Page 49

Penny

“CAN I ASK YOU SOMETHING?”

Penny meets Naomi’s eyes in the mirror. Her best friend stands behind her, wrangling Penny’s curls into Lauren Bacall–style waves. Naomi is wearing a hot-pink suit over a lacy bralette, her long hair slicked back into her usual low ponytail. She looks like she should be sipping cocktails at a fancy rooftop bar, not partying in the middle of Indiana. But maybe the Barrions’ gala isn’t that different from the parties Naomi will attend when she’s a professional makeup artist. This is like a warm-up for her. Penny wishes she could enjoy it more, but the words of her verse for the curse-breaker keep running through her head on a loop, and she can barely focus on—

“Penny?” Naomi says.

Penny blinks. “Sorry, what?”

“Will Alonso be there tonight?”

“Definitely not. He’s a De Luca, remember?” She didn’t even tell Alonso she was going. They haven’t spoken much since the party at the De Luca Pharmacy. She thought they were on okay terms after everything that happened, but if that’s true, why isn’t he texting her? She could text him, too, but what if he doesn’t want her to? And then, there’s the note in her yearbook…

Penny sighs, rubbing her temples.

Naomi sets her hands on the back of Penny’s chair. “What’s going on with you? All this drama with Dylan, and then you disappeared with Alonso that night at the hospital. I feel like I’m missing something big.”

Penny caps and uncaps her lipstick as she digs for an excuse. “I guess I’m not feeling like myself.”

“That’s all?” Naomi’s voice goes soft. “Corey and Alonso couldn’t stand each other a month ago, and suddenly, the three of you are inseparable. People are always asking me about all these rumors—that you and Corey are hooking up, or that Alonso is somehow bewitching both of you for some demonic ritual—and you know what I tell them?” She holds up her hands. “I have no idea what’s happening. Because you don’t tell me anything.”

And then Naomi says something that makes Penny’s stomach drop.

“And come on… you know how it looks, right? With Corey?”

Penny grabs fistfuls of her tulle dress. “What?”

“I’m only being honest. Was Dylan telling the truth? Are you hooking up with him?”

Penny turns around, looking up at Naomi to make sure it’s really her best friend. And yes, it is. So how could she even think that?

Naomi must see the emotion in Penny’s face, because regret etches into uncertain lines around her mouth. “Penny, I’m sorry. I—I’ve been wrong about other things this summer. Other people . And I guess I’m jumping to conclusions.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You would know if you bothered calling me back.”

That’s when it hits her. “Did something happen with Kyla? You got back together?”

Naomi’s mouth twists into a sad smile. “For like five seconds. And then she dumped me again, and I almost… it doesn’t matter.”

“Yes, it does!”

Naomi crosses her arms. “Then tell me what’s going on with you and Corey and Alonso.”

“Knock knock!” comes Ron’s voice from the hall. “It’s time to party, ladies! Your chariot awaits.”

Naomi doesn’t react. She stands there, waiting for Penny to tell her the truth. To fix this.

And Penny wants to fix this, almost as much as she wants to break the curse. But she can barely break the surface of her thoughts. She’s drowning under the weight of this past summer—the secrets and the magic and the death, always hovering like a ghost. Like the Shadow. Her anxiety wants her to spill everything that’s happened, to appease Naomi, to make sure her best friend isn’t angry with her anymore. But Naomi’s safety is more important than all of that. Penny wants her as far from this curse-breaker as possible.

So even though it’s the wrong thing to say, Penny does it anyway.

“I’ll tell you everything. Just not tonight.”

Naomi works her jaw. “Right. I totally believe you.” Then she sweeps out of the room, throwing the door open so hard it bangs against the wall.