“No, go,” Paige said. She smiled a genuine Paige smile. “I was actually going to text Geena or someone and see if she wanted to go over notes from our cooking class. We have a new recipe due on Friday.”
“Oh, cool,” I said. “But I’m still your honorary taste tester, right?”
Paige nodded. “Always.”
And with that we started our homework. I worked until sixty-thirty and then stopped, wanting time to get ready and make it to the Trio’s suite on time. Heather would probably lock me out of their room if I was even a minute late.
While Paige kept working I re-straightened my hair and applied fresh powder and blush. I scanned my lip-gloss case, looking for the perfect shade before settling on a Lip Smackers wild raspberry. I didn’t want to overdo it for a night in.
I exited the bathroom, grabbing my purse and phone. “I’m going,” I said to Paige. “Did you ever get in touch with Geena?”
“Um, yeah,” Paige said. “She’ll be here any minute.”
“Have fun!”
“You too,” Paige said as I left our room.
I walked down Winchester’s hallway and paused in the doorway of our dorm monitor, Livvie.
“Hey,” I said, peeking my head in. “It’s okay if I go to Heather’s for a while, right?”
Livvie looked up from her desk where she was typing on her laptop. She checked the clock on the wall. “Sure. Just be back by nine.”
“Sure thing,” I said. “Thanks.”
I left and walked across the streetlamp-lit campus to Orchard dorm. The old-fashioned lanterns cast a soft yellow glow.
Callie lived in Orchard, too, and I crossed my fingers that I’d make it to the Trio’s suite without seeing her.
I pulled open the door and walked down the hallway. With its cranberry-colored walls, dark carpeting and ornate lighting—Orchard was one of my favorite dorms. I loved visiting and felt more and more comfortable every time I came to the Trio’s suite.
I reached their door and knocked lightly on the dark wood.
A frowning Julia pulled open the door and ushered me inside without a word.
“You okay?” I asked, knowing she probably wouldn’t tell me.
“Oh, fine,” Julia grumbled. “Totally fine. They’re all in the common room getting snacks.”
“You mean Heather and Alison?” I asked as I kicked off my shoes and walked to the couch, sitting on the far end from Julia.
Julia flopped into the oversize recliner and rolled her eyes. “No. Heather, Alison, and Brit. Apparently, she’s coming tonight.”
“You don’t like her?” I asked.
Julia folded her arms. “She’s fine. Whatever. But did we really need to invite someone else into the Trio now? Especially some new girl we don’t even know?”
“Who asked her to come?”
“Alison,” Julia said. “And Heather was like, ‘That’s totally cool.’”
“It’s just for one back-to-school casual thing,” I said. “She’s not going to invite her into the Trio.”
Before Julia could respond, the door opened and Heather, Alison, and Brit walked inside. All three girls were laughing.
“What’s so funny?” Julia asked in a flat voice.
“Omigod,” Alison said, taking a deep breath. “Brit just told us the funniest story about her cute neighbor at home.”
“Hey, guys,” Brit said to Julia and me.
“Hi,” I said back.
Julia’s arms seemed to tighten across her chest. Heather, Alison, and Brit put the snacks and drinks they were carrying on the table. They had a spread of cheese, crackers, and pepperoni and then more casual snacks like Fritos and chips and salsa.
“Brit, sit wherever you want,” Heather said.
“Cool, thanks.”
Brit sat beside me on the couch. She glanced around the Trio’s suite. “This place is awesome. I love it!”
“We got lucky to get a suite,” Alison said, taking the other recliner. “We wouldn’t be the Trio if we were split up again like last year.”
Julia let out a barely audible huff. “We’re not the Trio right now. It’s like we’re letting anyone in these days.”
Heather put a glass on the table with more force than necessary and glared at Julia. “You need to chill.”
Julia’s face reddened.
Brit shifted on the couch. “If this was a private party and I’m crashing, I’ll totally go,” she said.
“Don’t be silly,” Heather said. She sat next to Brit on the couch. “We invited you. There’s no problem.” The last sentence was directed at Julia.
