The Clique (3 page)

              “Well, I’m gonna go,” Maddie, who hasn’t even sat down, turns to leave. “You coming, Kate?”

              “Yeah, right behind you. Come on, Sean.”

              “But we just got here…“ At a glare from Kate, he swallows the rest of the sentence. “Okay, see you guys.”

              “What do you think Hannah sees in him?” Maddie asks once they’re outside the restaurant.

              “I don’t know,” Kate says. She throws the bottom half of her burrito into trashcan. It wasn’t that good anyway.

              “He
is
funny—in a horrible way.” Sean winces, like he’s just stepped into a minefield.

              Kate rounds on him. “No, he isn’t.”

              Sean shrugs. “
I
think he is. Oh, don’t make that face.” He frowns at Kate’s scowl. “What’s wrong?”

              “I’m—well, I’m kinda mad at you.” Kate almost laughs at herself—the phrase is Aude all the way, not her. She sighs as they walk toward Sean’s car. “Okay, not just kinda. I’m mad at you.”

              “What? Why?” Sean unlocks the doors and the three of them climb in.

              “Cause you sat with Devon even though we don’t like him, and we were sitting somewhere else.”

             
“Well, you didn’t have to join us. I just wanted to catch up with them. Dom’s on the team, you know.”

              Kate crosses her arms and looks out the window.

              “Come on, don’t be mad.  I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry I sat with them instead of you, and I’m sorry Devon’s an asshole.”

              “Fine.”

              “Calm down, Kate,” Maddie sets a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “It wasn’t that bad. She forgives you, Sean.”

              “She does?”

              Kate relents. “Yeah, I guess. I don’t wanna fight, especially on our first day of school. Let’s just go back.”

              “Fair enough.” Sean turns the ignition. In a matter of minutes, they’re travelling along Larkspur, wind whipping in through the open windows.

              Aside from a cool experiment in Physics—in which the teacher has the class roll hot dogs down a hall to test different brands’ rolling capability—the rest of the school day ticks by uneventfully. Aude and Gabe are giving each other a quick goodbye on the hood of her SUV when Kate walks up. She clears her throat.

              “Oh, hey Kate. Sorry.” The familiar flush fills Aude’s face. Aude blushes at just about everything.

              Kate giggles. Only Audrey would have no qualms about kissing her boyfriend so publicly, but blush when someone saw them. “Hey, you two.”

              “See you tonight, babe. See ya around, Kate.” Gabe waves goodbye and heads back to George Washington.

              “Tonight?” Kate asks.

              “Yeah, at Hannah’s party.” Audrey smoothes her wrinkled tank.

              “Oh, she moved it to tomorrow.”

              “Oh? When?” Aude’s phone buzzes. She pulls it up, opens a text. “Whoa, you’re like a psychic! How did you know she was gonna move it?”

              Kate laughs. “I had lunch with Maddie. She told me. By the way, could you drop me off at Sean’s instead of my house?”

              Aude smiles knowingly. “Date night?”

              “Yeah, something like that.”

              “Cool! I’ll just stop off at your place and change back into my ‘clothes.’”

              Kate sniggers. “Sometimes I think your parents make you wear more ridiculous outfits every year, and they know about our deal, and they just wanna see how far they can push before you open up and tell them.”

              “Well, if I have to wear a burka next year, we’ll know your theory’s right.” Aude clicks the unlock button on her key. “Now, come on. I wanna enjoy being home before five, before all the clubs start up.”

              Kate climbs in and flicks the radio on. She and her friend sing along to every song that comes on—on the ones they don’t know, they make up words of their own. Audrey parks outside Kate’s house, leaving her car on while she shimmies out of her normal clothes and cleans off the day’s makeup. Kate rocks out to the latest Katy Perry single by herself.

              “This darn skirt is so itchy.” Aude climbs into the car, slamming her door shut. “Oh, great, Amanda.”

