Poor Little Dead Girls

by Lizzie Friend

  She grabbed the bottle and both girls cheered. The liquid scorched its way down her throat, and she immediately started coughing. Trix just snickered as Gwen threw back another huge sip. They passed the bottle around the circle one more time, then headed down the hall to pound on Jessica’s door.

  “I’m almost ready,” she called as Sadie pushed the door open. Jessica was seated at her desk, carefully applying lipstick in a little vanity mirror. “Sorry, I know I’m running late — Madison left, like, twenty minutes ago.” She paused and looked back over her shoulder.

  “Holy crap, Sadie,” she squealed, jumping up from her seat. “You look awesome. You guys all do.” She hesitated, her face melting into a frown. “Do you think this is too casual? You look like you’re going to a movie premiere or something, and I look like I’m going to an ice cream social.” She put her hands on her hips. “Shit.”

  Sadie looked at Jessica’s delicate floral strapless dress and nude wedges and smiled. She felt Trix’s elbow dig into her ribs and smacked her away, trying to hold in a giggle. “You look great Jess, seriously. Gwen and Trix just wanted to see if they could make me look like a girl for once. You ready to go?”

  Jessica looked doubtfully at her reflection, then shrugged. She grabbed a little blue clutch from the bottom of her closet, stuck it under one arm, and led the way back out into the hall.

  Chapter 6

  Outside, the afternoon sunshine slanted through the building’s tall columns and spread across the manicured lawn. The air was just the right temperature, and a slight breeze ruffled the hem of Sadie’s dress. For the first time since she had been at Keating, she felt a rush of happiness. Things were going to be okay here. She was going to make it.

  They followed a brick path around the side of the building that led them out along the water and past a row of sandy dunes. A wave broke on the beach below them, and Sadie felt a faint spray of cool air.

  They walked for about half a mile, the endless ocean on their right and dense forest on their left. The path was tightly packed gravel, and Sadie had to focus to keep from tripping in her torture traps. Ahead of them, a big group of freshmen walked with their arms linked, and wisps of laughter drifted back over their heads and down the path.

  Even farther ahead, Sadie could see the old military tower standing guard along the water. It looked ancient, its ramparts beaten almost smooth by a hundred years of coastal winds. It was set far out on the water on a little spit of land, and the whole thing was covered with wet, spidery moss that seemed to choke more than cover. Sadie wondered if anyone ever went inside. For some reason, the thought made her shiver.

  Before she could get any closer, Jessica turned left and followed a narrow path into the forest. They passed a sign that read “Cranston and Wimberley Athletic Complex,” with carvings of each of the two schools’ crests. Jessica busily explained to the twins that the two schools shared athletic fields, and the football stadium was located in between the two campuses. Sadie could tell she was nervous. She had barely stopped to breathe since they had left the dorm.

  She could hear the band playing now, and familiar sounds drifted through the trees and drew them forward. Sadie thought about Friday nights at Portland South and felt another little tremor of homesickness. She and her teammates had always spent the game in the top row, away from all the smug football girlfriends who sat on the 50-yard line and proved ownership by wearing their boyfriends’ spare jerseys. It was so medieval, Sadie had always expected them to start tossing favors onto the field and calling for jousts. Really, they just spent the whole game gossiping and sneaking sips of marshmallow vodka from their enormous purses.

  At Keating, things were a little different. The girlfriends were still there, but the stadium was huge, with neat brick bandstands instead of rickety metal bleachers. Vendors with trays of lemonade roamed the aisles, and beyond the freshly painted end zone was an ivy-covered field house that probably contained all of the team locker rooms. Above it was a digital Jumbotron that showed the tanned face of Graff’s quarterback in high-definition, each of his dimples at least a foot high. The field itself was an unnatural shade of bright green.

  They walked toward the throng of students mingling on the sidelines as both teams warmed up on the field. Waiters in dark jackets circulated among the crowd, offering soft drinks to the students and cocktails to everyone else. All the Graff boys were in dress uniforms, and they looked eerily similar in their matching navy blazers, striped ties, and gray flannel slacks.

