Shocked and panicked, I start the car engine. Jane is storming down the sidewalk towards us. Gabe is silent. I shake my head, irritated with him. “Jeez, Gabe. Now look what’s happened. What do we do now, huh?” I drive towards Jane and the gap between us closes quickly. I roll down the window and she peers inside, glaring.
“What the hell was that about, Shay? Gabe? Like, how random and out of the blue!? Are you going to take me back to my car, now? Have you had your fun?” She looks pissed.
“Hey,” I say, a little annoyed that she’s yelling at me. “Who are you really mad at? Cause it looks to me like you just slapped Austin, not us.”
Gabe finally saves me. “I’m sorry, Jane. I didn’t know leaving you two alone was going to be a bad idea. I just really needed to talk to Shay alone, and I had no idea you’d be coming.”
Shay looks calmer. She sighs. “Okay, I’m sorry for snapping. That guy just makes me so mad, sometimes.”
“What did he say?” I pry cautiously.
“Oh, he had the nerve to call you a slut, that’s all.”