gross.”

It’s gross, but I’m starting to wonder if it’s also the truth. I chime in, “Remember at the dance? How he kissed you in front of everybody?”

“I don’t want to remember that, thanks.” Lillia makes a gag face. “Can we please get off this topic and go back to talking about you, Mary? We want to help.”

“I’m not upset about it. In fact, maybe it’s a good thing. Maybe we can use this.”

“For what?” Lillia asks, her eyebrow raised.

“Here’s what I realized last night. I can’t ever hurt Reeve, because he couldn’t care less about me. The broken bones didn’t stop him. He’s already working on a way to get back to football. It’s crazy, but I bet he’ll do it. Reeve gets everything he wants.” Mary’s eyes are practically glowing, she’s so excited. “But not this time. Don’t you see? I have the one thing he’ll never get. You.”

Lil’s mouth drops open. “Even if what you’re saying is true—and I don’t think it is—but if it were, if Reeve did like me, I’d never give him the time of day. Never ever ever.” She shudders.

I kind of love the idea of Reeve pining after a girl he can never have. And I’m about to say so, but Mary doesn’t even blink as she says, “Him liking you and you not liking him back isn’t enough. Don’t you see? The thing that made it so bad for me was that Reeve made me believe there was a chance. He drew me in; he spent all that time with me; he told me his secrets. He made me feel special. He made me think I had a chance.”

I grimace.

“So when he betrayed me that day, when he pushed me in the water in front of those boys from our school, I was blindsided. I broke into a million pieces. Because it was all a lie, every moment we’d spent together. He didn’t care about me, not at all. Not one bit. He used me for his own entertainment, so he wouldn’t be bored on his ferry rides.” She clears her throat. “Reeve broke my heart, and now you’ve got a chance to break his. Will you do it, Lillia? For me? Please?” Mary’s voice breaks on the word “please.”

Lillia’s pinky finger goes to her mouth, and she chews on her nail. “Mary . . . I want to help you. I do. But . . .” Her voice trails off, and then she sighs. “Rennie would make my life a living hell for this. Things are already so bad between us . . .”

Mary nods sadly. “No, I understand. I wouldn’t want you to get hurt.”

“Hold up, you guys!” I shout, charging in all excited like the bull I am. “Lil, if you get Reeve to fall in love with you, you’re untouchable. Nobody could say dick to you if you were Reeve’s girl! He’s the f**king king of the island. Reeve’s the one with the real power, not Rennie!”

“And then what happens to me when I break up with him?” Lillia challenges. “Where does that leave me?”

I smile a wolfy smile. “I’ll tell you exactly where that leaves you, Cho. That leaves you as the Head Bitch in Charge. Any girl that could reel in Reeve Tabatsky and then reject him is the boss, dude. People might not like it, but they’re sure as shit gonna respect it. It’s a power move, the ultimate power move. Shit, I wish I could be the one to pull it off.”

“Lillia shakes her head slowly. “I said some really horrible things to him last night. I don’t think he’ll ever forgive me for that.”

“If you apologize, he will,” I say. “Guys like him, they love a little push-pull. They don’t want it to be too easy. Tell him you’re sorry and it’ll be fine. Right, Mary?”

Mary nods.

Lillia goes silent, and I can tell she’s thinking it over. She lifts her head and sucks in her lips. “Rennie would be hella pissed.” A grin blooms across her face. “Okay,” she says at last. “I’ll do it.”

“Are you sure?” Mary asks her.

Lil lets out a deep breath. “I’m in.”

Mary practically sags in gratitude. “Thank you. Thank you, Lillia.”

I grab Lil’s shoulders and give her a shake. “Yes! Lillia Cho, HBIC!”

She laughs, and I grin at Mary. A hopeful smile is spreading across her face. “Operation Break Reeve’s Heart begins on Saturday!” I crow. “My house.”

“Why not right now?” Lillia asks me.

I shake my head. “First we need ammo. I’ll show you on Saturday after I’m done with the SAT. Just you wait, my pretty.”

CHAPTER NINETEEN

I park a block away from Kat’s house, to be on the safe side. The houses are a lot closer together here, and mostly split-levels. There aren’t the big hedges and gates that the houses in White Haven have, so everybody can see everything. Rennie lives pretty close by, and Reeve does too, so I’m not taking any chances. On Jar Island, you never know who’s watching.

I ring the doorbell, but no one answers. The plan was to meet here after Kat took the SATs. You couldn’t pay me to take them again, even if I was guaranteed a perfect score.

I wait before I ring it a second time. A minute goes by and still nothing. The light’s on in the kitchen, though. Somebody’s home. Gingerly, I touch the door handle, and it’s unlocked, the way it always was. “Hello?” I call out, opening the door a crack. “Kat?”

When we were growing up, Kat’s house was like that— neighborhood kids were always running in and out the front door, and nobody minded. My mom would have been all, Would you mind taking your shoes off at the door, and also, does your mother know you’re over here, and who wants some Greek yogurt with blueberries? At Kat’s house it was a free-for-all; we would stuff our faces with Cheetos and Mountain Dew and play video games for hours and nobody would bother us. It was kid heaven.

“Hello?” I call out again.

A guy’s voice says, “It’s open.”