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"I suppose I have so, then" Mr Marin rose from the table and cleared everyone’s plates "Izz? Which room do you want to unpack first?"
"Uch, let’s start with the kitchen I’ out of this for another second" She wrinkled her nose at one of Hanna’s favorite ht on a trip to Tuscany
The two of thelasses o when you are," she said to Kate "Is their Nordstroood? Is it true there’s a Uniqlo? That place has a cashmere sweaters for pennies"
Kate let out a snort "God, Hanna," she said, her expression suddenly venoet your dad and o anywhere with you?"
She sauntered out of the roo Hanna’s mouth made an O Kate had set a trap, and she was the duht into its steel jaws
Kate paused in the hall, pressed some buttons on her phone, and then held it to her ear "Hey," she whispered to whoever had picked up "It’s ured Kate had only been here for two days and she already had a boyfriend
Hanna twisted her napkin so forcefully she was surprised it didn’t rip Whatever--she and Kate probably would’ve had a horrible tiether anyway Then, she heard a faint snicker spiraling frolanced out the s, certain she’d see a blond flash slipping through the trees That was crazy, though A--Mona--was gone
Chapter 2
Puke-a-tan
A few days later, Hanna sat on the cushy microfiber couch at her boyfriend Lucas Beattie’s house, in front of the soft glow of the fa an info device--"Get your body ripped by New Year’s!"--the overly loud sales guy kept screaift tin filled with butter, cheese, and caramel popcorn
"The Kate worship was even worse than usual at dinner yesterday," Hanna moaned as she pushed another handful of cheese popcorn into her mouth "All my dad and Isabel talked about was this absolutely wonderful speech Kate gave during tenth-grade co, all yeah, I know I’m awesome"
"I’m sorry, Han" Lucas took a sip frouys can become friends?"
"Absolutely not" Hanna had decided not to tell Lucas how Kate hadn’t wanted to go to the mall with her She couldn’t believe she’d been so na&iu to do with her And I think I’ic to her perfume--I’ve sneezed about five hundred tiet hives"
She slumped dramatically back on the couch and stared blankly at the Disney-therown up with holiday decorations She was Jewish, and after her dad left, she and her mom barely celebrated Hanukkah But Lucas’s mother was obsessed with Advent calendars--they had three different ones pinned up to the fridge, a cloth one with stuffed toys in each of its twenty-five pockets tied to the stair rail, and a s up in the powder rooan to stroke her hair Hanna shut her eyes and sighed, feeling a teensy bit better
When Hanna and Mona were BFFs--and ruling the school together--Lucas wasn’t exactly the kind of guy on the top of Hanna’s Boys I Want to Date list He didn’t hang out with the right clique, didn’t play a cool sport like soccer or lacrosse, and he wasthan eekend parties In fact, in sixth grade, Ali had started a rued him into dorkdom More recently, Mona hadthat it would bring down their popularity quotient
But Mona and Ali were gone, and Lucas was shaping up to be the best boyfriend ever How uys would listen to her whine for hours about how Mona had screwed her over or how sucky her new fauys would open the door this evening, gaze upon Hanna in her bloated jeans and oversized Philadelphia Eagles sweatshirt, and say she looked s hot?
"Can I hide out at your house for the foreseeable future?" Hanna begged "I don’t know if I can bear going back there"
"That would be awesome," Lucas said "But--"
"It would be aweso up "We could do stuff after school, go to Rive Gauche every night, dress up and crash the holiday party at the Rosewood Country Club"
Lucas bit his lip "Hanna, I--"
"Maybe etting y to Kate’s perfume is really, really serious Do you think your parents would go for that? I could sleep in the guest roombut ht" She winked
"Hanna" Lucas’s pale blond hair fell into his face as he sat up "Slon I’ away Tomorrow"
Hanna blinked "Away?"
"My dad just sprung it on us It’s an early Christ us on a fourteen-day trip to the Yucatán peninsula We’re going with e and his family"
The inside of Hanna’s mouth suddenly tasted sour "Fourteen daysas in teeks?"
"Uh-huh" Lucas gave her a little smile "I’m really psyched"
"But we’re still in school," Hanna sounded out, reaching for another handful of popcorn It was only December 7--Rosewood Day didn’t let out for Christmas and New Year’s until later in the month "Why doesn’t your dad wait until winter break?"