Chapter 10

At first, Maura missed her, but soon she caught a glimpse of the face she knew as well as her own. Natalie was folded onto a couch, watching her cousins playing the video game, and somehow looking completely isolated, despite the fact that a dark-haired boy was actually pressed up to her side, they were so crowded on the furniture. No one was talking to her, no one had even said hello, and Natalie kept looking hopefully around the room as if someone would mysteriously appear and start talking to her.

For a moment, Maura had a flashback to college. Neither of them were the type to go to parties, but whenever they’d gone out as a group, Natalie was no slouch. She wasn’t exactly the life of the party type, but she had never looked quite this pathetic, either.

Gabbi was still talking a mile a minute to Maura, but she wasn’t paying much attention anymore. She was watching Natalie.