Six Little Secrets by Katlyn Duncan

Author:Katlyn Duncan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2017-01-10T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWELVE

ZOE

Saturday

‘What’s wrong?’ Zoe asked.

Jackie’s breathing was strange, stilted as if she were having trouble drawing oxygen into her lungs.

‘Oh my god!’ Jackie said, squeezing her eyes shut and bowing her head. She held her head in both hands and let out a groan.

Zoe glanced over her shoulder at Mr. Curtis. They couldn’t afford to have him come out there, especially with someone’s name written on Jackie’s face. There was no explanation for that. If he thought they were distracting each other, he might separate them, and they needed each other. Zoe never thought she’d care about anyone in this room, but they were all going through this. And when her turn came around, she wanted to rely on them as much as they relied on her.

Mr. Curtis’ mood had deteriorated in the time since detention started. They couldn’t risk him finding out anything about what was going on.

‘Jackie?’ Q asked.

Jackie lifted her head. The skin around the lipstick had turned an angry shade of red, and tiny bumps spread across her forehead.

‘Gross!’ Cece said.

Jackie ground her teeth, but she didn’t come out with a snarky remark, though Zoe knew it was on the tip of her tongue.

‘I’m allergic to most makeup brands,’ Jackie said, her eyes welling with tears. Zoe had never seen the cheerleader so vulnerable. ‘I have to use hypoallergenic.’

Q grabbed the lipstick and read the side of it. ‘It says hypoallergenic.’

‘I know,’ Jackie said. ‘It’s the same shade I use every day. Which is why I didn’t think it would do this!’

‘Do you have yours with you?’ Q asked.

She squinted her eyes and pointed to her bag.

‘You need to wash that off,’ Teddy said.

‘Well, duh,’ Jackie said. Her voice lifted as if she were about to cry.

Zoe wouldn’t blame her.

Q produced a tissue from Jackie’s bag and handed it to her.

‘Thanks,’ she said, blotting her eyes.

‘Did the note say how long you needed to keep that on?’ Holly asked.

Zoe grabbed the note and read it twice over to see if there was any mention of it. ‘It says, “Leave on until I say so.”’

‘Ow,’ Jackie said, waving her hand in front of her head as if a breeze could stop the reaction.

‘It’s the temporary option,’ Q said. ‘It’s not going to be temporary if you keep it on.’

Tears sprang to Jackie’s eyes as the rash spread. ‘This is like really bad. I haven’t reacted like this since I switched my products. It feels so much worse than I remember.’

‘I think you should wash it off,’ Teddy said.

‘I’m not going to lose my turn,’ Jackie said determinedly.

‘You won’t lose,’ Q said. ‘I—we’ll make sure of it. I think you should go.’

‘How can she ask Mr. Curtis to go to the bathroom now?’ Holly asked. ‘He’s going to have questions.’

‘I have a hat if you want to borrow it?’ Q asked Jackie.

Jackie shook her head. ‘I’m not ruining my hair over this.’

Q opened his mouth to say something, but as if he thought better of it, he pressed his lips together.

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