Page 111 of The Breakup Artists

I’m about to tell her Mia is down by the water, hopeful I can buy myself a few minutes to reason out a plan, when she says, “About earlier...”

My whole being snags on her words, my curiosity keeping me from moving.

She gives me a confident nod. “I’m going to talk to Justin. Tell him the truth.”

“The truth?” I breathe, not knowing exactly what that is but desperate to find out.

She tucks a loose wave behind her ear and looks up at me. “I’m going to tell him what we talked about today. Because how can I make big life decisions based on a guy that I’m not sure about? I never thought I was that girl. I mean, I’m not that girl. And I’m not convinced Justin is what I want anymore.”

My breath no longer flows easily, my heart trying to leap out of my body and click its heels together in glee. She’s breaking up with Justin. SHE’S BREAKING UP WITH JUSTIN. It takes every ounce of my self-control not to run through the party hollering it at the top of my lungs. And suddenly I know things will be okay. She’ll tell him the truth, and then I’ll tell her the truth. No more hesitation. No more lies.

“I’ve been thinking about it all day,” she continues, and every part of me pays full attention to her. “And when you touched my cheek, I felt—”

But she doesn’t finish her sentence because her gaze drifts over my shoulder. And when I turn, I nearly collide with Tiny, who looks like someone just lit her dress on fire. Bentley is a hundred feet back but headed this way, which means she must have sprinted.

“Ella? No way!” Tiny says, and her voice is too happy, like she ate a bag of sugar and chased it with an energy drink.

Ella smiles. “And to think my astrology reading sucked today. I don’t usually get things like full moons wrong.”

Which is when my anxiety comes back threefold. This situation is delicate. Nothing can go wrong before she talks to Justin. Not one single thing, or it might crumble. Which means we need to get Ella the heck out of Tiny’s backyard.

“Holden tells me you guys come every year?” Ella continues. “Lucky. I’ve been reading about this party since I was like thirteen in gossip blogs.”

“Uh, yeah,” Tiny says. “But don’t let Holden convince you that he gets in on his cool points. The people who throw it are our aunt and uncle.”

Which is the perfect explanation for the framed pictures Ella might see of the two of us in the house.Tiny, you’re a genius.

“They don’t have any kids,” Tiny continues. “So Holden and I reap all the good invites.”

Ella tilts her head like she has a follow-up question or seven, but before she can reply, Bentley joins us.

“V—” Bentley starts.

“Ella, this is Bentley,” I say, cutting him off before Bentley can get Valentine’s name out of his stupid mouth. “He’sMia’s date.”

Bentley looks from me (and my newfound friendly tone) to Tiny, who smiles at him like nothing is amiss.

I, however, give him a demanding glare.I will drown you in the ocean, Bentley, if you blow this.

“Nice to meet you,” Bentley says, and I release my breath.

“Bentley, would you mind grabbing me a snack?” Tiny asks. “I’m starved.”

“Sure,Mia,” he replies, a little unsure, and he looks at each of us before he leaves.

Ella mouths “he’s hot” to Tiny as Bentley walks away, and I hope that he trips over a chair and falls off the face of the planet.

“I know!” Tiny mouths back and links her arm through Ella’s. “How about I show you around? Introduce you to a few people?”

“Um, that’s a yes,” Ella says, and Tiny shoots me a look that clearly translates toIf you don’t find Ella’s parents and fix this, Bentley isn’t the only one who’ll be drowned in the ocean.

Except I don’t need to look for Ella’s parents, because they’re here.Righthere, walking up to us with the worst possible escorts—Tiny’s parents.Turn around, I yell at Ella’s parents in my head.Get out of here before it’s too late!But it’s already too late. If I were a fainter, this would be my moment.

“Our daughter... Ella,” Ella’s mom says by way of introduction to Tiny’s parents, sweeping her hand forward. But her voice and smile fade as she recognizes me and Tiny.

Ella’s parents look like a camera flash momentarily blinded them.

Tiny’s dad doesn’t miss a beat, though. “Ella, was it?” he says. “Welcome to our home. I’m Prem, and this is my wife, Piper.”