Like Wildfire

Chapter 6

"O, what men dare do! what men may do! what
men daily do, not knowing what they do!"

                                                              -Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing

Hope

"Well, I'm pretty sure she fell for it—hook, line, and sinker." Hope brought the bowl of chips from the kitchen and set it next to Meg. She and Trissa had invited Meg to spend the night so they could all go to the game together in the morning, but Trissa had yet to arrive home from her after school job at the veterinarian's office.

"She's late. I thought she'd be here by now." Meg could almost be understood through a mouthful of chips.

"I'll text her again." Hope spoke as she sent Trissa the message: Where R U?

"I'm here! I'm here! Sorry I'm late, there was an epic puppy poop blow-out in the kennel area that yours truly got the honor of dealing with." Trissa rushed in, phone in one hand, crumpled tissues in the other. "I brought the pizza." She set her things down and wiped her nose. "It's in the truck."

"I'll get it." Meg disappeared and returned a moment later with the food. "Mmm. Pineapple and Canadian Bacon. My fave."

"Trissa, are you sick?" Hope finally noticed her cousin's sniffles.

"Yes." She threw herself dramatically on the couch. "I think I have the flu!"

Meg snickered and rolled her eyes at Hope before disappearing into the kitchen.

"You were fine this morning. Are you sure you're sick?" Hope was highly suspicious of this convenient illness.

"I am deathly ill. I can't possibly go to the game tomorrow."

"Trissa! You're the captain of the squad. We need you. You don't have the flu. You have a mild cold at the very most." Hope was torn between amusement and irritation. She smelled a rat.

"I know what she needs." Meg returned with plates and grabbed a piece of pizza. "A nice big dose of Benadryl. Get it? Benadryl?"

"Yeah. I get it." Trissa didn't look amused.

Hope tried not to laugh, loyalty to her cousin ranking higher than laughing at her expense, if at all possible. "Oh, come on, Trissa! It was pretty funny. Don't be mad. Now, why don't you want to go to the game tomorrow? What's wrong? And don't tell us you're sick." She threw a sideways glance at Meg, trying to get her to lay off.

Trissa shrugged and shoved to her feet, pacing in front of the couch. "I guess I just need a break."

"From cheerleading? Or Ben?"

She shrugged again, but Hope saw her eyes fill with tears.

Hope's heart broke for her cousin. She pulled Trissa down next to her on the sofa and brushed the hair out of her face. "You still have feelings for him, don't you?"

Trissa nodded miserably. "I do, but I've been so horrible lately. I've been really mean to him. He'll never forgive me."

"Sure he will." Meg plopped herself next to them. "Because if he can't, and you two don't get back together, then where's the hope for the rest of us? You guys were the real thing. I don't get why you broke up in the first place."

"It was my fault," Trissa whispered. "I broke up with him."

"Yeah, and you never really said why." Meg bit off a chunk of pizza, mozzarella strings trailing from the slice to her mouth. She continued to speak as she chewed. "I don't wanna pry—well, actually, yes, I do. We're girls, I'm pretty sure it's in our genetic code to pry secrets from our friends."