Stuck With The Four Hotties

He seems a bit tentative about hitting a girl, but I’m worried for Andrew. “Back off of him, Craig!” Miranda shouts, just as much a Blueblood as

she ever was. No, no, more of a Blueblood than she was before. She’s practically regal in that cream colored dress of hers, like a princess. Or maybe even a queen. “If you touch him, I’ll kill you.”

“Yeah?” Craig sneers, shoving Andrew in the chest with a palm. Andrew stumbles back, nostrils flaring, but he holds his ground. Miranda is there in an instant, despite Jessie’s attempts to pull her back. She throws herself at Craig Taittinger, and he raises a fist. I’m ready to step in if I’m wrong, but

…

A pale hand clamps onto his wrist and jerks him back so hard that he stumbles, falling into a heap on the porch. A crowd’s gathered around now, as Creed looks down at Ileana’s brother with a face so full of darkness that I barely recognize him.

“Were you thinking about touching my sister?” he whispers, his voice like jagged sheets of ice, as sharp as glass and freezing cold. They can cut to bleed and poison the flesh with frostbite, all at once. “Are you fucking kidding me?” Creed puts his foot on Taittinger’s throat, and the crowd gasps in shock. Me, I’ve got my phone recording and nobody knows it.

He’s just proteFting his sister, I think, but I banish the thought, remembering the impassive way he stared at me while I was humiliated,

remembering my panties clutched in his hand. He threw them at me like he was tossing trash at a stray dog.

“Lay off, Cabot,” the first year girl snaps, her hands curled into fists. “These idiots rushed the gate. Craig was just trying to help.”

“By hitting my sister?” Creed Cabot says, his voice sending a chill down my spine. I remember the way he tore Derrick Barr up with words last year, and then proceeded to flip him off the deck into the weeds. Scary. “And what did I say about homophobic garbage? I won’t stand for it.” He pushes his feet even harder into Craig’s throat, and I feel this little twinge inside of me. I’m not a proponent of violence, but … Creed’s message is a good one. Still, I keep recording. “Leave them alone.”

“But the Working Girl-” the first year chick sputters, and Creed’s eyes, normally half-lidded and lazy, snap up to her, sharp with rage. She retreats back a few steps and pinches her glossy red lips closed. A moment later, Tristan appears in the doorway with Ileana on his arm. She’s giggling and flirting until she sees her brother on the ground.

“Craig!” She pushes away from Tristan and stumbles forward, knocking Creed out of the way in her frenzy. As he bumps into me, my hand sneaks into his pocket and fishes out his keys. They’re in my own pocket before he realizes who he’s just bumped into, turning to look at me. He’s panting with rage, but he quickly closes his eyes, takes several deep breaths, and banishes the emotion. When he opens them back up, they’re the same lazy, insouciant eyes I’m used to.

As he stares at me, I lean down and switch out my flats for the heels he bought me last year, the ones with the gold moon and silver star designs.

“What do you think you’re doing here?” Tristan asks as Craig pushes up to his feet, choking and glaring at Creed. A good fourth of the crowd actually seems to be sympathetic towards him. Nice. This should have been my seventh rule: Create a divide between the Plebs and the Bluebloods. Craig Taittinger, as haughty and arrogant as he is, is still nothing but a Plebeian in the Burberry Prep social scene.

“Me?” I ask, sauntering up to Tristan and putting my hands on the front of his wool jacket. I trail them down, palms flat, as Tristan’s blade gray gaze narrows. I know what I look like, dripping diamonds, wearing a tight, gold dress and heels. A whole summer of working out and preparing myself for this moment, and it shows. I’m still curvy, but my body is much tighter. He

can see it, I know he can. God, this is so weird, I think as I curl my fingers around the edges of his pockets. As far as I can tell, there are no keys inside.

I’ll have to look elsewhere.

“I’m here to party.” I push Tristan back, and he stumbles. But only because he’s not expecting the move. As Zayd watches us, still gaping, his eyes following me inside the door, I take off for the drink table and pour myself a beer. No way in hell I’m going to actually drink it, but when I see Harper du Pont glaring at me from across the crowd, I lift my cup in salute and pretend to take a chug. She sneers at me, but I just smile, waiting for Andrew, Miranda, and Jessie to catch up with me.