  Before they had even reached the crowd, a cluster of senior girls lurched toward the twins, screeching compliments so loudly Sadie almost covered her ears. As the mob pulled them away, Trix and Gwen looked back and rolled their eyes. Sadie noticed they were both smiling, though. Widely.

  Jessica made a choking sound that Sadie guessed was probably a laugh. “Guess Cromwell isn’t wasting any time this year.” Jessica pointed toward a group of men gathered a few dozen yards away. The headmaster had traded his snug suit for a smarmy velvet smoking jacket, and the glass he was clutching was filled almost to the brim with syrupy brown liquid. Two men that looked like clones of Ellen Bennett’s enforcers stood a few feet away from them, their wrists crossed and eyes constantly scanning the crowd.

  “Who’s he talking to?”

  Jessica squinted at the group. “The old guy is Sumner Cranston — you know, as in Wimberley and Cranston? He’s a senator or something, and the younger one is his son, Teddy. He’s a big deal too, even though he’s only like, forty-five. He’s President Manning’s chief of staff, and he knows, like, everybody in D.C.”

  Sadie just nodded, choking back a fresh wave of panic. Jessica rattled off the titles of guys who passed by the Oval Office every day on their way to the bathroom like she was talking about the sixth-grade student council. She was never going to get used to that.

  “The Cranstons have been rich since like, the Middle Ages,” Jessica went on, “so they do a lot of charitable stuff, too.” She waved a hand around. “They built most of this stadium, actually.”

  Sadie raised her eyebrows. “You guys Facebook friends or something?”

  Jessica snorted. “Thayer’s dating Teddy’s son, so she never shuts up about them.” She rolled her eyes. “The Wimberleys are rich too, obviously. They donated the money for the rest of this place.”

  As Sadie watched the little group, Teddy turned his head toward them, sending a little jolt of electricity down the back of her spine. He murmured something in Cromwell’s ear, and then all three of them swiveled to look. Sadie nudged Jessica with an elbow.

  “What?”

  She pointed back toward the group, but the moment had passed. The men were talking with their heads bowed, and Cromwell was gesturing wildly with his glass. She watched as some of the liquid sloshed over the edge and onto the field.

  “Oh I know — he probably started right after Chapel this morning. Now come on,” Jessica said, grabbing her arm and grinning as she pulled her toward the bleachers. “It’s time for your social debut.”

  They found most of the team sitting in a lower section, sipping Diet Cokes and laughing with a group of guys in blazers. Brett introduced her to the Graff guys one by one, each of them standing up to firmly shake Sadie’s hand. Before she got to the last one, a tall guy who looked like he was probably born in tennis whites, Thayer popped up next to him and put a hand on his outstretched arm.

  “This is my boyfriend, Phineas Everett Cranston the Fourth.” She emphasized the word “boyfriend,” tightly clutching his elbow.

  Sadie shook his hand awkwardly, jostling Thayer’s claw up and down with it, and he smiled at her in a way that was almost a sneer.

  “You can call me Finn.”

  He casually knocked Thayer’s hand away, and it fluttered for a moment before settling on his shoulder instead.

  “Finn’s the starting attacker on Graff’s team,” she said. “He’s already being recruited by Princeton, Virginia, and Harvard.”

 
“Wow, that is awesome,” Sadie said, the words tumbling out before she could stop them. “I’m dying to hear from Virginia, but it’s hard to get scouted in Portland.”

  The sneer-smile widened. “So you’re the transfer. We’ve been hearing about you for months.”

  Thayer huffed out a little puff of air and started dragging him toward the aisle.

  “See you on the practice fields,” he said, winking back at her as they walked away.

  Sadie wrinkled her nose and turned back to Jessica and Brett. “Guys wink here?”

  Brett grinned. “Not the ones you should pay any attention to. Just ignore Finn. He and Thayer have been dating since, like, eighth grade. Most of the other lacrosse guys are pretty okay, though.” Her eyes wandered to one of the dark-haired guys on the bleachers. He caught her eye and smiled.

  “Like Josh,” she added, her cheeks flushing red. “He’s taken though, too.”

  “Ohh, he’s cute,” Sadie said. “How long have you guys been together?”

