Becca could see the grimace Lucita made when Liz and Evie joined them for lunch. Blake stiffened beside her.

Two weeks. Evie had been back at school for two whole weeks and had caused no issues.

And now this.

Becca knew she had something up her sleeve; she just didn’t know what.

“What are you doing here?” asked Lucita, seething.

“What, I can’t sit with my friend?”

Lucita shot Liz a glare. “Why the fuck are you still her friend?”

“As opposed to what? A backstabbing friend who steals boyfriends?”

Becca sucked in her breath. “Liz,” Becca hissed, “That’s not how things happened.” She wouldn’t mess up again and deny Luce the defense she deserved.

“Fuck this,” said Lucita, standing up.

“Oh no, please don’t go,” whined Evie, grinning like she just won a prize.

That grin stopped Lucita in her tracks. Lucita stood here, her eyes darkening, her mind working. Delicately, she placed her hands on the table and leaned forward.

“If I were you, I’d watch yourself, Evie. See, I made sure to let everyone know that you’re on academic probation. I made sure everyone knows who and what you are. One wrong move and you’re expelled.”

“Fuck you.”

“Thanks, but no thanks. There is no universe out there where I would let a rapist touch me. Because that’s exactly what you are, a disgusting rapist who roofied my friend and tried to assault her after years of doing just that.”

“You know nothing about anything!”

“I know everything, Evie. So how about you fucking leave. You are nothing to everyone.”

“You have no proof,” said Liz, grabbing her bag and pulling on Evie’s arm.

Becca, Blake, and Lucita stared at her, bewildered.

“You’re joking, right?” started Blake.

“Proof? We fucking saw her. I fucking saw her.”

“And you’re a liar, so why would I believe anything you say?”

“Wow. Okay, fuck off, dude. Why are you even here?”

“Because Becca is my friend—”

“Oh, really, Elizabeth? Where were you when her mom sent her to the hospital? Where the fuck have you been? Nowhere. Some friend you are. Get lost, dude.”

Lucita sat down, arms crossed, eyes glaring.

She was right, thought Becca. Liz hadn’t been there for her at all. But they had been friends since grade school. How did you let go of something like that?

Becca watched Liz leave with Evie, practically dragging Evie away. Evie, who, in her time away, had become a social pariah. Lucita had made sure of it, dispelling all the false rumors with the truth.

“You shouldn’t antagonize her,” said Becca, picking at the soggy fries of her lunch.

“Oh, what is she going to do? One wrong move and she’s out of here.”

Becca watched her sip her chocolate milk. She looked over at Evie and Liz as they sat on the quad, Evie glaring daggers at her friend from afar.

***

After school, Becca asked to borrow the car to get some practice in for the surf competition. Her SATs were coming up, and she knew she should take the time to study, but she’d much rather do this.

Once the competition was over, she promised herself she would take some time to study.

At Hollywood Beach, parking was a little easier than at Fort Lauderdale Beach. They also had public restrooms, which Fort Lauderdale Beach lacked.

Setting herself up on the beach, she took in the waves and sea breeze. She felt calmer here, at the water. She took a few steps, grounding herself in the sand.

One.

Two.

Three.

Then she zipped up her suit and dove in.

The first wave that came in was too low, so she let it roll under her, waiting for the high tide to start. Those would be the waves worth riding and practicing on.

And when they finally came, she rode through them effortlessly, pulling herself up on the board.

After about an hour of that and only two wipeouts, she lay on the beach, her muscles aching in a way that made her happy, and took in the sun.

“Hey, Becs.”

Becca opened her eyes and then sat up, confused as to why Liz was standing over her.

“Liz, hey.”

“I tried calling you, but you didn’t pick up. So I called your brother, and he said you might be here.”

“Yeah. I signed up for this surf competition during spring break, so I’ve been practicing.”

“Oh! Well, that’s good. Couldn’t hurt, I guess. I saw a couple of your wipeouts out there.”

Becca winced. “Yeah—”

“It’s a nice hobby, surfing.”

“Yeah, hobby—”

“But really, don’t you think you should be focusing on something more serious?”

The hell? “Um, I mean, this is important to me—”

“Clearly. But what do you really think you’re going to be an Olympic surfer?”

Becca swallowed nervously. “Why are you here, Liz?”

“I just wanted to say that Lucita had a point. I haven’t really been a good friend to you lately. So that’s why I’m here. I think you should focus more on your goals and your future. Good friends don’t just support you, they push you too.”

She grinned at her, and Becca felt something familiar grow in the pit of her stomach.

Order ‘New Girl,’ the first in my YA Romance series.