Page 111 of Pinch

“Was it a state competition?”

“Of course it was, but it went out in thePrincess Woman Gazette. It’s so cruel to tell everyone that way.”

“I guess I was so busy with college and my studies.” I also never read the articles in the glossy magazine they sent us every quarter. I only looked at the pictures. “What happened?”

“They found out about Thad and me.” Her voice goes lower. “They said not only was it against the rules, it also cast doubt on the legitimacy of my winning. Can you believe it? As if I didn’t earn my title.”

“Who was Thad? I don’t know…”

“One of the national judges. You must remember Thaddeus Lyon-Bowes?”

Scrubbing my fingers against my forehead, I try to remember all the judges we encountered through the years. “I guess I should remember him, but I don’t.”

“He was my first, my only…” She exhales a heavy sigh. “I tried to say I was with Lane Knight to throw them off the trail. Remember him? The hockey guy?”

“He goes by Gavin now.” My tone is crisp. “You told me he cheated on you. You brought receipts.”

“Oh.” Her voice lowers again. “It was all to throw those pageant bloodhounds off the trail. If I had a hot hockey boyfriend, what in the world would I want with Thaddeus Lyon-Bowes?”

She exhales a light laugh, but the truth hits me like a medicine ball straight in the stomach.

It’s what Gavin said, over and over, and I drop to my bed as the ache in my chest twists harder. He only ever wanted me to believe him.

Squeezing my eyes tighter, I’m not sure which question to ask first. “Are you saying Gavindidn’tcheat on you? Or are you saying you didn’t care if he did?”

“What difference does it make, darling?”

“It makes a big difference to me, Karen. I stood by you through all of that. I believed you when you said he’d broken your heart.”

“I know you did.” She has the nerve to adopt an affectionate tone. “That’s why I’m calling you now, because you were my friend when those pageant jerks turned on me.”

“But… you lied to me. You were never in love with Gav, and he didn’t cheat on you. You cheated on him.”

“Lane and I were never serious.” Her voice turns huffy as she tries to rewrite history. “I was always in love with Thad. It was the same emotion, just a different person.”

“It’s not the same at all! I told you about Rob, and you pretended to understand. Did Thad cheat on you?”

“Lord, no!” Karen cries through another laugh. “I might’ve played the field a little, but Thad would never cheat on me.”

“Neither would Gavin.”

“I don’t know why you’re taking it so personally.”

“I take lying very personally.” My voice is flat. “You’re a bad friend, and sleeping with judges is against the rules. But what’s worse is I believed you, and you took advantage of my trust. You used our friendship to hurt Gavin, and you used my pain to make me mistrust him.”

“I don’t know what you mean!” She tries to act so astonished.

“Don’t call me anymore. We’re not friends, and I never want to speak to you again.”

She continues sputtering, but I disconnect the call without another word.

My head hurts. My chest hurts and my stomach hurts. It’s like the rug has been pulled out from under me, and everything is falling through the air.

Nothing I believed is true.

No, that’s not right. One thingistrue. It’s been true since the beginning, since the day I fell off the float… and tripped over the sidewalk… and fell into the bush…

Gavin is true, and I’ve got to find him.