Thrall (12 page)

“Hi, Parker,” Cassie said shyly.

Parker ran a finger over the hood of my car. His ice-blue eyes mirrored the Firebird’s new paint job. “That’s a lot of car for a girl.” Parker didn’t even acknowledge Cassie. His eyes were glued to me. “I could teach you how to handle it, if you like.” Cassie looked at me quickly, stung.

I gave Parker a chilly smile. “I’m sure you have a lot of practice
handling it,
Parker,” I said. “But I don’t need your help.” Royal snorted a surprised laugh. I didn’t wait around for Parker’s response. “Come on,” I said to Royal and Cassie. “I want to get something to eat before first bell.” I looped my arm around Cassie and led her away. Royal followed us, frowning. Like me, he didn’t understand Cassie’s thing for Parker. Neither of us wanted to see her get hurt.

I shot a quick look back at Parker. His blue-black hair stood out in sharp contrast against the morning sky. Without taking his eyes off me, Parker elbowed one of his friends. He dropped his voice, but I could have sworn I heard him ask, “You ever been to the Raven?”

“What are you going to wear tonight?” Cassie asked me that day at lunch, handing over the serving bowl of asparagus. I spooned a generous portion onto my plate.

“Well,” I said, thinking out loud. “I’ve got some new jeans that would look great with...”

Royal didn’t let me finish. “No jeans. Bad Braedyn.”

“What about that black dress you wore to Winter Ball last year?” Cassie asked.

“Isn’t that kind of formal for a club?” I asked.

“You have to dress up,” Cassie said.

“I’ve got it,” Royal said, leaning forward. His eyes gleamed. “Break out the ultra-swanky sky-blue dress I got you at the Plaza last summer for your birthday. You still haven’t worn it outside your house.”

I set down the bread roll I was buttering. “You’re kidding, right?”

“It’ll match your new ride.” He said this like it was the only logical thing to do.

“I distinctly remember telling you not to buy that dress,” I said, pointing my butter knife at Royal. “Cassie, you were there.”

“It is kind of spectacular,” Cassie said. “I think I’m with Royal on this one.”

“Judas.” I finished buttering my roll.

“Let’s make this easy.” Royal pulled a quarter out of his pocket. “Heads, you walk on the wild side and repay my birthday generosity by wearing the sky-blue gorgeousness. Tails, you play it safe and wear whatever your little heart desires. Just to be clear, that does not include jeans. Deal?”

I glanced from Royal to Cassie. Cassie clasped her hands together, in eager anticipation. I sighed. “Fine. Deal.”

Royal flipped the quarter up. It glinted in the sunlight streaming into the dining hall. Royal deftly plucked it out of the air and slapped it onto the back of his hand.

“And fate has decreed...” he lifted his hand revealing the quarter. Heads.

“Score!” said Cassie.

“Well, well, well.” Royal looked extremely satisfied.

“Um, excuse me?” I almost didn’t recognize Amber’s voice. It was pitched an octave higher than her normal register. I turned to find her glaring, arms crossed, behind my table. Ally and Missy stood with her. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Eating lunch,” I said. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Cassie and Royal trading a look.

“Tonight is Desert Fest,” Amber said. Behind her, Ally nodded grimly.

“So?”

“So? You’re throwing a party at the Raven!” Amber’s shriek travelled across the dining hall. More than a few heads turned to see what was going on. Her iron-straight blond hair quivered with rage.

I stared at her in astonishment. “How do you know that?”

Amber’s eyes darted to her lunch table. Parker and his friends were watching us with interest. Question answered. And then I noticed Lucas. Our eyes connected, and he didn’t turn away. A slow warmth spread through my chest-- until Amber stepped in front of me, breaking our eye contact.

Amber’s eyes were narrow slits. “Postpone. Ally and I have been planning this for two months.”

“Today is my birthday,” I said, smiling coldly. “I’m not postponing my party because it’s inconvenient for you.”

“I hope you’re not relying on this glam-tramp makeover to win friends and influence people,” Amber hissed. “If you force people to choose between us, you’ll be disappointed.”

I pushed my chair back from the table so abruptly that Amber took an involuntary step back. I stood, facing her.

“Then let’s give them the choice and see.” I turned my back on Amber and stepped onto the middle of our dining table. Royal and Cassie reacted, jerking back, startled. I turned to face the crowded dining hall. A sea of faces looked up and I flashed my brightest smile, feeling a swell of confidence. It was a rush, standing before the expectant crowd. I had everyone’s undivided attention, and I only needed it for a few seconds.

“Hey, party at the Raven tonight,” I shouted. “It’s my birthday and everyone’s invited!” I wasn’t prepared for the resulting cheer. When I looked back at Amber, her lips were pressed into a thin line of fury. Behind her, I saw Headmaster Fiedler making a beeline for my table. Oops. The noise died down to a dull roar as people turned away, talking excitedly with their friends.

“Ms. Murphy,” Fiedler said, arriving beside the table. “Down.”

I moved for my chair, but someone had pushed it in, leaving me nothing to step down on. Amber watched from a few feet away, her eyes smoldering with glee. Seeing my predicament, Fiedler pulled the chair out for me. He gave me his hand to steady myself as I climbed down.

“Sorry,” I said. “I got a little carried away.” When he didn’t answer, I looked at his face. Fiedler was giving me a strange look. He cleared his throat and released my hand.

“Well. Just... don’t stand on any more tables and I think we can let this slide.” Fiedler straightened his tie. “Happy birthday.” He walked out of the dining hall.

Amber stared at me, open-mouthed.

“That was... forward,” Royal said. His expression was guarded, but I detected uneasiness in his eyes.

