Page 99 of Pinch

Haddy only holds up her hand, shaking her head. “Maybe it is, but my term is almost over. It’s just a few more months until the next girl is crowned, and then I’m off the hook.”

“I don’t like it.” Mav’s voice is quiet. “I’m with Gina and Gav. These pageant people need to get over themselves. It’s not like you’re a teenager or something, not that it would matter then either, I guess.”

“It’s their rules,” Haddy argues. “If I’m going to represent their organization, I have to abide by them.”

Gigi’s lips tighten, and I wonder if she’s thinking the same thing as me. Haddy has the highest standards of anyone I know. She’s beautiful and smart, and I’d let her represent my organization any day of the week.

She’s also a dirty, dirty girl in private, but I can’t start thinking about that right now.

“I know you want to protect me.” Haddy goes to her cousins, pulling them into a group hug. “And don’t think I haven’t considered telling them myself, but it’s almost finished, and I don’t know. I worked really hard for a long time to win that crown. Maybe it’s dumb, but it’s the top prize, and I earned it.”

Her nose wrinkles, and the way she says it, like it’s a guilty confession or something, hits me right in the chest. I know what it’s like to work hard and feel a sense of accomplishment over something you achieved, something hard.

“You did earn it, and you should be able to keep it.” Istep up behind her, joining them in the hug, wanting her to have everything her heart desires.

“If you put it that way… I guess I understand,” Gigi sighs. “Okay. Top secret.”

“I won’t rat you out, Hads.” Mav lifts his phone to her. “But I don’t know how you’re stopping this. The cat’s out of the bag, and these gossip sites are going to be stalking Gav like crazy.”

“What does the article say?” She takes his phone, scrolling through the story, her lips pressed into a straight line as she reads it quickly. “It looks like they only know about Gavin. They only have these photos of him through the glass doors.”

“Isn’t there some kind of privacy thing for patients?” Gina’s tone is fussy. “What does HIPAA say about this?”

“That sounds right,” I agree, thinking about it. “Mav and I are considered celebrities, but I don’t know about Haddy. Are pageant winners celebrities?”

“I think if it were Miss America or Miss USA, it would be.” She looks up at me. “I should be protected.”

“I don’t know,” Mav cautions. “Those guys use that excuse to get away with all kinds of bad behavior.”

“In that case, we’ll have to outsmart them.” I grab my friend by the shoulder. “It’ll be like on the ice. We’ll have them looking one way, and we’ll send you around to the other side for a fast pass, slap-shot score!”

Haddy’s nose wrinkles, but when she starts to laugh, it relaxes the tension in my chest. We’re a great team, and I have a good feeling about this.

27

Haddy

“Look how cute you are here!” Gigi lifts a picture out of the box she carried down from my room.

It’s my stash of old pageant memorabilia, including publicity photos, ribbons, and certificates. All my old trophies are at Mom and Dad’s house.

“Let me see.” Gavin takes the photo from my cousin, and I lean over to check out which one it is.

It’s a picture of me at twelve, when I won the International Princess Girl competition. It was my first big win, and I’m sitting on a kid-sized pink velvet sofa. My hair is enormous, my dress is all fluffy white tulle, and I’ve got a wide sash across my chest with my title on it in pink.

“I can’t tell which is bigger, that smile or that crown.” I huff a laugh, taking a bite of taco.

“You’ve been doing this so long.” Mav straightens from where he was looking over my shoulder as well.

Tonight he made us suadero tacos with jalapeños, avocados, and pickled onions. My mouth is on fire in the bestpossible way, and I’m glad my baby doesn’t hate spicy food like Mav did in utero.

“I think you’re adorable.” Gav grins at me in a way that makes my stomach tingle.

I know what he’s thinking.

“I loved that scepter.” I tell him, pointing out the long, metallic wand I’m gripping so hard my little knuckles are white. “I thought it was the coolest thing… Kind of like a light saber.”

“There’s my nerdy cuz.” Mav noogies my head. “I don’t know how you fit in with all those beauty queens.”