“What was that all about?” Miranda gasps, looking at me like she’s never seen me before. “Was that part of your revenge plot?”

“It just happened,” I say, which is true. It did. But there are certain ways to play this game, tips and tricks to set the Idols versus the Inner Circle, the Plebs versus the Bluebloods. When Harper’s gaze is safely averted, I dump my beer in the sink and fill the cup with water. Next time she looks, I really do chug the entire cup in one go, getting a few stray cheers from some first years who don’t quite know who I am yet.

“Well, that was scary,” Miranda says, exhaling and running her hands down the front of her dress. “Jessie, drink? I know I could use one.” Miranda starts mixing up two cocktails in red plastic cups while I peek out the back door and see, surprisingly, that the pool isn’t in use. It’s covered up with a tarp, but there’s water pooled on the top along with heaps of dead leaves, weighing it down so that it sags into the pool water. As surreptitiously as I can, I refill my cup.

I look back at Andrew.

“What are you planning?” he asks me, and I shrug. I’m sort of playing things by ear. I mean, I have a list, but … this is much better, this new idea I’m cooking up. “What do you need from me?”

“Can you help me find Tristan’s and Zayd’s keys?” I ask, and he raises both brows before Zayd pops into the kitchen and interrupts us. It’s awkward as hell when he pauses next to me and sighs, holding a beer bottle in his tattooed right hand. He clears his throat and tosses his chin in the direction of the living room.

“Beat it, Payson,” he says, and Andrew frowns, but exchanges a quick look with me before heading in the direction of the staircase. I’m hoping he’s off to find Tristan’s keys. I turn my attention to Zayd. He returns my stare

with a hard one of his own, his hand tightening even harder around the bottle. The motion makes his tattoos look like they’re liable to slide right off his skin like stickers. “Marnye, come on, what are you doing here?”

“I’m partying,” I say, tipping the drink to my lips and swallowing a huge mouthful. Zayd raises his pierced brow at me, teasing his right lip ring with his tongue. He’s painfully beautiful, especially with that silver-gray hair of his. It’s spiked up with gel, and as I watch, he reaches up to tease it with his fingers.

“Did you think last year was a joke? It was a warm-up session, Marnye.

You shouldn’t be here.”

“So you keep saying,” I retort, taking another sip of my water. Zayd frowns hard, and tips his beer back. Irresistible by Fall Out Boy and Demi Lovato comes on, and I smile. I don’t know a lot of pop songs, but this is one of Miranda’s favorites. She puts it on a lot when we’re getting ready. “But what are you going to do about it? Is there a medal for destroying me a second time, something to hang up beside your trophy?”NôvelDrama.Org (C) content.

Zayd just stares at and then chucks his beer into the sink. When he steps forward suddenly, I’m so surprised that I move back, my butt bumping into the counter. He puts a hand on either side of me, effectively penning me in. I can smell him now, that sweet tobacco and cloves scent that had me swooning last year. Then I remember that he brought a camera into my room to film us while we made out.

Piece of shit.

“You don’t want to know what the Club will do to you if you don’t leave,” he threatens, using his rockstar purr of a voice. It gives me the chills all over, but I ignore the feeling and narrow my eyes. “What I will do to you if you don’t leave.” He puts a palm on my hip, but I shove his arm off, simultaneously diving into the back pocket of his jeans with one hand while I grab his face with the other.

You Fan do this, Marnye, you are so badass! I tell myself, but still … doesn’t make this any easier. I kiss Zayd hard and fast, pushing my tongue between his lips at the same time I swipe his car keys. He groans and leans into me, putting his hand back on my hip and squeezing.

Oh my god, no. He tastes so damn good. My body melts into Zayd’s even as my heart and soul remain hard as stone, unyielding and immovable. But those damn hormones … With a gasp, I shove away from Zayd, and stumble,

spilling my water all over the floor. I ignore it, crushing the cup under my heels as I flee