The bartender cleared his throat, and Hanna turned and ordered an extra-dirty Ketel One martini. As he mixed it up, she turned and stood on her tiptoes, searching for Mike. When she finally found him, he was in the corner near a gigantic abstract painting, next to Noel, Mason, and a few girls. Hanna narrowed her eyes at the pretty girl whispering in his ear. Kate.
Her stepsister was dressed in a floor-length navy gown and four-inch heels. Naomi and Riley flanked her on either side, both wearing ultrashort black dresses. Hanna grabbed her martini and shot across the room, the vodka sloshing over the lip of the glass. She reached Mike and tapped him hard on the shoulder.
“Hi,” Mike said, an I’m-not-doing-anything-wrong look on his face. Kate, Naomi, and Riley peered around him, snickering.
Hanna’s skin felt scorched. Grabbing Mike’s hand, Hanna faced the others. “Did you girls hear? Mike and I are going to prom together.”
Naomi and Riley looked confused. Kate’s smile dimmed. “Prom?”
“Uh-huh,” Hanna chirped, running her hands over her Time Capsule flag, which she’d tied to the gold chain of her Chanel purse.
Noel Kahn clapped Mike on the back. “Sweet.”
Mike shrugged, as if he’d known from the start that Hanna would ask him. “I need another Jäger shot,” he said, and he, Noel, and Mason ambled across the room to the bar, shoving one another every few steps.
The orchestra launched into a waltz, and a few of the dusty old partygoers who actually knew what that meant started to dance. Hanna locked her hands to her hips and shot Kate a smug smile. “So! Who’s the winner now?”
Kate lowered one shoulder. “God, Hanna.” She burst out laughing. “You seriously asked him to prom?”
Hanna rolled her eyes. “Poor baby. You’re not used to losing. But face it—you did.”
Kate shook her head vigorously. “You don’t understand. I never even liked him.”
Hanna let out a lip fart. “You liked him as much as I did.”
Kate lowered her chin. “Did I?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I wanted to see if you’d go after anyone if you thought I was going after him too. The joke’s on you, Hanna. We all knew about it.”
Naomi made a nickering noise. Riley puckered her lips, trying hard not to erupt into giggles. Hanna blinked hard, knocked off balance. Could Kate be serious? Was Hanna the brunt of this joke?
Kate’s face softened. “Oh, chill. Think of this as payback for the herpes thing, and now we’re even! Why don’t you party with us? There are some gorgeous guys from Brentmont Prep in the Mirror Room.”
She looped her arm through Hanna’s, but Hanna shook her away. How could Kate be so cavalier? How was this payback for the herpes thing? Hanna had had to tell everyone Kate had herpes. If she hadn’t, Kate would have told everyone Hanna’s binge-purge secret.
But suddenly, Hanna remembered how stunned Kate had seemed when Hanna broke the herpes news. She had looked at Hanna so helplessly, as though she’d been blindsided by the betrayal. Was it possible Kate never intended to tell Hanna’s secret that night? Could what her dad said—that Kate just wanted to be friends—be the truth?
But no. No.
Hanna faced Kate. “You wanted Mike, but I got him.”
It came out louder than she intended. A few people stopped and stared. A beefy-looking black man in a tux, presumably a bouncer, eyed Hanna warningly.
Kate lifted her hip. “Are you really going to be like this?”
Hanna shook her head. “I won!” she cried. “You lost!”
Kate looked over Hanna’s shoulder, her expression shifting. Hanna followed her gaze. Mike was holding two martinis outstretched—one for him, and a refill for her. His eyes looked extra-blue. By the way he was staring at Hanna, it seemed as if he understood perfectly what had just happened. Before Hanna could say a word, he gently set Hanna’s drink next to her half-finished one and turned around, saying nothing. His back was ramrod straight as he disappeared into the crowd.
“Mike!” Hanna called after him, gathering her skirt and starting to run. Mike thought Hanna was only pretending to like him…but maybe that wasn’t the truth at all. Mike was funny and genuine. Maybe he was even more perfect for her than any guy she’d ever dated. It explained why she felt butterflies in her stomach whenever he was around, why she smiled giddily when he sent her texts, and why her heart pounded when they almost kissed on his front porch. It explained why Hanna had been feeling morose tonight, too—she didn’t want this game with Mike to end.
She came to a stop at the other end of the ballroom, frantically searching around. Mike had disappeared.
26
SOMEONE HAS A SECRET
Emily stood on the big stone porch outside the Radley entrance, watching the limos and town cars roll into the circular drive. The air smelled like a jumble of expensive perfumes, and a photographer was flitting around the partygoers, snapping pictures. Every time a flashbulb went off, Emily thought of the creepy photos from A. Ali, Jenna, and Naomi, gathered in Ali’s backyard. Darren Wilden, emerging from confession. And then there was Jason DiLaurentis arguing with Jenna Cavanaugh in Jenna’s living room. What do you think he’s so angry about?
What did it mean? What was A trying to tell her?
She pulled her cell phone from her bag and checked the time once more. It was a quarter after eight, and Aria was supposed to meet her at the entrance fifteen minutes ago. About an hour after their uncomfortable phone conversation this morning, Aria called Emily back and asked if she wanted to go to the Radley party together. Emily figured it was Aria’s way of apologizing for yelling at her, and although she hadn’t really felt like going now that she and Isaac were through, she’d reluctantly agreed. They’d called Spencer and asked if she wanted to go too, but Spencer said she was spending the night in her sister’s barn doing homework.