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Hanna was so embarrassed and angry, she couldn t speak.
She tried to stand up to follow Sean, but her heel caught
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again and she fell over. She splayed her arms out and stared
up at the stars, holding her thumbs over her eyes, so tears
wouldn t pour out of them.
 She looks like she might puke.
Hanna opened one eye and saw two freshman boys 
most likely crashers  hovering over her as if she were a girl
they d created on their computers.
 Fuck off, pervs, she said to the ogling freshmen as she
stood up. Across the lawn, she could see Sean running after
Mason Byers, wielding a yellow croquet mallet. Hanna
sniffed as she brushed herself off and headed back toward the
party. Didn t anyone care about her? She thought of the letter
she d gotten yesterday. Even Daddy doesn t love you best!
Hanna wished, suddenly, that she had her dad s number,
her mind flashing back to that day she d met her dad and
Isabel and Kate with Ali.
Although it had been February, the weather in Annapolis
had been freakishly warm, and Hanna, Ali, and Kate had
been sitting outside on the porch, trying to get tan. Ali and
Kate were bonding over their favorite shades of MAC nail
polish, but Hanna couldn t get into it. She felt heavy and
awkward. She d seen Kate s relieved expression when she
and Ali first emerged from the train  surprise at how gor-
geous Ali was, and then relief when she laid eyes on Hanna.
It was as if Kate was thinking, Well, I don t need to worry
about her!
Without realizing it, Hanna had eaten the entire bowl of
cheese popcorn that was on the table. And six of the pro-
fiteroles. And some of the Brie wedge that was meant for
Isabel and her dad. She clutched her bloated stomach, gazed
at Ali s and Kate s flat six-packs, and groaned out loud,
without meaning to.
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 Little piggy doesn t feel good? Hanna s dad asked,
squeezing her small toe.
Hanna shuddered at the memory and touched her now-
slim stomach. A  whoever A was  was totally right. Her
dad didn t love her best.
 Everyone in the pond! Noel shouted, snapping Hanna
out of her thoughts.
Across the field, Hanna watched Sean pull off his T-shirt
and run toward the water. Noel, James, Mason, and some
other boys threw off their shirts, but Hanna didn t even care.
Of all the nights to see Rosewood s hottest boys without
their shirts on . . .
 They re all so gorgeous, murmured Felicity McDowell,
who was mixing tequila with Fanta Grape, next to her.
 Aren t they?
 Mmm, she muttered.
Hanna ground her teeth together. Fuck her happy father
and his perfect soon-to-be stepdaughter, and fuck Sean and
his choosiness! She grabbed a bottle of Ketel One from the
table and drank straight from it. She put the bottle back
down but at the last second decided to bring it to the pond
with her. Sean wasn t going to get away with dumping her,
insulting her, and then straight-up ignoring her. No way.
She stopped at a pile of clothes that were no doubt
Sean s  the jeans were neatly folded, and he d anally stuffed
his little white socks into his Pumas. Making sure no one was
looking, she balled up the jeans in her hands and started
backing away from the pond. What would the V Club say if
they caught him driving home in his boxers?
As she walked toward the trees with Sean s jeans, some-
thing fell and bounced off her foot. Hanna picked it up and
stared at it for a moment, waiting for her vision to un-
double.
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The key to the BMW.
 Sweet, she whispered, stroking the alarm button with her
finger. Then she dropped the jeans back on the ground and
shoved the keys into her blue quilted Moschino bag.
It was a gorgeous night for a drive.
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22
Beer Baths Are Good for the Pores
 Check it out, Maya whispered excitedly.  There used to be
one of these in my favorite café back in Cali!
Emily and Maya stared at the old-school photo booth at
the perimeter of Noel s yard and the woods. A long,
orange extension cord wound its way to the booth from
Noel s house across the lawn. As they admired it, Noel s
older brother, Eric, and a very-giddy Mona Vanderwaal
fell out of the booth, grabbed their photos, and skipped
away.
Maya glanced at Emily.  Wanna try it?
Emily nodded. Before they ducked inside, she quickly
glanced around the party. Some kids were gathered around
the keg and a lot of other people held their red plastic cups
in the air as they danced. Noel and a bunch of boys were
swimming in the duck pond in their boxers. Ben was
nowhere to be seen.
Emily sat beside Maya on the photo booth s little orange
seat and closed the curtain. They were so squeezed together,
their shoulders and thighs touched.
 Here. Maya handed her the Jack Daniel s bottle and hit
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the green start button. Emily did a shot, then held it up
triumphantly as the camera snapped the first picture. Then
they squished their faces together and donned huge grins.
Emily rolled her eyes back into her head, and Maya puffed [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]