Rival Revenge (10 page)

“Um,” I said to Paige. My voice sounded so
weird.
“Jacob's here and I … need to get a pic of us with our egg. For health. For class. For our health class.”

“Okay,” Paige said. She gave me a sideways look, but didn't say anything.

I reached into my purse for the egg and grabbed my phone. It was fine that I was going over to Jacob. Like I'd just told Paige, this was for class. And I wanted an A.

I stood and walked over to Jacob's table. I stopped beside him, looking at my pink flip-flops and then at him. “Hi,” I said. “I brought the egg. Since we're both here, I thought we could get a pic of us with it.”

Jacob nodded. “Hey, good idea.” He pushed his drink to the side and held out a hand for the egg box. I handed it to him and he set it in front of him and opened it. He took out the egg and held it between his index finger and thumb so the face was visible.

“Okay,” I said. I flipped open my phone and moved closer to Jacob's shoulder. I leaned down so both of our faces and the egg were in the shot. My finger fumbled for the camera button and the second I clicked it, Callie appeared in front of us.

“
What
are you doing?” she asked. Her gaze flicked from Jacob to me.

Immediately, I jumped away from him, almost dropping my phone. “Nothing. Just taking a picture of our egg for health class.”

My voice rose with every word. I sounded
so
guilty!

Callie looked down at the egg and rolled her eyes. “Fine.
Are you done now? I came here to meet my
boyfriend
.”

“We're done,” I said. I started to apologize for making her upset, but I knew I couldn't. There couldn't be one crack in my I-really-did-try-to-steal-your-BF facade.

“You want to keep the egg for a while?” I asked Jacob.

“Sure,” he said.

“I forgot the notebook, so just write wherever you take it on paper and I'll add it in,” I said.

He nodded and I sidestepped Callie, hurrying back to my table with Paige. I felt Callie's glare burning into my back as I walked away. I sat across from Paige and gulped my smoothie to stop the flush in my cheeks.

“Let's go,” Paige said.

We grabbed our plastic cups and walked out of the Sweet Shoppe. For once, I was glad Paige could read me so well. She just knew it was time to go.

“I've got to run over to Geena's for a sec,” Paige said. “So, meet you back at Winchester?”

“Sure,” I said. “See you later.”

Paige and I split up and I started for Winchester, taking the prettiest route through the courtyard. I started to walk by the benches, but I felt so tired. What was my problem? I sat on one of the benches and drew up my legs, resting my chin on my knees. I closed my eyes for a second.

“Silver.”

I looked up and Heather was staring at me—arms folded.

“What?” I asked.

“You've been a hot mess for days,” Heather said.

“Wow,” I said. “Thanks.”

“So what's your deal?” Heather asked, an eyebrow raised.

“Just … tired,” I said, honestly.

“Well, maybe it's time to take it easy.”

“Whatever,” I said. “I'm fine.”

Heather sighed. “Clearly. Look, why don't you come sleep over with Julia, Alison, and me.”

I almost fell off my bench.

“Not because we like you or because we're going to do some big dumb girly sleepover,” Heather added quickly. “Just so you can relax. Just this once.”

“So you do care,” I teased.

Heather snorted. “Puh-lease. I just don't want to be alone with Jasmine if you get sick or something and have to skip a lesson. At least she focuses most of her attention on you.” Heather gave me a sweet smile.

“Oh, nice,” I said.

“Are you coming over or what?” Heather asked.

I was surprised when I didn't even pause. “Yeah, I think I will. I mean, I have to ask my dorm monitor, but if she says okay, I'll pack a bag.”

“See you in, like, an hour?” Heather said. I nodded, not saying anything as she walked off.

I sat there for a second, stunned.
What
had just happened? And how was I going to explain to Paige that I was going to spend the night at the Trio's?

When I got back to Winchester, I paused in Livvie's doorway.

“Can I ask you something?” I asked.

“Sure,” she said. “What's up?”

“I know it's a school night,” I said, realizing that would be the first thing she'd question. “But I was wondering if I could go sleepover in Orchard. Just for one night. I … kind of need to get out of Winchester.”

“Are you and Paige having problems?” Livvie asked.

“No,” I said quickly. “It's just Jasmine. If I sleep over in Orchard with Heather, Julia, and Alison, I won't have to see her.”

Livvie nodded slowly. She was probably thinking about my past with the Trio. “It's fine with me. But like you said it
is
a school night and you'd still have to follow the rules and go to bed on time.”

“Promise,” I said.

“Let me call Stephanie and see if it's okay with her,” Livvie said.

I waited while she called Orchard's dorm monitor. When she hung up the phone a few minutes later, Livvie smiled. “It's fine with her. Have fun and relax a little, Sash. You've been working so hard lately.”

“I will,” I said. “I'll be back tomorrow morning before class.”

Livvie nodded.

When I got to my room, Paige was already inside.

“That was fast,” I said. I'd needed more time to work out my I'm-staying-with-the-Trio speech.

“Yeah, I just needed to grab a recipe from her,” Paige said.

I walked over to my bed, trying to come up with what to say. But I had to say it—just get it over. There was no right way to tell Paige.

“So, about tonight … Heather invited me to sleep over in Orchard. You know, to get away from Jasmine and everything.”

Paige stared at me as if it was a joke, like she was waiting for me to laugh and tell her I was just kidding.

“Oh,” Paige said, sitting back in her chair. “If you think
that'll make you feel better, then you should definitely go. But are you
sure
? You can escape Jasmine by staying in our room. You don't have to stay with the Trio to get away from her.”

“It's one night,” I said guiltily. “I kind of just want to get out of Winchester. But not because of you.” I added the last sentence quickly. “I know we'd have a great night, but you know how a change of scenery can help sometimes.”

