Thinking she looks just like a bobble head, Dana clamped her jaws shut to keep a wide grin from breaking out all over her face. This was going to be harder than she thought. “The group, Marina and the rest of us, we’re meeting at the Planet. I won’t be gone long.”

“Gone?” Tonya wailed. “What do you mean, gone? I’m going with you.”

Unable to suppress an annoyed expression, Dana turned her back on Tonya and walked toward the bedroom. “Not this time.”

“But kitten-face,” Tonya wheedled, “you need me. You’ll get tired. You won’t have a good practice tomorrow. You might hurt yourself.”

Dana whirled around. “Tonya, I don’t think that talking with old friends is going to injure anything you care about.”

Tonya’s mouth dropped open in a surprised “O”. “THAT wasn’t very nice!”

Dana sighed. “Sorry, baby, but this is something I have to do alone.”

“SHE told you not to bring me! Didn’t she? That Marina woman! You can’t trust her, Danakins. She doesn’t have any morals at all. And she’s a for….”

Dana’s eyes widened. “Shut the fuck up!” she screamed. “Don’t you DARE talk about my friends like that!”

Tonya lowered her eyes in mock chagrin, hiding the coldness behind them. “I’m sorry, baby, I just worry about you. You have the Seiko Open coming up. You need your rest.”

“Tonya, for chrissakes, it’s early. We just need to talk for an hour or two. We’re not going to stay up all night.”

“Well, what are you going to talk about? Why is it such a secret?” Tonya’s cheeks reddened.

“It doesn’t concern you,” Dana answered coldly. She suddenly realized that she didn’t really trust Tonya with any information about Shane OR Bette and Tina. An unsettled feeling rippled through her.

Tears slid down Tonya’s face. One thing she’d gotten very good at was crying at will. It almost always worked, especially with Dana.

Dana felt the first twinges of guilt. She walked back over and gave Tonya a hug. “I’m sorry, honey, but….

Tonya shook off Dana’s arms and turned her back, the way Mr. Piddles used to do when he wanted Dana to know he was annoyed. “You don’t love me.”