  “We just started before the summer, but it’s really going pretty well.”

  Jessica grinned. “What she means is, she’s totally freaking in love with him and has been since freshman year.”

  Brett started to scowl, then broke. “Okay yeah, she’s right. But quit jinxing it. I don’t want him to know that.”

  Jessica looked at Sadie and made a face. “You’re lucky you weren’t here last season. He would wait for her outside the locker room like a preppy little puppy every day after practice. It was gross.”

  Brett tried to look annoyed, but Sadie could see a smile creeping across her face. Her cheeks were almost as red as her dress.

  “Okay fine, we’re a little clingy. But I think it’s romantic.”

  “Whatever, I think that’s great. I’d love it if a guy did that for me,” Sadie said. “The only thing my ex did for me was meet me at my locker and try to grope me before lunch.”

  Brett laughed. “Well that guy sucks. There are plenty of options around here, you just have to be able to weed out the jerks. For example — ” She pointed to a guy with brown hair and sunglasses, standing in a crowd of Keating girls. “Take Chip Jennings. He keeps a book in his dorm room with pictures — you know, pictures — of all the girls he’s hooked up with. If we ever catch you flirting with him, we’ll probably kick you off the team.”

  Sadie wrinkled her nose. “Not my type. I hate guys who look like they take longer than I do to get ready.”

  Jessica pointed to the football field, where the Graff team was stretching in orderly lines. “And that guy up front, number twelve? Brent Taylor. Grace went to a dance with him last year, and he totally slipped something in her drink. She woke up the next day and couldn’t remember anything that had happened.”

  “Scary,” Sadie murmured.

  “Oh, and not that he’s available, but we should probably warn you about Finn, too,” Jessica said. “He’s the biggest dick of them all. Well, not you know, literally. Ew.”

  Brett frowned. “Finn’s not so — ”

  Jessica cut her off. “He used to cheat on Thayer constantly, and he would never even admit they were really dating. Last year he dated like three other girls, then suddenly one day he and Thayer were back together, and they’ve been acting like Barbie and Ken ever since. Thayer of course pretends it never happened.”

  “Jeez, who did he date? I’m surprised Thayer let them all live,” Sadie joked.

  Both girls hesitated, until finally Jessica waved a hand. “No one you know. I’ll tell you later.”

  “So, besides Josh, is there anyone who isn’t a complete douchebag?” Sadie asked, looking out over the crowd of minidresses and blazers.

  “Meh,” Jessica said. “I’m sick of all of them.”

  Brett smacked her on the arm. “Do not listen to her. There are tons of guys you might like, especially on the lacrosse team. Did you meet Stephen and Morris back there?” Sadie nodded, remembering two guys who mentioned they played defense. “They’re both pretty cool. And single. Oh! And then there’s Jeremy, the new guy.”

  “Wait, what?” Jessica perked up. “Where?”

  Brett pointed back to where Josh was sitting. Next to him was a guy with shaggy, dark blonde hair. He was sitting on the bleachers with his elbows on his knees, and he didn’t look like the rest of them, like he was carefully considering everything he did, right down to which side he parted his hair on. His blazer was stretched tight against his shoulders and Sadie could see the outlines of his biceps under the fabric. She felt excitement bubbling up in her stomach. Crap.

  “Cute, right?” Brett said. “Josh told me he’s really good, too. He just transferred from some school in California. I heard his mom’s like, some major up-and-coming movie producer. She made that indie film everyone went nuts over last year about the guy who ate himself to death on live TV. Maybe you guys’ll have something in common?”

  Jessica poked Sadie in the ribs. “Hey, if you don’t want him, I’ll take him. He’s fucking hot.”

  Sadie bit her lip. “I guess he’s pretty cute.”

  “Hey, the game is starting soon,” Brett said. “Do you guys want to sit with Josh and me?”

  “Sorry, we promised to sit with the twins,” Sadie said. “But we’ll find you guys after, okay?”

  “Cool, see you later,” she called, then jogged a few steps up the bleachers toward Josh and Jeremy. Jessica waved at Josh, and Sadie caught Jeremy’s eye. Brett said something to him, and he looked back down at them and smiled. Sadie quickly looked away.

