Unforgettable (22 page)

What was
that
supposed to mean?

Instant Message Inbox

BennyCunningham:
That was so scary. I can’t believe we almost, like, went up in fl ames… . I felt so vulnerable.

LonBaruzza:
You were nowhere near the barn, you tease. You just like to be the damsel in distress.

BennyCunningham:
Whatever. Still can’t get over the sight of Callie and EZ running half-naked from the barn. So much for their secret affair.

LonBaruzza:
You know the saying: there’s no girlfriend like an ex-girlfriend! Think their fl aming passion set the barn on fi re?

BennyCunningham:
Gross. Everyone knows they smoke like fi ends… . I wouldn’t be surprised. I hope they don’t get expelled!!

LonBaruzza:
Dunno. I saw Tinsley sneaking around back there too. Maybe she did it.

BennyCunningham:
Hmph. Why were you watching HER?

LonBaruzza:
Doesn’t everybody?

Instant Message Inbox

AlanStGirard:
Think Callie and EZ fi nally did the deed? They really got caught with their pants down!

HeathFerro:
Pretty sad if Walsh couldn’t manage to seal the deal. Had my money on him ending up w/Miss Boobs, tho.

AlanStGirard:
Come to think of it … I
DID
see Jenny back there too. Think they had a threesome on?

HeathFerro:
Insert H.F. in Walsh’s spot, por favor.

AlanStGirard:
Speaking of threesomes—you and Brett and Kara? Are they just lezzies or do you have something kinkier going on?

HeathFerro:
Please. There’s not a girl on campus not interested in going for a pony ride… .

AlanStGirard:
What kind of answer is that?

HeathFerro:
The only one you’re getting.

Instant Message Inbox

SageFrancis:
Wacked-out party. Don’t even know how to begin to digest all the juicy shit that hit the fan. Can you believe our prefect is a lesbian?

AlisonQuentin:
So what? Kara’s hot. If I weren’t into Alan, who knows, maybe I’d go for her.

SageFrancis:
As if. You’re as straight as they come.

AlisonQuentin:
Did you see poor Brandon’s new girlfriend making out with skeezoid Brian Atherton?
HTF
did that happen?

SageFrancis:
Poor BB. Girls always seem to treat him like dirt. At least the ones he picks.

AlisonQuentin:
Oh yeah? Are you volunteering to cheer him up?

SageFrancis:
Maybe. But I don’t know if I can date a guy who’s prettier than me!

AlisonQuentin:
BTW
, did anyone watch the movie?

SageFrancis:
What movie???

Jenny stormed out of Dumbarton in her pajamas, wishing she had one of those rubber balls you’re supposed to squeeze when you’re stressed or frustrated or angry. She stomped down the stairs, her slippers padding softly against the marble, making her wish she still had her big, heavy boots on—she wanted to stomp and be loud and make noise. Although maybe that wasn’t the best idea, as it was almost curfew. But she couldn’t have stayed in her dorm room for one more second, not with Callie lying to her face and trying to make it not seem like a big deal because of Julian.

And then she sighed.
Julian.
Jenny paused for a second when her feet hit the first floor. In a different mood, she would have smiled at the sight of the broom closet where he’d once been hiding. Their kiss had been … unexpected. And awesome.

She almost giggled, thinking back at it, her mood starting to lift. The door to Brett and Tinsley’s door was open, but as Jenny peeked hesitantly inside, not wanting Tinsley to bite it off, she saw that it was empty. She padded over to Kara’s room and knocked gently. There was a pause and some shuffling before Kara appeared wearing a baggy Red Hot Chili Peppers concert T-shirt and a pair of black leggings. “Hey,” Jenny said, grateful to see a friendly face. “I was just looking for Brett.” “Oh, yeah.” Kara opened the door further and saw Brett sitting in Kara’s desk chair. “What are you doing here?” Brett asked, her voice cold. Her short hair was pulled into two short pigtails at the side of her head, and her makeupless face looked kind of young and sad. She was wearing a pair of gray-striped flannel pajamas but seemed to be shivering inside them. Jenny was taken aback. She paused where she was and looked at Brett blankly. “I, uh … You weren’t in your room, so I figured you’d be here.” “Be a little louder, Jenny.” Brett laughed hollowly, sounding completely unlike herself. “Although I guess you already told everyone everything anyway.” Jenny rushed toward her. “I did not tell anyone!” she whispered. “I would never do that to you.” Tinsley could hate her all she wanted, and even Callie could want to murder her, but just the idea that Brett could be mad at her made Jenny want to dig a hole and bury herself in it. But Brett couldn’t be mad at her for this—she hadn’t done anything.