              Kate follows her friend’s gaze: sure enough, Amanda—awkward, braces-and-crooked-nose Amanda—is smiling at the pair of them. “That’s weird. I thought she’d be mad, after last year.”

              “Yeah, me too. Then again, she probably doesn’t remember much from that night.” Aude pulls away from the curb, leaving Amanda in the rearview.

              “It wasn’t our fault, either. It was Hannah’s idea,” Kate argues. “She was the one refilling her cup all night. We tried to tell her not to come, remember?”

              Audrey shrugs. “Yeah, I know. Whatever, some girls can’t hold their liquor.”

              Kate bites back a laugh.

              “Oh, hush.” Aude giggles. “I can hold my liquor just fine.”

              “No, it isn’t that.” Kate smiles at her best friend. “I was just remembering freshman year, how straight-laced you were.”

              “Yeah, well, that was back when I still believed all that baloney from Jenna and my parents. ‘Don’t drink or you’ll go to hell, don’t smoke or you’ll go to hell, no sex before marriage or—‘”

              “You’ll go to hell,” Kate finishes for her. “Well, I guess it’s settled then. You’re going to hell.”

              Aude flashes a wicked smile. “You first.”

All of the lights in Hannah’s house are turned on. The red-brick, ranch-style building is only a couple of blocks away from George Washington, and it’s one of the largest houses in the area. The back yard is a huge open space Hannah’s father purchased back when she was into horse riding.

              “Aude, Kate! You made it!” Hannah’s hair cascades in a single loose braid, and a pair of black stilettos bring her to the same height as Gabe and Sean.

              Aude grins. “Come on, Hannah. Where else would we be?” Her red-lace dress, the one she’s co-owned with Kate for two years, hugs her curves.

              “Well, let us in,” Kate says. Hannah moves aside to let her friends pass. Kate turns to Sean. “You coming?”

              Aude has a more direct method: she grabs Gabe by the hand and pulls him into the foyer. The foursome makes their way down to the basement. A single big room ends in wall-to-ceiling windows, looking out on the back yard.

              “I guess we’re early,” Gabe remarks, noting that they’re the only guests present.

              Audrey giggles. “Of course we are. It’s Hannah’s party. We have to be the first ones, to support her. And—“ she walks over to the alcove that serves as Hannah’s mother’s pantry, and stretches up to the top shelf “—this way, we get the good stuff. A-ha! Fifty-seven Bordeaux.” She brings it back to the group, who’ve found seats on the floor. “Here, hold onto this, Gabe. I’ll be right back.”

              “Where are you going?” he asks.

              “To get a corkscrew.” She jogs up the stairs, nearly running into someone at the top. “Oof! Sorry. Oh, it’s you.” She scowls. “Where’s Hannah?”

              “Talking with Maddie.” Devon gestures vaguely to the foyer. “Damn, you look sexy.”

              Aude wrinkles her nose. “Your girlfriend is like one of my best friends.”

              “So? We have an open relationship.”

              “Well
I
don’t. Now, excuse me.” Aude pushes past the boy. “Hey Hannah, do you have any bottle openers?”

              Hannah turns from a conversation with Maddie. “Yeah, in the knife drawer.”

              “Oh, alright.” Audrey’s gaze shifts to her other friend, who’s wearing a low-cut yellow sundress and matching headband. “Wow, you look so pretty!”

              “Thanks.” Maddie smiles sheepishly. “I just found this in the back of my closet.”

              Right. “Oh, well, you look good.” Aude retrieves the corkscrew, then returns downstairs.

              Gabe, Kate, Sean, and Devon have formed a sort of circle. Kate’s arguing with Devon about something. Aude can’t tell from the stairs. “I’m back!” she holds up the corkscrew triumphantly. “Here, hand over the wine bottle.”

              Kate huffs. “Fine, tell Aude what you said to me and Maddie.”

              “Huh?” Aude looks up from her attempts to open the wine bottle.

