Pretty Little Devils Part 18

"Hi, guys," Hazel said.

Matty smiled, unaware of her distress.

"So. Did the ending change?"

They giggled. Megan's laugh was extreme, and Hazel realized she was wasted.

"Have you seen Brandon?" Ellen asked.

"Not for a while," Hazel said guiltily. She had no idea what to say to Ellen about what she had seen. Or if she should say anything, ever.

Stephan Nylund sidled over to the group. He smelled like a liquor store.

He gave Megan a salute and said, "Hey, Williams, how's it hanging?"

"f.u.c.k off," Megan said.

"Whoa, you sure don't talk like a lady," Stephan said. "Which is not surprising, you being a d.y.k.e and all."

"Just leave!" Megan snapped.

"Oh, struck a nerve, did I?" He staggered around a little.

Hazel looked at Matty, who slowly shook his head. "Hey, man," he said, putting his hand on Stephan's arm. "Chill."

Stephan stared down at Matty's grip. "Don't you freaking touch me," Stephan slurred.

Then Brandon walked up. "Hey, what's going on?"

"Megan's a d.y.k.e," Stephan said, "and I'm going to kick Matty Vardeman's a.s.s."

"Whoa! Stephan, you've had too much to drink." Brandon turned to Matty. "Don't worry. I'll get him home."

"You know it's true," Stephan insisted. "You're the one who said Megan's so b.u.t.t-ugly no guy would ever do her."

Brandon turned bright red. "Shut up, man."

Ellen looked stricken. "Brandon, you did not say that."

"He did!" Stephan insisted. "Josh was there. Yo, Josh!" Stephan hollered across the yard.

"El?" Megan's voice was shrill. "Are you going to let him get away with that?"

"Let's go," Brandon said, tugging on Stephan.

Stephan leered at Megan. "Hey, I'm not the one who went all Ellen DeGeneres on-"

"Shut up!" Megan screamed. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Heads turned.

"Hey," Hazel broke in. She took Megan's arm. "Let's find somewhere else to be."

"You shut up about me!" Megan slurred. She pushed Hazel away, took a swipe at Stephan, and missed.

Stephan doubled over in helpless laughter.

And then, with the world's worst sense of timing, Brandon grinned. He covered his mouth with his hand, stifling a chuckle.

Sure, Megan was making a scene, but Stephan was way out of line. Sylvia was right, Hazel guessed. Brandon had some a.s.shole left in him after all.

Hazel threw a look at Matty and pulled Megan toward the house. Carolyn walked beside her.

After a couple of seconds, Ellen came too. She carried Monkey Boy firefighter style, holding him tightly as she walked with her friends.

The three PLDs walked Megan into Ellen's room. Ellen set Monkey Boy down on a pink satin pillow.

Ellen was stuck in the froufrou-ruffles stage of girlhood, Hazel noted. All Laura Ashley and white curlicue wicker. It was kind of endearing.

As soon as they sat down on the bed, Megan burst into tears.

Carolyn bolted up. "I can't deal right now. I'm going to find Sylvia." Hazel nodded and turned her attention back to Megan.

"He is such a loser," Megan said, weeping. "I just hate him."

"What is his deal? Did you guys really go out?" Hazel asked.

Ellen paled and waved her hand as if to say, Don't ask her that.

Too late, Hazel thought.

"It got so ugly," Megan began. "Stephan and I were dating. Then at a party I got drunk, me and Carolyn...and I wondered what it was like. Stephan found us and said he'd spread it all over school. G.o.d. I thought he was going to tell everyone."

"It's okay, Megan," Hazel said. "No big."

"No big? Stephan is holding the whole thing over my head! He's acting like I have this secret life or something."

"So what's the big deal if he says you're gay? We know it's not-"

"You do know about Megan's brother, right?" Ellen asked.

Hazel shook her head, looking to Megan. All the air seemed to go out of the room.

"My brother is gay," Megan filled in, her chin wobbling. "When he was in high school, a bunch of guys beat him up. They hurt him pretty bad, too. He filed charges, and everyone in the school knew about it. So now, when people hear things about me, they automatically a.s.sume that it's true."

"That's messed up," Hazel replied.

"No s.h.i.t," Megan spat.

"But why does Stephan pick on you? Why you and not Carolyn?" Hazel asked.

"Because Stephan wasn't dating Carolyn. He didn't feel betrayed by her," Megan said.

"Plus, it doesn't bother her," Ellen cut in. "She doesn't give them the satisfaction. So they leave her alone."