“No?” Brett asked, her voice wavering. She rubbed a hand across her face, looking completely forlorn.

Callie. It was all Callie and her stupid, drunkenly insinuating comments. Jenny bit her lip. “But I do think Callie knows … and I kind of heard her, well, implying things. To other people.” Brett covered her face in both hands. “I think I’m going crazy,” she admitted despondently. Her green cat eyes turned to Jenny, looking wobbly and sad. “I’m so sorry, Jenny. I didn’t meant to accuse you. I just … don’t know what I’m doing right now.” She tried to laugh but it came out as a hiccup. “I practically strangled Heath earlier when I thought it was him.” “It’s okay,” Jenny reassured her. Kara closed the door behind her and then plopped down on the bed. Jenny perched herself on the end, not sure if Brett wanted a hug or not. “But wait, how did Heath know about you guys?” Brett chuckled weakly. “He sort of started it all.” She smiled at Kara, who was sitting cross-legged with her pillow in her lap. It looked like the two of them were talking to each other across the room without even saying anything. “But it wasn’t him that spilled it—we had this sort of deal.” Jenny was still a little confused, but she nodded anyway. “But … how did Callie know anything?” Kara cleared her throat, and both girls turned to look at her. “About that.” She looked sheepishly at Brett, squeezing the pillow to her chest. “I am so, so sorry—we just had this sort of bonding moment after the last meeting.” Kara cringed, and her wide eyes started to fill with tears. “I didn’t mean to tell her, it just sort of slipped out. This is all my fault.” Brett slid off the chair and sat down on the bed next to her. “It’s okay.” She smiled, and Jenny could tell she was trying to sound tougher than she felt. “At least we didn’t burn the barn down.”

Email Inbox

To:
Undisclosed recipients

From:
[email protected]

Date:
Friday, October 11, 11:25 P.M.

Subject:
Fire

Waverly Students,

As many of you know, there was a fire tonight at the Cinephiles party at the Millers’ farm that resulted in the destruction of a seventy-year-old barn. Not only was this a completely irresponsible act, it was also incredibly dangerous and infantile. Whoever was responsible for starting the fire will be expelled from Waverly Academy immediately.

A disciplinary committee hearing will be scheduled for next week for all those present at the Cinephiles party. Your names are on record at the front office.

This is a deplorable abuse of the school’s trust. Anyone who has information about the guilty party is morally and ethically required to report that information in immediately—at risk of expulsion.

Dean Marymount

On Saturday morning, Callie was torn out of a deep sleep by the buzzing of her cell phone. She rubbed her eyes and squinted at the tiny screen. She had a new text message:
Get out of bed, lazybones. Meet me outside your dorm in 20, okay? Xo.
Callie smiled in spite of herself. It was like Easy couldn’t bear to be out of her sight for too long. Good. That was how it should be.

When she’d gotten undressed last night, she’d found a piece of hay stuck in her sweater, and she’d slipped it into her desk drawer so that whenever she opened it, she would remember last night. She kind of wished she had a scrapbook, but then she realized it might be kind of weird to put something like that in there. She could picture her mom flipping through it and wanting to know why she had kept a piece of hay for posterity.

