Nate waves a hand in front of his face, his nose pinched. “What is that awful smell? Jeez, Valerie. Lay off the cheap perfume.”
Valerie ignores him, her eyes pinned on me. “I heard she’s in an institution for the mentally unstable. Should have seen it coming, considering she’s friends with you.”
My lips draw thin. “You really should check your sources, then. Because they are wrong. She’s with her family.”
It’s a lie, but I’m not about to sit back and let her make up rumors about Ariah.
Valerie’s gaze suddenly jerks toward the entrance, and for a second, a bitter look flashes across her features. She clears her throat, straightening; then the mean girl façade returns. “Are you sure? Because from where I stand, she looks pretty unhinged to me.”
I glance over where she is looking a momen
