Difficult Girls - Softcover

Bane, Veronica

Softcover

ISBN 10: 059390401X ISBN 13: 9780593904015

Verlag: Random House Children's Books, 2026

Inhaltsangabe

“Sharp, witty, and oh so compelling.” —Jessica Goodman, New York Times bestselling author of They'll Never Catch Us

A teen girl’s attempt at social reinvention takes a deadly turn when a co-worker disappears—and she learns she may have been the last person to see the missing girl—in this razor-sharp, murderously funny thriller debut.

After the incident last year, Greta Riley Green is looking for reinvention—a fresh start—and a job at Hyper Kid Magic Land, the local amusement park, seems like the perfect way to forge a new path . . . no matter what it takes.

So when fate pulls Greta into Mercy Goodwin’s orbit, it feels like things are looking up. Beautiful and confident, Mercy dazzles audiences daily. And at the first party of the summer, she picks Greta to confide in. Mercy has a secret to share, if Greta will just meet her the next day. It’s a sign that Greta’s truly fitting in.

Only, when the time comes, Mercy is a no-show—as she is everyday after that—and Greta knows something’s wrong. She can’t help thinking back to the night of the party. Did Mercy seem upset? Terrified, even? Could she be in trouble? It wouldn’t be the first time a talented young performer came to a sinister end at Hyper Kid. . . .

Of course, Greta has her own issues with the past, and the more she uncovers Hyper Kid’s secrets, the more her own threaten to surface. This job was meant to be a reboot, a summer without trouble. But trouble, it seems, finds Greta, and her past—and the bloody past of Hyper Kid—is about to catch up with her.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Veronica Bane

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

Chapter One

Saturday, June 14

10:23 p.m.

Tonight, I’m going to make out with Grey Larsen.

If everything goes according to my plan, his hands will run across my bare shoul-ders. He’ll tell me that the color black is perfect for me and that the eyeliner I re-did three times is flawlessly balanced on both sides. He’ll tell me how good it is to see me out of my work polo shirt, how he knew immediately that we were meant for each other, how he only hopes I’m into him, too. He’ll say he doesn’t care that I’m an usher and he’s a performer--what he feels for me can’t be contained.

I first met Grey Larsen exactly thirty-four hours ago. Well, not exactly thirty-four. I don’t know what the minutes are. If I did, that would probably be cause for con-cern. But no, I only know the hours, which is totally reasonable given who Grey Larsen is. What he looks like. What he stands for.

Also, I guess that “met” might be a bit of a stretch. I should say that Grey Larsen first breezed into my life yesterday a little bit after twelve-thirty p.m. I had spent the morning training at Rocket Theater--the “4D” theater at Hyper Kid Magic Land, where I am now employed--before heading with my fellow usher to the patio tables outside the Caf.

That’s when I saw him.

He was part of a group of people who approached from the road, people who walked with ease and confidence. They were dressed in street clothes, not polos like the rest of Hyper Kid’s employees. Sweatpants. T-shirts. Plain but cool sneak-ers. As they came closer, I saw that their faces were overly done in comparison with what they wore, each one dusted and painted to give them perfect complex-ions, their eyes framed by liner and false lashes.

Performers, I realized. And in the middle of them, there was a laugh, something like a bark, a wild howl tearing through the air, finding its way to me.

It makes sense then that, tonight, he’s dressed like a wolf with ears he probably constructed himself and a tail pinned to his black spandex shorts. It’s not strictly a costume party, but I’ve been told that everyone in the Entertainment department sees any and all parties as opportunities to break out costumes. It’s part of their theatrical nature, or so people say.

But Grey. Grey is beyond. Can I describe him? He’s tall. Tonight he’s in a sleeveless black tank that makes his pale skin seem milky in the kitchen light. His hair is a mane of long golden strands that graze his cheek when he talks. There’s a mole beneath his chin and a tattoo of a snake on his bicep, plus others that I can’t quite make out on the underside of his arm. His nose is pointed, his lips are smooth, his eyes are blue, blue like the river that runs between our hearts.