Callie glanced over at her roommate’s bed, noticing it was empty. Her sheets and blankets were twisted into a giant lump at the foot of the bed. Probably one way of saying eff you to Callie after their fight last night. Well, nice fucking try. Like she gave a shit if she left the room a mess—
Callie
left the room a mess. She flounced into the shower, resolved not to think any more about her self-righteous little roommate who needed to learn how to
get over it
.

After throwing on a pair of slim-fitting Stella McCartney jeans and her newest pair of boots—ultra-cozy black suede Michael Kors fur-lined ones that made her think of all the upcoming winter days that would be spent snuggling with Easy, with or without the boots on—she hurried outside, eager to walk into the dining hall with Easy on her arm and have the whole world know that finally, he was hers once again.

Take that, Ms. Humphrey.

Easy was waiting for her on the front steps. She paused before opening the door and going out to meet him. Through the window, she could see his outline against the brilliant blue sky, all the autumn leaves in full color. She’d never really gotten all the fuss about the leaves before. But right then, the beautiful colors seemed to be forming a perfect frame for the back of his head.

She opened the door slowly, and he spun around. “Hey,” she said, a little awkwardly, stepping outside. Despite the sunny blue skies, it was freezing, and she was glad she’d decided to put on her cream-colored Ralph Lauren peacoat. She could feel her wet hair start to stiffen in the cold.

Easy still looked kind of sleepy, but unbelievably cute in his navy quilted vest and jeans. “Wanna go for a walk? I brought breakfast.” She noticed two paper coffee cups sitting on the steps. He shook the bag in his hand. “Bagels.” Callie tried to hide her disappointment. She’d really been looking forward to walking into the dining hall together and having everyone see them, to establishing the way things were going to be from now on. But … it was pretty sweet of him to surprise her. She smiled. “What kind?” “One cinnamon-raisin, extra-toasted, with fat-free cream cheese.” His eyes glinted in the sunlight. “But that’s for me.” Callie slapped her hand against his chest and he caught it, holding it for a second in his own calloused hand. At the touch of his skin, she felt her own starting to heat up again. “Where are we going to go?” she asked, a little huskily.

He picked up one of the cups of coffee and handed it to her, still steaming. She gratefully wrapped her hands around the warm cup, but was very conscious of the whiteness of her coat. It seemed to be begging her to spill all over it. “Maybe up to the bluffs?” She hid her frown.
No one
would see them up there. But … whatever. Maybe that was the way he wanted it. They started out across the grass, their feet crunching noisily against the cold, colored leaves.

“Everyone’s really talking about this fire,” Easy said as they walked.

Callie glanced over at him. “Well, yeah. We don’t have off-campus parties and burn down barns every day.” He took a sip of coffee, making a cute little noise as he swallowed the hot liquid. Then he cleared his throat and glanced at her, his deep blue eyes looking troubled. “Well, I guess a lot of people kind of think we started it.” “What?!” Callie stopped walking. Of course Jenny was spreading rumors that the fire was their fault. “It’s Jenny. I know it is. She’s trying to get us expelled.” “What?” It was Easy’s turn to be surprised. “Jenny? No way.” Callie stiffened up. Was he defending that little fire-starting ho-bag? She felt her palms start to sweat. Not again. “She saw us, you know. We had a huge fight last night, and she called me all these names.” That wasn’t exactly true, but Easy didn’t really need to know the exact truth. He just needed to be on his girlfriend’s side, unquestioningly.

Easy absentmindedly combed through his hair with his hand. “Well, I’m sure she’s upset, and all.” Wrong answer. Callie took a step away from Easy and took a sip of her coffee. Almost immediately, she felt a few drips sneak out the plastic top of the cup and splatter against her coat.
Fuck.
“If you think she’s so great, then maybe you should just go be with her right now.” “Don’t be like that.” Easy took two steps forward and quickly put his arms around her—the quickest response he’d ever had to one of her temper tantrums. Callie was impressed. He nuzzled his lips against her ear and Callie closed her eyes and forgot about the coffee that was probably going to stain her brand-new coat. His hoarse whisper tickled her ear deliciously. “You know last night was the best night of my life.”