Paige blinked a few times, then smiled. She was trying to make me think she was okay, but I could tell she probably wasn't. I'd hurt her feelings. But I couldn't stay here. I
had
to get out of Winchester.

“It'll be good,” she said, getting up. “You'll come back with tons of awesome stories about the Trio that we never knew.”

“Exactly,” I said. “I'll sneak into their bathroom to text you if something awesome happens.”

I went to my closet to pack. I took out my pink bag with a silver star in the middle that was the perfect size for an overnight trip. Paige was at her desk working on homework—at least I'd gotten mine done in between classes.

My toothbrush, hairbrush, makeup, and other bathroom
stuff fit into a cute bag with anime kittens on it that I'd bought from Sephora a few weeks ago. I looked outside and saw it was starting to drizzle. I grabbed my umbrella and put on my shoes.

“So, I'm going to go,” I said. “Maybe you could get Geena or someone to sleep over tonight. If Livvie's letting me go, she definitely wouldn't mind.”

Paige smiled. “Yeah, maybe I will. Have fun with the … Trio.”

I nodded. “I'll see you tomorrow.”

I walked out of our door and hurried out of Winchester.
So
awkward! I knew poor Paige didn't understand why I was staying with the Trio and I was sure I'd made her feel bad, but I had to go. I stepped out of Winchester and stopped under the overhang. The drizzle had turned to a downpour.

I opened my purple mini-umbrella and walked down the sidewalk toward Orchard, not having a clue how tonight was going to unfold.

A CRITICAL MOMENT

MY PACE SLOWED WITH EVERY STEP AS I
walked toward Orchard. I tried to imagine what we'd talk about. There was no way Julia wanted me to sleep over. Alison would be nice to me, but she'd never be too friendly with me when Julia was around.

And then I stopped. I'd forgotten something. Something important. Orchard was
Callie's
dorm. What if I ran into her in the hallway?

I forced myself to keep walking. If I ran into Callie, I'd figure out what to do in the moment. I pulled open the glass door to Orchard and stepped into the hallway. I wiped my rain boots on the doorway carpet and shook out my umbrella.

I walked down the main hallway, my shoes squeaking
on the glossy wooden floor. I climbed the stairs to the second floor where Julia, Alison, and Heather lived. Last semester, Julia and Alison had roomed together and Heather had a roommate I'd never met. This semester, the girls had managed to wrangle a triple and they'd all moved in together. Over summer break, Paige and I had talked about asking Callie to apply for a triple with us in Winchester, but we'd decided not to at the last minute because we liked how things were. Now I was
so
glad we hadn't asked Callie to move in with us.

I stopped in front of the last door on the second floor and my hand hovered in the air. I'd never slept over in anyone else's room other than Callie's. I hoped the entire night wouldn't be weird.

I knocked on the door and Alison opened it. “Hey,” she said. “C'mon in.” She ushered me inside.

OMG.

I almost froze in the doorway.

Their suite was
gorgeous
. They actually had a small living room and three doors that led to separate bedrooms. The living room walls were a fresh off-white and two black pole lamps cast a soft yellow light over the room. There was a square espresso-colored coffee table in the center of the room, directly in front of a flat screen TV mounted
on the wall. The entire room was covered in thick, lush, dark brown carpet. And as if that wasn't enough, there was a tiny kitchen area with a counter, mini-fridge, and a microwave.

Paige and I were obviously living in the wrong dorm.

“You guys each have your
own
room?” I asked.

Alison nodded. “Yeah. Heather must have pulled some strings to get us in. I think they're really meant for high school students. But isn't it insane? I'm still not used to having my own room after sharing with Julia last year.”

I glanced around, still taking in their suite. Black-and-white photos of the NYC skyline, a park, and a horse made the room feel sophisticated.

“Want a tour?” Alison asked.

“Uh, yeah!” I said. “But where are Julia and Heather? Did they change their minds?” I was only half-joking. I shifted my bag over my shoulder.

Alison grinned. “No, they're getting snacks in the common room. They'll be here in a sec.”

I followed Alison to the bedroom on the far right. “That's Heather's room,” Alison said.

I peered through the doorway. Heather's room was gorgeous. White, round paper lanterns hung from the
ceiling, her platform bed had built-in drawers on the side and her comforter was dark brown with white stripes. She had photobox frames on the walls and they had oversized pictures of the Trio, Heather standing in front of a castle somewhere and Aristocrat. She had a bedside table with a clear lamp with a soft pink shade. A docking station was plugged in and charging her pink iPod. Her desk had a black halogen lamp, a Mac that was in sleep mode, and a stack of papers and textbooks.

“Cool,” I said. “I love her room.”

I'd imagined before what Heather's room might be like, but had never known it would be so pretty, clean, and simple. I'd pictured it like a queen's bedroom—very royal and pretentious.

I stepped out of the doorway and walked to the next room.

“This is Julia's,” Alison said. “Cute, huh?”

Julia's taste was so different from Heather's. Her bed had wicker baskets tucked underneath. Her bedspread, white with flowers bursting with bright colors, made the room feel cheery. Her desk chair was purple and her rug was striped with a zillion fun colors. A giant heart poster hung over her desk.

Hanging from the edge of her closet, though, were
four complete outfits. The hangers even had bracelets, a necklace, or a pair of earrings attached.

“Is Julia trying to find the right outfit for something?” I asked.

Alison shook her head. “Nope. She always picks out her clothes for the next four days in advance. It's her thing. She can't deal with choosing clothes the night before or in the morning. So, she watches the Weather Channel and figures it out.”