I glanced back at Amber. Her astonishment had been replaced by a look of unsettling calculation.

At the end of the day, Cassie walked me to my car. It felt a little strange, parting ways with her in the parking lot instead of getting a ride home with her and Royal. The Firebird gleamed in the afternoon sun.

“Amber is on the warpath,” Royal said, joining us. “You should have heard her in Geometry. She’s threatening to shun anyone who comes to the Raven tonight.”

Cassie looked worried. “Maybe I should get some party favors or something.”

“Don’t waste the money,” I said. “I hate to admit it, but Amber’s right. No one’s going to show up to a party for a girl they don’t even know when they could be getting smashed in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of cheerleaders.”

Royal didn’t look convinced, but Cassie smiled, relaxing a little. “More dance floor for the rest of us.”

“Looks like you have another admirer,” Royal said. I looked up. Greg Pantelis, star of the swim team, was hovering at the edge of the parking lot. He’d never looked in my direction before, but when he caught my eye he walked over to us.

“I hear the Firebird belongs to you,” he said. “Nice ride.” Greg’s eyes slid over my face. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Amber and Ally approaching, engrossed in conversation. They hadn’t seen me yet. “Is anyone taking you to the party tonight?” Greg asked.

“I’m not going to Desert Fest,” I said, distracted.

Greg laughed. “I mean your party.”

Amber grabbed Ally’s arm, stopping both of them in their tracks. She turned to look at Greg and me, eyes wide with disbelief.

Greg’s words finally sunk in. “What?” I asked. Beside me, Royal and Cassie watched us.

“Your party,” he repeated. “At the Raven. Do you have a date?”

I could sense Amber hanging on his words. It wasn’t much of a secret that she’d been angling for Greg before she and Derek started dating. If I wanted to stick it to Amber, I wouldn’t find a better opportunity than this. I beamed up at Greg, playing naive for Amber’s benefit. “No. Why do you ask?”

Greg, solely focused on me, had no idea Amber was listening to every word he said. “You’re... different than the other girls at school. There’s something special about you.” I could see Amber stiffening in my peripheral vision. This was the first time in our lives that I had the upper hand and Amber was the one on the outside looking in. I’ll admit, I relished the turnabout.

I stepped closer to Greg, putting a hand lightly on his chest. “That’s really sweet,” I breathed. The touch affected Greg more than I anticipated. He lowered his head toward me and I felt my breath catching in my throat. With a tingling sensation, I knew he would kiss me with the slightest provocation. Aware of Amber standing nearby, devouring us with her eyes, I tipped my head up and let my lashes flutter closed. In answer, Greg cupped the back of my head with one warm hand. He pulled me slightly forward and kissed me.

“Braedyn,” Cassie said. I heard something in her voice. Shock, maybe.

Greg’s lips were soft and warm. It was pleasant enough... but something was missing. When Lucas had held me in his basement - when my eyes had fluttered shut of their own volition – I’d felt a longing so intense it had left me breathless. As soon as I thought of Lucas, I was overwhelmed with a sort of sick emptiness. I pulled away, breaking the kiss, flustered. I saw confusion fill Greg’s face.

“Is something wrong?” he asked.

“I... It’s my fault,” I whispered. “I’m sorry.” I glanced away from Greg and saw Lucas staring at us from across the quad. His face was drawn, pale. Amber was already moving to greet him. She reached him quickly, but Lucas didn’t seem aware of her existence. He didn’t look away when I met his stare. Shame flooded through me and I turned away from Lucas. “I... I need to go home.”

“So, about tonight?” Greg asked.

“She’s coming with us,” Royal said, ending the conversation.

Greg looked from Royal to me, bewildered. “Well,” he said. “Maybe I’ll see you there.”

I nodded, but I couldn’t meet his eyes. Greg left, and Cassie and Royal turned on me.

“I didn’t even know you liked Greg,” Cassie said in a small voice.

“I don’t,” I answered miserably.

“So what the hell was that?” Royal asked.

“I don’t know,” I moaned, feeling sick. “How much did Lucas see?”

“Enough,” Royal answered. “All the juicy bits, for sure.”

“You do like Lucas,” Cassie said. It sounded like an accusation, and I didn’t deny it. “I don’t understand. Why don’t you tell him that? Can’t you see he likes you, too?”

“You’re right,” I said glumly. “You don’t understand.”

Royal frowned. “As long as we’re making a list of things we don’t understand, how about adding the part where you invited the whole school to your party to piss Amber off.”

“Yeah,” Cassie added, hurt. “I thought this was going to be our special thing.”

“Does this mean you guys aren’t coming?” I asked in a small voice. “It won’t be any fun if you aren’t there.”

“As if we don’t know that,” Royal scoffed. But after a moment, he softened. “Of course we’re coming. It’s your big day.”

Cassie watched Amber and Lucas walking across the parking lot, twirling loops of long black hair between her fingers. "So what’s the plan?” she asked. “Do you want to get ready together? I could bring my stuff over to your place after dinner.” She glanced at Royal. “If you can give me a ride.”

“At your service,” Royal said.

“Dad’s taking me out for dinner,” I lied quickly. “I don’t know when I’ll be back. It might just be easier if we all meet at the club at nine.” I was going to have to sneak out of my house to go to this party. That wouldn’t be possible if Cassie and Royal showed up at my doorstep.

Cassie shrugged. “Okay.”

Royal’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “If this means you’re trying to get out of wearing...”

I cut him off. “No,” I said. “A deal’s a deal.”

Royal looked slightly mollified. “You know, a little mascara might bring out those eyes.”