Pretty Little Devils Part 21

"Oh, please," Sylvia drawled. "If we didn't prank our Ellie, how would she know how much we love her?"

"I've got an idea. Why don't we really prank her?" Carolyn suggested.

"You mean, something stroke-inducing? Like our masterpiece with Hazel?" Megan asked.

"Yes! The ultimate prank!" Sylvia nodded. "It's the perfect way to get Ellen's mind off that loser. So-everybody think about it, okay? I want your best ideas on Monday."

Back in the gym, Hazel found a much bigger crowd. The band had kicked it up a notch and the dance floor was filled. Everyone seemed to be in high spirits, dancing and singing along.

Through the crush, she caught a glimpse of Matty. Anxious to rekindle the mood, she shouldered her way across the floor.

"Hi, Hazel!" someone squealed. It was Lakshmi. She was wearing lavender chiffon-probably in hopes of resembling a PLD.

Sadly, she looked more like a bridesmaid. Hazel gave a quick wave and kept moving.

She had nearly reached Matty when she froze.

A girl's hands were wrapped around Matty's neck. He was locked in an intense kiss.

Hazel felt like she'd been punched in the stomach. He was kissing another girl. But who?

When the two pulled apart, Hazel saw the girl's face.

Breona Wu.

She was wearing a low-cut red dress and had drowned her face, chest, and arms in iridescent sparkles. She was so drunk she was stumbling, and her lipstick was severely smeared.

Matty turned and found Hazel. She stared at him-immobilized, like a deer in headlights.

"Hazel," he began.

"Hey, baby," Breona slurred, teetering back on her red heels. "Happy homecoming. Give your date another kiss."

She grabbed Matty again, and his face contorted with anger. "Leave me alone, you psycho!" He grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her down, hard.

Breona slammed to the floor.

"What the h.e.l.l are you doing?" she screamed. Everyone in the gym turned to face her.

"Stay away from me. Not only are you a s.l.u.t, but you're a whack job!" Matty continued, his voice mean and low and scary.

Hazel searched his face. His rage made him unrecognizable-like that day on the football field.

"Matty, c'mon, baby," Breona slurred, pawing toward him.

"Matty?" Hazel asked.

Breona seemed to notice her for the first time.

"You b.i.t.c.h!" she shrieked at Hazel. "You PLDs! You think you're all so hot! But all you do is steal people's boyfriends and do s.h.i.+t that gets them arrested! You are so freaking evil! All of you!" She lunged toward Hazel.

Matty stepped between them. He grabbed Breona by the arm and squeezed-hard. "You touch her and I swear to G.o.d, I'll kill you," he growled before letting her go.

He took Hazel by the hand. "Let's get the h.e.l.l away from here."

"Don't you turn your back on me!" Breona shrieked. "I'll tell her everything! Does she know about us, Matty? Huh? Does she?"

"What is she talking about?" Hazel asked.

"Nothing. Someone should just put her out of her misery," Matty muttered.

He strode out the back entrance of the gym, dragging Hazel with him. When he got outside, he put his hands on his knees and sucked in big, deep breaths.

"G.o.d." He shook his head. "This is unreal."

"Matty, what happened in there?" Hazel demanded, her body vibrating with worry. "Why was Breona calling you her date?"

Matty stared at her for a moment, then began. "I didn't think I should tell you. I didn't want you to worry."

"Worry about what?" Hazel urged.

"When I first got here. Breona and I. We kind of fooled around," Matty confessed.

"What?" Hazel asked, incredulous.

"It was way before you and I hooked up," Matty clarified, "before school even started. It wasn't a big thing. It lasted, like, a week. I told Breona it was over, but she just wouldn't let go. She started calling my house at all hours, hanging up. I couldn't exactly prove it was her, but who else would it be?"

Hazel studied Matty. She peered deep into his eyes, searching for even the hint of a lie. He gazed back-nothing but honesty.

His story, Hazel thought. It sounds so much like Sylvia's. Breona being psycho, unable to let go.

It couldn't just be a coincidence. Could it?

Matty loosened his tie. "Let's get out of here for a while," he suggested. "Get some air. Maybe go for a drive?"

"Fine by me," Hazel agreed.

At that moment, Sylvia, Carolyn, and Megan burst out of the gym.

"Hazel!" Sylvia called. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Hazel snapped, whirling around. "Not now, okay?"

"Okay." Sylvia stopped short. She held up her cell. "Just...keep in touch." She shot a glance at Matty. Obviously, she didn't trust him.

After that display, Hazel couldn't blame her.