“Okay,” Brit said. She smiled at Heather. Julia managed to pull her mouth into a half smile that looked more like a snarl. Heather turned on the TV and started the movie. We all began snacking and watching the new comedy. The movie was a good release from the pressure of Canterwood on a Monday and soon we were all laughing—even Julia. As I watched the movie with the Trio and Brit, I couldn’t help but think how right this felt and how much I wanted to be here.
An hour and a half later, I stretched as the credits rolled. I had orange Cheetos dust on my fingers, and I tried to scrub it off with a napkin.
“Thanks for having me over,” I said. “It was fun. Definitely the perfect way to end a Monday.”
“It so was,” Brit said. She got up off the couch and started gathering plastic cups and paper plates. “Thanks, for inviting me too. Everyone’s been so welcoming.”
“Sit with us at lunch tomorrow,” Heather said.
“That’d be great,” Brit said. She grinned at Heather as she followed Alison into the kitchenette to throw away our trash.
“We need to keep her close,” Heather said, her voice low so Brit and Alison didn’t hear.
“Why?” Julia hissed. “She’s a new girl. So what?”
Heather shot Julia a look that made the blond girl shrink into her recliner. “Because A: We want her in our group. And B: I’m never wrong. We’ll discuss this later.”
Brit and Alison walked back to us, and Heather flashed a smile at the new girl. “It was fun hanging out.” Heather looked at Brit and me. “See you later.”
Brit and I put on our shoes and waved good-bye. We walked down the hallway, and Brit, looking at me, grinned. “That was fun. I really like them.”
“Yeah,” I said. “We had a rocky start, but they’re all cool girls.”
“Oooh,” Brit said. “Sounds like a story for another night.”
I laughed. “Deal. We can go to the Sweet Shoppe sometime and chat.”
“This is my room,” Brit said, pointing to a door that had yet to be decorated.
“Isn’t that one of the doubles?” I asked.
Brit nodded and pulled keys out of her pocket. There was a sparkly “B” keychain with rhinestones. “I transferred so late that there wasn’t space for me to move in with someone else. So, I got a double to myself until I get a roommate.”
“That’s so awesome to have your own space,” I said. “It’s probably nice to have time to yourself while you’re still adjusting to things.”
Brit played with her keys. “It is, but I like being around other people. I’m kind of hoping that someone transfers soon.” She smiled.
“Sure,” I said. “I get that side of it too. I’ve got to get back to my room, but see you in class.”
Brit and I went our separate ways, and as I walked back to my dorm, I couldn’t stop thinking about how interesting she was and how Julia had such a strong reaction to her. She seriously couldn’t think Brit was a threat to her spot in the Trio or that Heather would ever add another girl to their clique. No matter how friendly I became with all or any of them, I’d always be on the outside. And that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing—I wasn’t sure, even if they’d asked, if being part of their group was what I wanted. Right now, hanging out with them was fun. Heather had been great support over the past couple of weeks.
But I also missed Paige, and I was ready to chill with her for
a while.
7
IT WAS MY CHOICE
“HEY, ROOMIE,” I CALLED DOWN THE WINCHESTER hallway. Paige was unlocking our door. She jumped, dropping her keys.
“Geez! You scared me, Sasha!” Paige said. She picked up her keys, shoving them into the lock.
“Sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to.”
We walked inside our room and put down our purses. I sat in the middle of my bed, feeling bad for scaring her.
“You didn’t have to apologize,” Paige said, pulling her hair into a ponytail. “I had way too much caffeine today, and I totally overreacted.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I said. “You know how I am on too much Diet Coke. I’m totally hyper and I drive you crazy until I crash.”
That made Paige grin. “How was hanging out with the Trio?”
“Awesome,” I said. “Alison invited Brit—this new girl in Orchard—to watch the movie with us, and it was lots of fun. She’s on the YENT too.”
Paige sat cross-legged on her bed so we could face each other. “I heard there was a new transfer, but I haven’t met her yet. She’s not in any of my classes.”