  She started toward the next section of the bleachers, where she could see Gwen and Trix sitting in a circle of blue blazers. Nice work, idiot. She resisted the urge to pound her fist against her forehead. She was the worst flirt ever.

  “He totally smiled at you,” Jessica said, plopping down next to Gwen. “And you just ran away.”

  “He smiled at us, not at me. I’m sure Brett was just talking about us being on the team or something.”

  “Yeah, whatever. I know when I’m being smiled at, and that wasn’t it.” She grinned. “Don’t be such a pussy. You’re so talking to him at halftime.”

  Sadie tried to hold back a smile.

  “Unbelievable. One stupid football game and you already have a crush on someone. I knew that would happen. And meanwhile, I’m totally going to end up going to all the events with Gene again.”

  “Gene?” Sadie raised her eyebrows.

  “Ugh, do not ask. Trust me.”

  The whistle blew for the kickoff, and they all turned their attention toward the field. The game turned out to be really exciting, even though Gwen and Trix spent the entire time complaining about how confusing “American football” was. By halftime, Graff was ahead 14–13.

  Jessica popped up out of her seat and stood on her tiptoes to peer over the crowd. “Let’s go. You’re not getting out of this. Actually, wait … damn it. He just left.”

  Sadie stood up and watched Jeremy’s lanky stride as he made his way down the aisle and disappeared into the crowd. In response, her stomach fizzled with nervous, frustrated energy, but Jessica wasn’t fazed.

  “Nachos?”

  During the second half, Sadie tried to keep an eye on Brett and Josh, but Jeremy never came back. When they finally caught up to Brett on the way back to campus, she told them he had left early.

  “He said he was nervous about practice tomorrow and wanted to go over the plays again.” Brett shrugged. “Can’t say I blame him. I’d be nervous if I was the new kid, too. No offense.”

  Sadie groaned. “So I should be nervous?”

  “Um, yeah. Especially for the test,” Jessica cut in. “Have you been training?”

  “Yeah, I guess. But I didn’t even know about the test until last night.”

  Brett frowned. “Well, there’s not much you can do about it now. Don’t stress about it. I’m sure you’ll pass. And if you fail, you just get to take it over again.”

  Jessica raised her eyebrows. “Yo
u do not want to do that. Trust me.”

  As they turned onto the beach road, Sadie looked back and saw the tower darkening as the sun dipped down behind the trees. She felt the knot in her stomach grow a few sizes.

  The lacrosse team was the entire reason she was here, and failing the running test would be the worst possible way she could start things off. She would have to do everything she possibly could for the next three days to make sure that didn’t happen — starting tonight.

  Over a disturbingly raw block of tuna in the dining room (Brett called it “seared”), Sadie pondered her plan. First, she thought about working out in Ashby’s fitness center, but she knew that wouldn’t be the same. She had to run outside — feel the turf under her cleats so the field wouldn’t feel so foreign come Monday. She remembered their after-dinner curfew and the 10 P.M. lights-out time and took a deep breath. She was going to pass this test, even if it meant breaking a few rules.

  After dinner she went immediately back up to her room, leaving Brett, Jessica, and the rest of the team watching TV in one of the common rooms. She slipped through the door and checked the clock. 8:36. Technically she wasn’t allowed to leave campus after dinner, but as long as she made it back before lights out she would probably be okay. At least, that’s what she had been telling herself for the last two hours.

  She changed quickly into running clothes, then threw on a huge gray sweatshirt that hung down past her black running shorts. She sneaked a glance in the mirror to make sure her camouflage was effective. The running shoes were kind of a giveaway, but she would have to make it work. She grabbed a water bottle, clipped on her Shuffle, and headed back toward the stairs.

  She followed an exit sign in the lobby down a short hallway until she found a side door. It was labeled as an emergency exit, but no alarm sounded when she cracked it open and pushed her way through.

  Outside it was completely quiet, the campus dark and deserted. Still, she tiptoed silently until she made it down the hill to the beach road. When she was far enough away, she switched on her music and let it fill her head.