She nodded, said her cell was in her evening bag, and followed Matty to his car. He opened the door for her and helped her pull in her skirt.

He climbed in. Before starting the car, he took Hazel's hand. "I'm sorry you had to go through that," he said.

"It's okay," she replied, giving his hand a squeeze.

"I wanted tonight to be perfect," he said.

"It's fine-let's just go." Hazel gave him a quick smile and pecked his cheek.

They pulled out of the parking lot and Hazel caught a glimpse of the moon through the trees. The dance and Breona began to fade as they drove over Brookhaven's two-lane roads into a dark landscape of stables and fields. Hazel smoothed her satiny dress and admired Matty's profile as he concentrated on the road.

They ventured up a bit into the hills, and fog curled around the windows. Matty slowed, taking a left toward San Pasqual, then slowed as the mist hung around the car like a white blanket.

"d.a.m.n," he muttered. "We'd better stop. It's getting hard to see."

She nodded. "It'll probably let up in a little bit."

Matty put the car in neutral and set the brake. He reached into the backseat and pulled out a six-pack of hard lemonade. "I wanted to get some champagne," he told her.

"This is fine," she a.s.sured him.

He opened hers and handed it to her. They clicked bottles. "Here's to the weirdest homecoming ever."

Hazel laughed. "Here's to the weirdest cheerleader ever."

"Seriously," Matty said. He took a sip and rested the bottle in the cup holder. "What is the deal with Brookhaven? Is there like a h.e.l.lmouth under school or something?"

"You have no idea." Hazel laughed, shaking her head. Then she turned serious. "You know, I owe everything to the PLDs, but sometimes all the drama is too much to take."

"You cold?" Matty asked softly. "The heat's as high as it will go."

Before she could answer, he pushed back his seat and unbuckled his seat belt, taking off his jacket.

"Oh no, I'm fine," Hazel murmured as he put the jacket over her shoulders.

With a gentle sigh, he kissed her. She pulled him closer and kissed back. She felt her cheeks flush with warmth as he wrapped his hands around her waist. She ran her fingers through his hair.

Then her cell phone went off.

"No," Matty groaned.

She answered it.

"Where are you?" Sylvia demanded.

"Matty and I went for a drive," Hazel said defensively. "It's foggy. We had to stop."

"Well, come back. There's news. Clancy totally saw Breona acting trashed, but she was out the door before he could do anything. He's probably going to suspend her for good this time."

"I can't come back now." She cleared her throat. "I'm busy." Matty had moved back to his own seat, and he was drinking his lemonade.

"Oh G.o.d, Hazel. Please don't do it in his car. That's something a sleaze like Breona would do. Besides, after that incident over the summer, don't you think you should be more careful?"

She glanced over at Matty. The memory of her mistake flashed through her brain. Then an image of Matty's face, filled with rage. She tried to make out his expression but couldn't see his face. He was cloaked in shadow.

Hazel frowned. "Okay, going now."

She hung up.

"What happened?" Matty asked, with mock sorrow. "Was your permission to leave with me revoked?"

"Breona split," Hazel said changing the subject. "We can go back now. Everything's fine."

"Breona. That psychotic b.i.t.c.h." His voice was leaden. "A raging hangover will be too good for her." He settled his bottle between his legs and stared out at the fog.

Hazel reached over and caught up his hand in hers. "Let's forget about Breona for now."

She let him kiss her again. Ripples fanned from her stomach to the ends of her hair. She felt dizzy and thrilled.

Stop, a voice inside her urged.

"You smell so good," he whispered.

Stop, the voice insisted.

Then Sylvia's words, echoing in her head: After that incident over the summer, don't you think you should be more careful?

"Matty, I...we can't do it here," she said bluntly. She shut her eyes tightly against the flood of mortification. "I mean..."

He started to laugh.

"What?" she asked, but she started laughing too.

"You're right," he told her. "Tonight was a total train wreck. This is not how I wanted it all to go."

"Thank you," she breathed.

"We'll slow down. But we don't leave until the fog clears," he suggested.

She nodded. "Agreed."

Long before the fog cleared, Sylvia called again to say they were leaving the dance. Matty drove Hazel straight home, promising to call her tomorrow.

Hazel stumbled through the doorway. It was late. She felt so unG.o.dly tired.

Thankfully, her mom hadn't stayed up to ask her all sorts of inane questions about the dance.

She padded upstairs and had closed the door to her room when her cell buzzed. Hazel grabbed it and connected the call.

"It's me," Ellen said. "Sorry to call so late."