“You’d really like her,” I said. “She’s in a class with me, and we got to talk a little. I found out she’s from a small town too—really close to mine. And you’d never guess it by the way she acts and how people here treat her.”
“What do you mean?” Paige asked.
“Like how the Trio mocked me for months for being from Union. They don’t do that to Brit. She’s just like them in the way she dresses and has that … confidence, I guess, but she’s not mean or snarky like they are.”
“She sounds really cool,” Paige said. I noticed a hint of distraction in her voice. “You’ll have to introduce me to her sometime.”
“I will,” I said. “So, let’s talk about you for a sec. Did you end up meeting Geena and working on a new recipe?”
“Yeah,” Paige said. “We met up in our common room.”
“Did you guys come up with something amazing?” I asked, thinking about the tasty dishes Paige had created in the past. “Like, cake? Or brownies? Or another dessert that I have to try the second you make it?”
Paige got off the bed and started packing her bag for classes tomorrow. “We were supposed to work on the recipe, but Geena got a text from her roommate and she had to leave early.”
“So Paige Parker took over the Winchester common room and came up with something on her own, didn’t she?” I asked in a teasing voice. “Tell me. What is it, and, most important, where is it?”
Paige shoved her math book into her backpack. “Actually, I left when Geena did. I went to the Sweet Shoppe.”
I got up off my bed and walked to my desk, closing books and notebooks. “Oh, cool. Get anything good?”
“Iced pomegranate lemonade,” Paige said. “It was awesome.”
“Yum. Maybe you and Geena can make a dessert with pomegranates or something.”
Paige nodded as she walked toward the bathroom. “Yeah, that’s a good idea. I’m going to shower and go to bed. I’m really, really tired after the first day back.”
“Me too,” I said.
Paige shut the door behind her, and I stared at it for a few seconds. She wasn’t mad that I’d gone to the Trio’s, was she? She knew Heather and I had become friends after I’d spent break with her. Plus, Paige had other friends too, and I’d never cared if she wanted to hang out with them. The situation with them was a little different, but as my best friend, Paige had to understand that it was my choice to hang out with Heather, Julia, and Alison and she needed to support me.
I went over to my closet and busied myself with picking out my clothes for tomorrow—a welcome distraction from whatever was going on with Paige. And if she kept being weird about me hanging out with the Trio, I’d talk to her. But tonight, I didn’t want to let go of my good mood from hanging out in Orchard.
8
THERE’S ALWAYS ANOTHER SEAT OPEN
THE NEXT MORNING, PAIGE WAS BACK TO HER bubbly, cheerful self. There wasn’t a hint of weirdness from last night, and Paige chatted about classes and meeting Geena later. I was relieved that she seemed cool now.
I started to reach for my phone to put it in my pocket when it buzzed. Flipping it open, I smiled at what I read.
Just saying hi. Hope 2 run into u 2day.
Jacob.
I closed my phone before Paige could see the message.
“Heather,” I said to Paige, feeling the need to say something. Paige was zipping up her peep toe ankle boot. “Our lesson is outside today. Hopefully jumping.”
“That’s your fave, so cool,” Paige said, smiling.
I felt a twinge in my stomach about hiding the text, but I wasn’t ready to tell her about Jacob yet. I’d sworn to Paige that I was taking a break from boys to focus on riding and school. Paige had no idea that Jacob and I had decided to get back together.
“Ready?” Paige asked. She shouldered her bag.
“Ready.”
We left the dorm and I blinked as we stepped into the bright sunshine. The campus was busy as students hurried to classes. Paige and I walked down the sidewalk. We’d gotten up early enough this morning to make it to breakfast. But I was going solo. Paige had to meet Geena at Orchard to swap recipes before their class.
“See you in English,” I said when we reached the split in the sidewalk.
“Bye,” Paige said.
I got to the caf and piled three blueberry pancakes on my plate. I picked a small vacant table near the window and sat down. Once my pancakes were smeared with butter and syrup, I jammed a giant bite into my mouth.
