“Isn't that a bit flashy and extravagant?” she asked, but all I could hear from her words was an excuse.

“Do you know how many people might come to this party wearing masks? It's a Halloween party, sweetheart.” I smiled and looked across the diner, over to the Copelands.

The guys seemed to be joking around, having fun. Then I saw the guy again who had been watching me so strangely earlier.

I lowered my voice. “Who is that again?”

“That's Noah, one of Nash's newer friends,” Julie replied quietly, as if no one was supposed to hear us.

“Has Nash ever had any other friends?” I asked curiously.

“Julian,” she said.

“Julian? Bay's neighbor?” I asked and looked surprised at Julie.

“Julian is your neighbor?”

Grace came over to our table in the corner by the window and took off her orange apron.

“Yes,” I answered for Bayla and made room for Grace.

Grace looked with a questioning expression at Bay, who seemed to avoid her gaze.

“Yes, Julian was his best friend. The four of them had been inseparable,” Julie continued, lost in thought.

“The four of them?” I asked.

“Julian, Nash, Kieran, and Emely,” Grace answered me.

“Who's Kieran?” I asked, realizing that I would probably never know all of these guys by name.

“Another go-getter who I'm glad is doing an exchange semester in the United States,” Grace snorted.

I'd heard the name Kieran before. Wasn't that the guy Emely had talked to on the phone in the student residence?

“What happened between Julian and Nash?” Bayla asked with interest.

Julie and Grace looked at each other like it was a secret. But when I pierced Julie with my gaze for longer, she seemed unable to keep quiet.

“There had been an accident with Julian's mother,” she began, blushing again as Grace looked at her in warning, as if indeed it had been a long-kept town secret.

“It kind of drove them apart. The Bardots moved away from there, and since then there's been radio silence,” Grace finished the story.

“That sounds very sad. Did Julian tell you about it?”

I looked at Bay, but she shook her head slowly.

“Where were you today?” I asked and she looked up.

“Julian showed me around town.”

Grace's jaw dropped. “Didn't I tell you not to do so much with the...the Copelands?”

Julian wasn't a Copeland. But that was what Grace seemed to call every guy who'd ever been around Nash.

“Apparently, he doesn't have that much to do with them, after all...” I said, confused.

A slight mistrust of Grace spread through me. She seemed friendly, no question, and yet... she seemed to have something against the Copelands and the Copelands and the Bardots seemed to have something in common. It was about time I got to the root of this strange gut feeling.

“Remember, we're going costume shopping tomorrow!” I tried to change the subject and winked at Julie.

I knew she'd like to sink into the ground right now.

Grace stood up again. “I'm going alone.”

“Why?” Bayla and I asked at the same time.

“I don't want to spend my time with a traitor.”

I looked up at her in astonishment. And then I remembered that she and Mady were at war.

I had asked Mady a while ago, and she had been so excited about this party, but that had changed when I had told her that Grace and Julie were going with us. I had tried to convince her, but she had just shaken her head in panic and hurried away.

“Mady canceled,” I sighed.

My good mood was about to disappear.

Grace just smiled and tied her apron again. “Well, I'll see you tomorrow.”

She smiled and turned to leave.

I understood if she had something against the Copelands and also if she didn't trust the DeLoughreys. However, I drew the line at my Madymouse. I thought it was childish and not fair toward her.

But in this case, I had decided to prioritize helping Julie and unfortunately Mady was not going to be convinced anyway.

Maybe the two girls would make peace at some point. Because this couldn't go on without someone always being excluded.

Chapter 60

Julie

The closer the meeting came, the greater the unease in my stomach grew.

This morning, my hand had been shaking so much that my body had apparently fallen back on this strange magic and taken control of me. It had snowed. Soft white flakes had fallen on the floor of the room and dissolved into water seconds later.

Luckily, the other girls had been asleep. Otherwise, I would have had several problems at once.

After getting up, everyone had wondered why the floor had been so wet, but Larissa, to my relief, had blamed it on the open windows.