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ChapterFour
“I’m not wearing that.”
“It’ll look so good on you! The red will make your hair look even blacker.”
“No.”
I sat on my bed and watched with a barely concealed grin as Kate offered dress after dress for River to try on for the party that night. She had quite the collection, while the dressiest thing in my closet was a pair of slacks I thought I might need. I’d already accepted a cute black number from Kate, since the red she was currently offering River had clashed with my hair. Double red was never a good look.
“Okay, then, what about this one?”
I could have told her River was going to decline the cute floral sundress, but where was the fun in that?
“I would rather kiss a snake.”
“I think I know a certain one-eyed snake you could kiss. Let me text Ben and see what he’s doing.” I couldn’t help myself. I knew she’d be pissed, and the murderous glare she shot me didn’t disappoint.
“Ooh, Ben. He’s so adorable, he’s got that handsome, nerdy vibe going. Do you like him, River?”
“No!” It was too fast and vehement to be believable, and the red staining her cheeks only made her response a more obvious lie.
“Okay, okay.” Kate held up her hands in surrender and I ducked my head to hide my grin. “Fine, no Ben. But come on, you’ve got to pick something to wear tonight.”
“I have plenty of clothes. Besides, you’re smaller than me. None of those dresses are going to fit.”
“They’ll look even better on you than they do on me. They’ll highlight your assets.”
“Your ass. She means your boobs and your ass, Riv.” Her frown was fierce, but I would bet there was more embarrassment than anger behind it. I really should stop teasing her, but it was too fun. She was always so serious and in control, knocking her off kilter once in a while was probably good for her.
“I’m not an idiot, Thea, I know what she meant.”
“Just making sure. You’re hot, but I don’t think you know it.”
“I know my sex appeal. How I choose to display it or not is a matter of personal preference.”
Well, damn. Okay then.
“You’re gonna want to wear something that looks good with flats. From what I hear, there’s gonna be a bit of walking.”
Kate’s words brought back memories of scrunched up toes and long, sweaty nights in dance clubs. “It’s in the city, right? Can’t our ride drop us off in front of the building?”
“Yeah, but it’s a walk-up, so lots of stairs. I don’t know about you, but I don’t feel like hoofing it up fifteen flights in six-inch stilettos.” Kate’s pinched frown said she’d done it before and had learned from her mistake.
“Right there with you. I don’t have any of my old heels here, anyway. I honestly thought we’d be stuck on campus the entire time.”
“Well, technically, we are.” Her back was to me as she continued to go through the pile of clothes she’d dropped on River’s bed, but there was something in Kate’s tone that raised my hackles.
“What do you mean? I thought we were allowed to go to this party as a reward for finishing our exams.” Fuck, if this was a sneak out situation, I didn’t know if I could risk going. Not with Alvina watching my every move.
“Do you remember senior ditch day in high school? It’s like that. It’s breaking the rules, but it’s overlooked by all the teachers as long as you’re doing alright in their classes.”
“If not?”
“Those students seem to have a particularly hard time leaving the grounds.”
I glanced at River to see if she shared my sense of foreboding and noticed a tightness in her jaw that hadn’t been there a moment ago. It made me pause and wonder if I was truly an asshole. I’d been so caught up in my own drama with Day, Brodgan, and the guys, I hadn’t prodded her for details about her courses.
It was on the tip of my tongue to ask her then and there, but I decided to wait until Kate was gone. If River had failed something, I wouldn’t embarrass her by bringing it up in front of someone else.
