Free The Tension of Opposites by Kristina McBride

being so weird,” someone said.
    â€œHe’s not worth it, Jess,” a different voice offered.
    I peered through the crack in the door and saw three girls staring at the large wall mirror, talking to their reflections instead of to one another. Kirsten Holmes and Tabby Lock stood on either side, both applying shiny lip gloss. In the middle was Jessie Richards. It was hard to be sure, but her eyes looked red and puffy, and her hair was missing its usual luster.
    â€œHe’s a prick,” Kirsten said.
    â€œI don’t get it.” Jessie’s voice was soft. Her eyes started roaming, finally settling on something near her feet. “I mean, I didn’t do anything.”
    Tabby and Kirsten stared at each other. Tabby widened her eyes. Kirsten shrugged. Tabby mouthed a few words, and Kirsten nodded. Then the two turned and faced Jessie.
    â€œI might know something,” Tabby said.
    Jessie’s head snapped up. She grabbed Tabby’s hand.
    â€œWhat?” Jessie asked. “Is it bad?”
    â€œI saw him,” Tabby said. “It was this weekend, after Tom’s party, so … pretty late. I’d just dropped Carrie off and was stopped at a four-way in her neighborhood when he passed me coming from the opposite direction.”
    â€œSo?” Jessie shook her head. “Maybe he was going to—”
    â€œThere was a girl in the car,” Kirsten said.
    Jessie startled at the words. Then she stood very still.
    â€œWho?” Jessie asked.
    â€œI didn’t get a good look at—”
    â€œWho was it?” Jessie pulled her hand from Tabby’s grasp. Tabby shrugged, squinted her eyes. “It kind of looked like Shelby Stadler.”
    â€œAre you for real?” Jessie sucked in a breath. “After everything I did to help her make varsity this year, she’s—” Jessie tapped her foot on the floor, fast and erratic. “Doesn’t everyone know he’s mine? We’ve been together almost four years.”
    â€œOff and on,” Kirsten said.
    â€œKirsten,” Tabby said.
    â€œI have to figure out who was with him. You guys’ll help, right?” Jessie’s voice lifted up at the end of the sentence, this sweet and juicy sound. There was a pause as the two girls nodded at her. “One thing I guarantee, when we get this bitch, we’ll destroy her.”
    I listened as one set of shoes, crisp and quick, exited the restroom.
    â€œWhy’d you even say Shelby’s name?” Kirsten whispered. “I thought you had no idea who—”
    â€œJessie had to have something to go on,” Tabby said. I peered through the crack in the door and watched Tabby comb through her shoulder-length hair with the fingers of one hand. “Besides, Shelby was a total snot about my haircut last week.”
    â€œBut Jessie’s really pissed.”
    â€œI know.” Tabby giggled. “This year has been way too boring. Something needs to happen, doncha think?”
    â€œOh,” Kirsten said. “You are such a bitch.”
    â€œYeah.” Tabby smiled. Flitted her eyelashes. “I am.”
    â€œAre you guys coming, or what?” Jessie called from the hall. “I thought you were right behind me.”
    â€œWe are,” Tabby said.
    Both girls laughed as they click-click-click ed out of the restroom, leaving me with an answer to the question I’d been asking myself for days. I couldn’t trust anyone enough to talk about Noelle ( Elle, Elle, Elle—get it straight: her name is Elle ), not even Max.

    â€œSo, what’s up?” Max asked.
    â€œNothing,” I said, looking at my peanut-butter-and-honey sandwich instead of at him.
    â€œI thought you said you had something you wanted to talk to me about.”
    â€œYeah, I just…” I could practically feel Max’s eyes on me, and it made me want to hide under the table. Like he would have any clue as to how I could