Paying the Piper

Twenty-Two, Part 1: A Long Overdue Conversation

In the indeterminable time I'd been away, the crowd had at least doubled. By the time I reached the nearest fire and rubbed my hands over the flames, the memory of Ryland and Ellie and Hannah's cookie returned and felt more present than when I'd been in the woods. The fires no longer remained strictly girls, boys, and different classes. Everywhere I looked, mixed groups stood talking or showing off to each other. But no matter how many people I weaved around and peered between, I couldn't find Hannah.

I finally pinpointed Rhia and waded through the crowd to her. She took one look at me and dragged me away to a quieter area. We stood on the side of the grassy field, not the area near the forest. We couldn't feel the fires' warmth at all, but they still cast enough light to see each other by. She crossed her arms.

"Where've you been? Ellie told everyone you had asked Ryland to the dance with a cookie." Rhia's eyes stared at me, speaking of betrayal, before she asked, "Did you?"

"What? No!" My mind struggled to follow the line of accusation since it was built of lies. "That's not what happened."

"Really."

"No! I wouldn't do that!" I groaned, desperately wishing the Janowicks had never kidnapped me for this stupid bonfire. "Where's Hannah? I'll need to clear things up with her. It's all a big misunderstanding. I never asked Ryland to the dance." Shaking my head, I added, "Why would anyone believe Ellie?"

Rhia gave me a half-smile. "Well, she was here and you weren't, for one." She paused, studying me, before adding, "And do you really expect Hannah not to believe Ryland?"

I couldn't follow that line, not until Rhia finally said the words that she'd been waiting to detonate inside me:

"Because Ryland told everyone he said yes."

My heart throbbed with the heavy seconds struggling to pass. My mouth opened and shut; I probably resembled a drowning fish. Part of me was elated that anyone would want to go to a dance with me, while another part sank in sheer misery at the proceedings. But mostly I was outraged—outraged that others were lying about what happened, that it had happened at all, and that I had let it happen.

Still, I forbid myself from revealing anything other than dismay: Hannah needed me more than I needed to find out that, for the first time in my life, a boy might be attracted to me.

Finally, I drew in a slow breath and met Rhia's dark eyes. "Rhia. I didn't. I promise you I didn't. I wouldn't do that to Hannah."

Rhia studied me silently, my words hanging between us. We didn't break eye contact. Finally, she nodded.

"So where's Hannah?" I asked again.

"She took off. She'll be home by now, locked in her bedroom."

I closed my eyes briefly. All in all, there didn't seem to be much that could make this night worse. Then I opened my eyes and gritted my teeth. "Then I'll have to get her to open up to me." Turning, I barely caught Rhia's half-smile.

From behind me, she rested a warm hand on my forearm for a moment. "I think it's better to just let her cool off. Besides, what could you say that would make her see reason right now?"

Her words made me feel like I was handcuffed beneath an interviewer's bright light. So my confession spilled from my lips unbidden.

"Hannah asked me to hold her cookie, and before I could give it back to her, Ellie and Jenny came over and they were making fun of the cookie and assuming I was going to use it to ask Ryland to the dance because I was talking with Ryland at that moment, and Jenny broke it and stomped on half of it, but Ryland made her stop, and he might have assumed the cookie was mine, but I never asked him to the dance myself." I took a breath, ready to plunge on, but Rhia grabbed my arm and gave me a tiny shake to make me stop.