Free Please Don't Die by Lurlene McDaniel Page B

nodded. “Maybe you’re right.”
    Josh shrugged. “They saw us leave together.”
    “Please,” Katie said.
    “All right … if you think it’s best.”
    Once the boys had started toward the lake, Katie glared at Lacey and barked, “Come on.” She headed down the ever darkening trail, and Lacey had to jog to keep up.
    “What’s your hurry?” Lacey asked.
    “It’s getting dark, and I don’t want anyone worrying about us.”
    “We’re not babies.”
    Katie continued her fast clip through the woods surrounding the lake. “I don’t want to miss out on the fireworks either.”
    “Seems as if there’s plenty of fireworks right here.”
    Katie whirled. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    Lacey stopped and studied her icily. “It means you’re treating me as if I’d committed a crime or something. What’s your problem? You’ve been on my case for weeks about ‘joining in,’ and the minute I do, you act as if you’d like to drown me.”
    “I just didn’t expect to see you with Jeff, that’s all.” It occurred to Katie that Lacey really might not know what was going on.
    “He’s been flirting with me for weeks. I just took him up on it.”
    “Are you telling me Jeff’s a game for you? A fun way to pass the time?”
    “What’s wrong with that? I’m not interested in marrying the guy. I’m just having a little fun.”
    Katie felt like exploding. Instead, she took a couple of deep breaths before saying, “He likes you, Lacey. Don’t play with his feelings. Don’t jerk him around.”
    “Who are you? Mother Teresa? For crying out loud, I took a walk with him in the woods and let him kiss me. Stop treating me like a criminal!”
    Lacey walked off in a huff, and all at once, Katie realized that she had overreacted. No wonder Lacey was peeved at her. She hurried to catch up. “Wait a minute. I didn’t mean to come across so bad. I’m really not mad at you.”
    “You could have fooled me.” Lacey’s voice sounded thick, as if she might be struggling to hold back tears.
    “There’s just a lot going on you may not know about.”
    “Like what?”
    By now, they had rounded the edge of the lake, and Katie could see the glow of a bonfire ahead. Everyone at Jenny House was gathered around, roasting marshmallows and waiting for the fireworks to begin. In the middle of the lake, she could make out a barge from where the fiery spectacle would be launched, and coming through the dark water, she saw Josh and Jeff paddling the canoe, aiming for the shoreline and bonfire.
    “Wait, Lacey. Before we get back to the party, I need to tell you something.”
    Lacey turned, but refused to look Katie in the eye. She crossed her arms and stared down at the ground. “So tell me.”
    Katie’s mouth felt dry as cotton. “It’ll mean breaking a promise I made to someone.”
    “Are you going to tell me or not?”
    “Remember how you helped Amanda with her makeup? How much she was aiming to impress some guy?”
    Lacey’s head rose, and her gaze locked onto Katie’s. Slowly, Katie saw the dawn of realization spread across Lacey’s pretty face. “Are you telling me the guy she’s been trying to impress is Jeff?” Katie nodded. “I didn’t know.” Lacey looked stricken. “You’ve got to believe me. I had no idea.”
    “I believe you,” Katie said. All the fight had left her, and she felt drained and weighed down by a jumble of emotions. A part of her had expected Lacey to be blasé about the situation. To shrug it off.
    “I wouldn’t do anything to hurt Amanda. I honestly wouldn’t. Not her,” Lacey added insistently.
    “I said I believe you.”
    “I don’t think Jeff has a clue about the way Amanda feels,” Lacey said.
    “She doesn’t want him to know.”
    “So what should I do about him?” Lacey asked.
    “Do you like him or not?”
    “I like him all right. I don’t go around kissing just any guy. But I don’t like him enough to hurt Amanda.”
    “But he likes you.”
    “I’d