"So all this-tonight-it's my fault?" Megan sniffed. "It's my fault your boyfriend totally dissed me?"

Her shoulders sagged. Hazel knew she was really wasted.

"I need some Kleenex."

Ellen leaned over toward the white wicker nightstand and grabbed a box of tissues. She handed it to Megan, who blew her nose.

"Sylvia doesn't understand how much it hurts me," Megan said, frowning. "She could put a stop to it. But she doesn't. And she picks on me. Do you think she picks on me?"

Yes. Hazel considered. I think she picks on all of you.

"You guys are old friends," Hazel said. "Sometimes old friends can hurt each other the way new friends can't."

Megan smiled through her misery. "You're a new friend."

"Yeah."

"I think you're a good friend." Megan wiped her nose. Hazel reached over and gave her a hug. When they pulled apart, Megan asked, "Do I have any eye makeup left?"

"Not really." They laughed.

"Brandon should have defended you," Ellen said.

Megan nodded. "Yeah. Instead he laughed. That a.s.s. He hasn't changed a bit."

Ellen looked down at her hands.

The door opened and Thom McDonald, a guy with a lot of piercings, poked his head in the room. "There's a call for you." He held out a portable to Ellen.

"Oh my G.o.d," she whispered. She took the phone and rushed through a door to the left of her bed, closing it behind herself.

Hazel looked questioningly at Megan, who shrugged and blew her nose again.

After a few minutes, Ellen returned. Her face was slack, her eyes huge. "It was my dad. I think he heard all the noise in the background. He's going to kill me."

"He didn't know about the party?" Hazel asked.

Ellen looked at her like she was insane. "Of course not. He'd have said no. But Sylvia wouldn't drop it." She started biting at her cuticle, pacing beside the bed. "He called to say he'll be gone an extra day. He's on a business trip."

"Don't tell Sylvia," Megan advised. "She'll make you have another party."

Ellen nodded thoughtfully. She turned to Megan. "Meggers, I'm sorry. I should have stood up for you better. I should have told Brandon he was a jerk."

"Oh, that's okay." Megan glared at her, picking up Monkey Boy's arm and giving it a shake. "After all, there was a guy involved, right?"

"Yeah, but we're PLDs," Ellen replied. "We stand up for each other. We're friends till the end."

Hazel gave a bitter smirk. She had believed that too. Sylvia had convinced her. But her picture of Sylvia was changing by the minute.

The bedroom door opened again. Speak of the devil, Hazel thought as Sylvia strode in.

"That b.a.s.t.a.r.d," she said. "We do not let guys treat any of us like that. Any of us."

Ellen hung her head as if she were personally responsible for Brandon's bad behavior.

"Yeah," Megan said. "Brandon totally dissed me, and she and Hazel just stood there."

"He's a jerk," Sylvia went on. She turned to Ellen. "You need to think about letting a guy like that get close to you."

"Everyone was drinking," Hazel said evenly.

She stared meaningfully at Ellen, trying to make her aware. Sylvia had another agenda, and it had nothing to do with protecting anyone but herself.

INSTANT MESSAGE.

YRSECRETPAL2PURPLEHAZE: U s.l.u.t. Some1 should stab u 4 real. Cuz ur a total ho & u deserve 2 die.

"We all got the same message," Sylvia said over the four-way connection. "'You s.l.u.t...stab you for real...you deserve to die.'"

"It wasn't just the one IM," Hazel replied. "I've also been getting text messages and phone calls. Cell phone calls."

"Me too," said Megan.

"Me three," Ellen added.

"It's Breona," Sylvia said determinately.

"But Breona doesn't have our cell phone numbers," Carolyn protested.

"Maybe she snooped around to get them," Sylvia sneered. "It would be just like her. She could have given the numbers to everyone she knows. Which is why I specifically asked you not to give it to anyone but us, Haze."

"I just gave it to Matty," Hazel replied.

"Matty seems very nice," Ellen said softly. "We can trust him."

"And we can all trust your taste in guys," Megan shot back. "Maybe Brandon pulled all this c.r.a.p."

"Megan, don't say that!" Ellen pleaded.

"Brandon has shown his true colors," Sylvia decreed.

"I don't know," Carolyn said. "There are a hundred girls in school who would love to scare the PLDs. We're envied. That makes us targets."

"Are you sure it's not one of you, mes pet.i.tes?" Sylvia hissed. "Because if it is, I am not amused. It needs to stop. Now."