How It Ends by Catherine Lo (classic books for 13 year olds .TXT) 📕

there from a guy named Josh. I just had this feeling, you know? So I opened her messages, and there were a ton from him. You guys, she’s having an affair. For real.”

I can’t think of a single thing to say. I just sit there blinking at Larissa in shock. Luckily, Courtney is as unfazed as ever. “What do you mean for real? Are you absolutely positive?”

“Um, yeah. I’m gonna need therapy for the stuff I saw on there.”

“Like sex talk?”

“And pictures.” Larissa shudders.

“All right, Mrs. Riley!” Courtney jokes, bumping her shoulder against Larissa’s. “Is this Josh guy hot?”

Larissa laughs through her tears. “Not funny, Court! This is my mom we’re talking about. What do I do? Do I tell my dad? Confront my mom? Pretend like nothing’s wrong?”

“You do nothing,” Courtney says, like it’s obvious. “It sucks you saw that, but you have a good thing going with your parents still together. You don’t want to mess with that.”

“So I just ignore the fact that my mom is cheating and pretend everything is fine?”

Courtney shrugs. “The worst thing that ever happened to me was my dad leaving. I haven’t seen him in years. It fucked everything up—for me and for my mom. You don’t want to go through that, Liss. I say you just let things play out between your parents and stay out of it.”

“What would you do, Annie?” Larissa asks.

“I don’t know,” I say honestly. “I mean, if it was my stepmother, I’d happily tell my dad. I’d love to find a reason to break them up. But if it was my mom, it’d be another story. I’d feel like she cheated on me, too. Like she’d cheated on our whole family.”

“Exactly!” Larissa cries. “That’s exactly how I feel.”

I go on, feeling like I’m helping. “Maybe tell your mom you found the texts and see what she says. Maybe things aren’t as bad as they seem.”

“Maybe . . .” she says doubtfully. “My mom’s not the sit-down- and-talk-about-it type, you know?” She takes a deep breath and forces a smile onto her face. “Sorry for bumming you guys out. You probably both had plans for tonight. It means a lot to me that you dropped everything to be here.”

She gives us each a sloppy hug, and the bottom drops out of my stomach. I check the clock: eight thirty. I can still make this work. We just have to keep her calm until all that rum hits her. I’ve seen Larissa drunk often enough to know that she’ll pass out on the couch, and then I’ll be able to make a break for it, guilt-free.

“You’re not bumming us out,” I assure her. “It’s actually kind of a relief to know that my family’s not the only messed-up one.”

“Your stepmother sucks, huh?” Courtney says.

“Pretty much. She kind of swooped in on her broom and took over the family.”

“Bitch,” Courtney pronounces, clinking her glass against mine. I look down at my untouched rum and Coke and check the clock again. Maybe just one drink before Jessie’s. The stress of trying to keep everyone happy is killing me tonight.

“What’s Sophie like?” Larissa asks. “She’s so ridiculously gorgeous. Don’t you just hate her?”

“Sometimes.” My mind wanders back to the night of the party. “But sometimes she surprises me, you know? I wish we were closer. It’s just weird becoming insta-sisters. There are all these expectations about how we should be, and we’re not like that at all.”

I settle back on the couch and pull my feet up. It feels good to talk about this stuff.

We chat about Sophie for a while, then about how creepy Courtney thinks her mom’s new boyfriend is, and then about the counseling sessions Larissa’s little brother has to attend for anger management. I feel the pressure in my chest loosening as I listen to them bitch about their family dramas. It’s such a relief to talk with people who get dysfunction. Jessie’s fairy-tale home life makes me feel like shit sometimes. Jessie.

Oh my God.

I root around in my bag, hunting for my phone. “Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit!”

It’s 10:13, and there are five texts from Jessie.

You still coming?

It’s getting late.

You ok?

Where are you?

Text me back—I’m worried about you!

I let out a low moan that makes Larissa giggle. Clearly we should have cut her off several drinks ago.

“I have to go,” I tell them, scrambling to get my stuff together.

“What’s wrong?” Courtney asks, eyes narrowed. “You’re not ditching us to go out with Scott, are you?”

“What? No! I was supposed to . . .” I consider making up a lie, but I’m so damn tired of lying. “I was supposed to sleep over at Jessie’s tonight, but I came over here first to make sure Larissa was okay, and now I’m so late and she’s gonna be pissed.”

I text Jess back while I talk. SO SO SO sorry. Things are dragging on longer than I thought. Can you forgive me?

Larissa looks like she’s going to start crying again. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

I shrug and check my phone. Nothing from Jess.

“Okay,” Courtney says, putting her drink down and leaning forward. “This is going to make me sound like a total bitch, but I have to ask: What’s the deal with you and Jessie?”

“What do you mean?” I ask absently, staring at my phone and willing a response to come up. Please please please.

“Why are you freaking out? So you came over here to hang out with friends and got caught up. Who cares?” Courtney gathers up our glasses and heads for the kitchen.

I send another text. Jess? You there?

“Sorry, Liss,” I say, giving her a hug. “I really have to go.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m glad you came.”

Courtney comes back in just as I’m hoisting my bag onto my shoulder. She has three fresh drinks in her hands, and she rolls her eyes when she sees me getting up to leave. “Just text her back and tell her you can’t come,” she says. “It’s so fucked up that she has