He doesn’t know it yet, but he’s exactly what I need tonight. I thought that the Hy-per Kid Magic Land job alone was the answer, the fix that I needed to adjust the path of my life, but I was wrong. That was only a stepping stone. Being with Grey would erase everything that’s gone wrong in my life. After all, rebranding myself after what happened is the first step of my plan, and what better way to rebrand than as the girlfriend of a soon-to-be star? According to Google, if I’m to move on from the “incident,” as Assistant Principal Taggert called it, I need a clean slate. I need to prove that the mistake I made was just that--a mistake, a deviation, an outlier to be ignored based on the rest of my sixteen-year-old life.

This party is also a gift. It’s the Beginning of Summer Party, an annual tradition that I lucked into by getting hired three days ago. It’s a sign of how well I’m al-ready fitting in that someone invited me tonight. People can clearly see that I am dedicated and trustworthy, so much so that my fellow usher Ivy asked me at the end of my shift yesterday, “So are you coming to the Beginning of Summer Party?”

And now I’m here. Here and ready to win Grey’s heart. True, the night has had a few . . . bumps, but they’re nothing I can’t overcome. After last year, I’m deter-mined to obliterate any and all obstacles. I refuse to be kept down again. I will not focus on the negative. Not tonight. Not after everything I’ve fought past to get here.

It would be easier if I weren’t alone. Technically, I know a handful of people here, but not well enough to just walk up and join their conversations. For a moment, I wish Caroline were here, until I remember why, exactly, she’s not. Caroline was my best friend, the person who knew all my secrets . . . the person who knew me better than anyone.

Until she didn’t.

Now I have to manage by myself. I focus on the room, on the people swirling by in their costumes as the blasting house music echoes off the walls. It’s a strange mix, this party, of people my age and adults who also work at the park. The alcohol and costumes seem to be at war with the fruit and cheese platters spread throughout the different rooms, but maybe that’s what all parties look like. It’s my first one, so I can’t really say. Either way, the location is my favorite part. The house we’re at is tucked away in the forests and hiking trails that make up San Joaquin Hills, the per-fect place for secret rendezvous and new beginnings.

I’ve waited for the right moment with Grey, and the time has come to make my move. He lingers in the kitchen, a red cup in hand as he surveys the food. I’ve fol-lowed him from the living room and am now ready to appear casual and ap-proachable, cool and intriguing.

Breathe, Greta, I tell myself. You’ll never get another moment like this. You just have to pick the right words.

“I’m partial to Gouda,” I say to him. “It’s the nicest cheese. Much better than cheddar.”

He jumps--maybe I should’ve made my presence clearer before speaking. His blue eyes sweep over me, quietly appraising.

“I’m Greta,” I tell him, fluttering my precariously loose false eyelashes. “I’m an usher.”

“Oh yeah, that’s cool,” he says, and then looks away toward the window just be-hind us, above the sink, the one that’s cracked open and is allowing the night breeze to infiltrate the smoke and dust and cologne of the party. I know I probably shouldn’t have led with cheese, but I didn’t want to get too personal. Now I can feel opportunity slipping away, and panic starts to set in.

Touch me, I want to scream at him. Touch me and kiss me so we can start and never stop. Please kiss me.

“So,” I say instead. “What’s your favorite cheese?”

He looks at the floor, and I don’t blame him. I’m actually talking to him about dairy. I’m inwardly cursing myself, desperate to right this conversation, when I hear someone screaming.

“It’s time! Oh my god, everyone! It’s time!”

I turn at the sound of the loud, slightly piercing voice, finding its source standing in the living room, bouncing up and down. It’s a girl, unfairly beautiful, with dark red hair that she’s dusted with gold glitter. I think she must be dressed up as some kind of mermaid, because she’s wearing a sort of shell bra and tight blue shorts over her pale, freckled skin.

“What’s going on?” I ask Grey, watching as the crowd coalesces in the direction of the girl. His eyes have locked on her as well, an easy smile cracking on his face. I’m not even sure he heard my question.

“Have a good night,...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Random House Children's Books
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2026
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 059390401X
• ISBN 13: 9780593904015
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 337
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar