Free Summer Nights by Caroline B. Cooney

something they were dying to know. In honor of the occasion, Blaze put his shirt back on and accepted a Coke.
    “Blaze, this is my friend Anne,” began Beth Rose, “the party’s for her. And this is my friend Susan. And my friend Mike. And my—”
    Molly? What was she doing here? They had not invited her! They would never invite her! It was unthinkable to have Molly—who had tried to get Con to abandon Anne when she was pregnant—who had tried to get Anne falsely arrested only last New Year’s Eve—
    Beth wanted to throw her right overboard.
    But there she stood, smiling at Blaze, her little head with its cute new haircut turned to the side, so that her earrings danced. Elfin. Adorable.
    She’s a troll, Beth Rose thought grimly, waiting under a bridge to capture the innocent.
    But Beth had introduced everybody else as “my friend so and so.” She couldn’t change the pattern, it would be too cruel, too obvious. She didn’t want Blaze to think she could be mean to people she didn’t like.
    “And this is my friend Molly,” said Beth unwillingly.

Chapter 14
    M ATTHEW O’CONNOR FELT AS if he had lost both sight and hearing. Maybe muscle coordination as well. Around him a party whirled—there was shouting, dancing, laughing, talking. He felt like somebody who had spent too long on a carnival ride, and got off with a distorted sense of balance, and was staggering across the grass, trying to get hold of his own brain.
    The music was like a headache, punching him.
    He could not bring himself to look in Emily’s direction. She was standing all hunched over, as if she expected to be struck by something—or had been already. But she’s the one who struck me ! Matt thought. Throwing away my ring?
    Everywhere he turned, his eyes seemed to land on diamonds—stars in the sky, sparkles in the water, gleams off ice in glasses, glitters from other girls’ earrings.
    Matt had loved choosing that ring, selling his car to pay for it; he had loved the tiny velvet box it came in and the feel of Emily’s hand when he slid it on. He had felt powerful, like a rescuer. Now he felt limp, like a failure.
    Emily had had a difficult childhood. Her parents weren’t very nice people, and it was hard to find anything good to say about either one. He used to marvel at how sweet, generous Emily could have sprung from two mean, thoughtless manipulators like the Edmundsons. When the parents decided on a divorce, they virtually abandoned Emily in the process. Emily had ended up living with Anne for quite a while, and Matt had wanted her to stay with his own family, a suggestion his mother squashed in a hurry.
    Through it all she remained sweet and funny and amiable. Matt had thought that nothing could shake Emily; that she could go through hell smiling.
    So now he had a great job, would be away for a few months, and she was acting as if their lives together were over.
    Thrown away his ring! Why didn’t she just give it back to me? he thought.
    He imagined a date in which his girl handed him back his ring. I would have thrown it away myself, he realized. Or thrown it at her.
    Emily pointed suddenly, her hand white in the dark. “There’s Con. With Gary and Mike and those new boys. You wanted to tell the guys all about your fabulous job, Matt. Here’s your chance. Con is dying for a change of subject, he’s sick of hearing about Anne’s terrific job, so tell him about your terrific job instead. Let them all be jealous of you for a while.”
    He shrank from the bitterness in her voice.
    How much of my proposal of marriage was because I wanted to be the Good Guy who rescues the Girl? And now she’s better; she’s living with her father; she’s come to terms with both her parents and she doesn’t need rescuing. The pressure’s off. I can go do my own thing instead.
    But Emily had never put pressure on him. If anything, she was the one who had been reluctant to get engaged to start with. He had pressured her.
    Confused thoughts rose