              “Just give it to me, babe.” Gabe holds out his hand, and Audrey hands him the bottle and corkscrew.

              “Tell her,” Kate prompts. “See if
she
thinks it’s funny.”

              “Okay. ‘How would you feel about getting tag-teamed?’”

              Audrey looks at him, feeling confused. She sits down next to Gabe. “Um, okay, I guess.”

              “Aude!” Kate turns back to Devon. “She doesn’t know what it means.”

              Gabe pops the cork off the Bordeaux. “I hope not.”

              “No, I do,” Audrey insists. She hates feeling ignorant, like everyone in the room knows more than her.

              Devon laughs hard—one of those overwrought, comical laughs where he pounds the ground with his fist and rolls around on his back. “See,” he says once he’s recovered. “She knows what it means, and she doesn’t mind.”

              Kate sighs. She turns to Sean. “Explain it, please.”

              Sean shakes his head. “No, I’m not getting in trouble again.”

              “Fine.” Kate looks at Aude. “It’s something gross, and you definitely
don’t
want to do it.”

              “Oh.” Aude hides her embarrassment with a laugh.

              Gabe takes a swig from the bottle. “Anyone else want some of this?”

              “You got it open!” Aude frowns at her boyfriend. “Don’t you wanna use the glasses?”

              Devon shrugs. “I don’t see anything wrong with drinking from the bottle.”

              “That’s ‘cause you’re the dirtiest one here,” Kate retorts. “If we catch something, it’ll probably be from you.”

              “Hey!” Devon holds his arms up in a don’t-shoot expression. “Dirty mind, not dirty body.” Maddie descends the stairs, followed by Dom. Audrey groans inwardly: Devon’s brother always follows him to parties.

              “Here, hand it over.” Aude gestures for the Bordeaux and takes a big gulp.

              “Whoa, there. Save some for us,” Gabe jokes.

              “Eh, whatever. I’m getting drunk.” Aude takes another swallow.

              Another half-hour—and several guests—later, Hannah finally joins them. She frowns at the half-consumed wine bottle in Audrey’s hands. “Really, Aude? The fifty-seven?”

              Aude giggles. “What? It tastes good. Plus, it isn’t like your mom’ll notice, the way she goes through wine.”

              Hannah shakes her head. “Okay, for the non-snobs, I bought a keg. Gabe, Sean, can you bring it down? It’s in the garage.”

              “Sure.” They both head upstairs.

              “Aude,” Kate whispers, “Take it easy. It’s only nine-thirty.”

              “Don’t worry, I told my parents we were having a sleep over. It isn’t like I’m gonna drive or anything. I just wanna get good and drunk.” Audrey can be the life of the party, but fun Audrey only comes out after her BAC goes above twenty. In her mind, at least.

              “Aude, don’t pull an Amanda.”

              Hannah snorts from her position on Devon’s lap. “Oh, come on, Kate. She isn’t gonna pull an Amanda. Aude’s smart enough to know her limits. Just loosen up, it’s a party.”

              Kate laughs. “When did I become the boring one?”

              “About the time Jackie graduated,” Aude says. She takes another sip from the bottle. “Jenna was a better sister. At least she never tattled.”

              “Yeah, Jackie was always trying to be like your mother.”

              “Mhm. Jenna too. Hell, even Jules tries to be like her. I’m the only Hughes girl who actually wants to be myself.” She drains another mouthful of wine. “Good Mormon girls, all of them. Married to good Mormon boys, gonna pop out a lot of good Mormon kids.”

              “Jenna isn’t married yet,” Kate points out.

              “No, but she’s engaged. Same thing.” Sean and Gabe descend the stairs, their arms shaking to support a large steel keg.

              “Oh, cool, keg’s here!” Hannah squeaks. They tap the keg, and before long Aude isn’t the only one drinking. Audrey and Hannah grab a couple of red cups and hang out in the corner, while Devon and Sean play a round of beer pong on Hannah’s pool table.