Free Framed & Dangerous (9780545443128) by Kim Harrington Page B

with you. The only reason I joined the committee was as a favor to her and to be honest, I’d much rather be home reading my favorite astronomy blog. Or” — I paused to take a deep breath — “hanging out with you.” I saw Darcy give a small smile, and I continued, “When we had our fight, you didn’t really give me a chance to talk, and I think there were a few miscommunications.”
    â€œI guess I did interrupt you a lot,” Darcy admitted. “What did you want to say?”
    â€œAbout the day you invited me to come watch TV,” I began.
    Darcy piped up. “And you said you were too busy, but then you invited Fiona over and watched a movie with her instead.”
    I shook my head. “It wasn’t like that. I was too busy to watch Crime Scene: New York with you. But as Fiona and I were leaving your house, she begged me to let her pick out my clothes for the next day. You know how into style she is and all that. So she came in, picked out my clothes, and then my parents invited her to stay for family movie night. And I didn’t even think to call you because it was a movie you would’ve hated, I knew you were busy watching your favorite show, and I never thought you’d assume I was having secret hang-out time with Fiona. I thought you knew me better than that.”
    A little pink bloomed on Darcy’s cheeks. “Oh.”
    Everything I’d been wanting to explain to my BFF spilled out in a rush. “And when I talked about having a sleepover and inviting Fiona and Maya, I never knew you were upset, because you faked being asleep.All you had to say was, ‘Norah, I was hoping we could hang out just the two of us,’ and I totally would’ve done that.”
    â€œOh,” Darcy said again.
    â€œThere were lots of times when you took things I said the wrong way. But instead of asking me about it, you just kept it all bottled up inside until you exploded that day. It wasn’t fair.”
    â€œYou’re right,” she said. She looked down and started nervously playing with a pebble. “I just thought that you were beginning to … like Fiona better than me. Because she’s popular and all that.”
    My eyes nearly bulged out of my head. “Since when do I care about who’s popular and who’s not?”
    â€œI know you don’t. But I just felt like you were … changing. You were hanging out with Fiona a lot and then you started dressing like her.”
    â€œJust that one day,” I pointed out.
    But then I remembered when I saw Darcy fist bump Hunter in the auditorium. And that bit of jealousy I had. That was how Darcy had felt when she’d seen me hanging with Fiona all the time.
    â€œI’m really sorry,” I said. My throat felt tight, like I was on the verge of crying. I fought to hold the tearsback. “I’m not changing. I’m still nerdy old Norah and I always happily will be. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with making more friends, though. You like Fiona and Maya.”
    â€œI do. You’re right,” Darcy said. “And I’m sorry for acting the way I did. It all could’ve been avoided if I’d just told you how I was feeling.”
    â€œThat’s true,” I said, finger raised high.
    She held her fist out. “Friends?”
    I bumped it. “Best friends. And partners in crime. Always.”
    She then reached across the space between us and pulled me in for a hug. Which was huge because Darcy is not a hugger. When we pulled away, there were even a few tears in her eyes. Tears! From Darcy! So then I started crying out of happiness. My best friend was back.
    And I knew for a fact, deep down inside, the way you know that the sky is blue and the sun will set that night and rise the next day … that Darcy hadn’t started the fire. No matter how mad she was at me, she would never want to hurt me or Zane.
    Â 
    Friday