Page 64 of Five

“Anyway,” Kallie says, redirecting my attention back to her. “Edward is more my type than Frank. So… the dress. Do you have a silver dress for tonight?”

Do I have a silver dress? I want to roll my eyes. “No,” I say politely. “No, I’m afraid I don’t. Maybe I’ll just skip it.”

“Skip it?” Mia and Kallie say this at the same time, with the same level of incredulousness.

“No.” Kallie laughs. “You cannot skip Palladium Pairing, Rory. It’s simply not done. I have an extra dress you can borrow. I thought this might happen so I bought two.” She pats my knee, like I’m her child instead of her friend, and this small reassurance is all it takes to set things right. “And I got your size, so don’t worry.” And with that declaration, she stands up and says, “I’ll come by with it after I finish making my rounds.”

“Byeeeee,” Mia calls out, following her.

“Byeeeee,” I mimic, sarcastically. But softly, so they don’t hear me.

“Well.” I sigh, walking over to tap my door closed. “I guess this is it, Rory. Your new life begins now.”

That’s what the invitation in my hand says, anyway.

So I guess it’s true.

After Mia and Kallie leave I sit on my bed and ponder just how things got so fucked up this summer. It all started with Oliver. Stupid Oliver.

But did it really start with Oliver? I mean, Oliver didn’t make Five stay away for six years. Oliver didn’t have anything to do with all the things happening now. He was only looking out for my best interest. He wanted me to be happy. And isn’t that the most adorable thing a little brother could want for his biggest sister?

No. This is not Oliver’s fault.

“Knock, knock.” Tera already has the door open and is entering my room without waiting for an invitation. At least that’s still the same. “Kallie gave me your dress for tonight.” She holds up a silver garment bag and wiggles it. “Open it!” she squeals. “I need to see what it looks like right now!”

Me too, since I wasn’t the one who picked it out. But I keep my negativity quelled as I take the bag, close my door, looking for the hook to hang it on, and then unzip it.

“Holy—” Tera is stunned silent. Which isn’t easy to do.

“Wow,” I say, pulling the dress out of the bag and hanging it back up. “Just… wow.”

Tera grabs the tag hanging off a strap and covers her mouth in a gasp. “Shit!” she says, finishing the last part of her initial sentiment. “Do you see this?”

I try not to, but it’s hard to miss the comma and zeroes in that price.

“She spent over nine thousand dollars on a dress?” Tara exclaims. “Jesus. I knew Kallie had money, but… Jesus. That’s a lot of money for a dress you only wear once, right? I mean, it’s not a wedding.”

“It’s not?” I laugh, unable to stop myself. “I’m pretty sure Kallie and Mia think we’re all getting married to Palladium House tonight.”

Tera squints her eyes at me. “That’s not true.”

I squint my eyes back. Because it was a joke. “Well.” I shrug. “I mean, that’s what we’re doing, right? Pledging ourselves to these people? Sisterhood and brotherhood and all that good high-and-mighty classy shit that rich people do?”

Tera just stares at me.

“Sorry,” I say, meaning it. Because I just insulted her. I just insulted everyone here. I basically just broke apart from the group and put us all in us-and-them categories.

“I thought you wanted to pledge Palladium?”

“I do,” I say. “I do. I’m sorry. I’m still not myself after last summer.”

“You need to forget about that guy, Rory. Five Aston. Do you know I looked him up this summer after all that shit happened?”

“God,” I say, sitting down on the corner of my bed. “I don’t want to hear it.”

“Well, you’re going to. That’s what best friends do, OK? They contribute to your fantasy as long as it’s harmless, but they yank you back to reality when things go sideways. And that man…” Tera shakes her head. “Has some shady dealings, Rory. Capital S. Capital D. It’s better for you to stay far, far away from him. Trust me. And forget my brother, all right? I don’t care if you don’t like him that way. But you’re gonna find someone better. Someone worthy.”

“Like who?” I ask, seriously needing to know who she sees me with in the future. “Like Frank Fulbright?”