“Mind if I sit here?”
I looked up and Brit stood in front of me, holding her breakfast tray.
“Sit,” I said, my mouth too full to say anything else.
I couldn’t believe she was sitting next to me. She could have sat anywhere—even with the Trio—but she’d chosen to sit with me. I felt curious eyes on us as everyone watched the too-cool-to-mess-with new girl sit with the former newbie-from-a-hick-town.
“Those pancakes look great,” Brit said. “I love blueberries.”
I glanced at her plate. She’d gotten pancakes too—banana.
“The banana pancakes are just as good here,” I said. “I’d recommend anything but the meatloaf. It’s just … scary.”
Brit laughed. “Noted. No Canterwood meatloaf.”
“How are you doing so far?” I asked. “It can be so overwhelming.”
Brit cut into her pancakes. “I’m doing okay. Still getting used to my schedule and the new curriculum, but otherwise, I feel like I belong here.”
“That’s great. You definitely seem to fit in with everyone.” I looked over at the people who were still staring at us. “It looks like everyone wanted you to sit with them.”
Brit lifted her head, glancing around casually. “Oh, please,” she said, laughing. “No one even knows me.”
It was my turn to laugh. “Doesn’t matter. You walked into school like you owned the place and if you haven’t noticed—everyone wants to be your friend. The guys at the stable are totally into you, BTW.”
“What? No!” Brit’s cheeks turned pink.
“I was outside the tack room and I heard them talking about how hot the new girl was,” I said. “They think you’re supertalented. You’ll probably have a boyfriend by the end of the week.”
Brit took a bite of pancake. “No thanks. I think I’ll wait till I’ve been here long enough to not get lost on campus before I have a boyfriend.”
We smiled at each other and went back to our breakfasts. Earlier, I’d been upset that Paige hadn’t been able to make breakfast, but now I was glad I’d had the time to get to know Brit better.
After we finished, Brit and I left the caf together.
“Sasha!”
I looked away from Brit and saw Paige walking up another sidewalk toward us.
“Hey,” I said.
Paige reached us, and Brit and I stopped.
“Paige,” I said. “This is Brit. Brit, this is my roommate.”
“Hey,” Paige said, flashing a smile. “Nice to meet you.”
“Hi. It’s cool to finally meet Sasha’s roommate,” Brit said. She brushed her bangs out of her eyes and pointed to Paige’s boots. “Those are supercute. I love them.”
“Thanks,” Paige said.
I looked at them and noted how they had a similar style of dress. Brit was in knee-high black boots and a green silk shirt. Silver hoops flashed in the sunlight and the outfit plus accessories was so something Paige would wear.
“I’ve got to get to class, but see you!” Brit said.
“Bye,” Paige and I said.
We split up from Brit and kept walking to English.
“She’s nice, right?” I asked.
“Definitely,” Paige said. “She seems cool.”
We reached the English building and took the stairs to Mr. Davidson’s classroom. The advanced English class only had ten students, including Alison, and I loved how we got to sit in a circle and talk about whatever book we were reading. But Mr. Davidson was strict about participation—if you couldn’t answer questions about the past night’s reading, you had to leave class with a zero for the day.
I took my usual seat next to Paige, and we pulled out our copies of The Secret Garden and the notebooks with notes we’d taken over break. Alison, pulling her hair over to one side as she walked, sat down beside me.
“Hey, guys,” she said. “Paige, how was your break?”
Alison and Paige had bonded during Homecoming—they’d both been obsessed about it.
“It was fun,” Paige said. Blinking, I realized that Paige and I hadn’t talked much about her break.
At. All.
I didn’t even know what she’d done during the week off, except for running into her at Butter.
“I got to hang out with my old friends, and we did some shopping,” Paige continued. “We were walking down Avenue of the Americas, and we passed a store that was having a sample sale that we didn’t even know about.”
“Omigod! You totally went, right?” Alison asked.
“Of course we did!” Paige said, grinning. “We got inside, and there were, like, a zillion people fighting over clothes and purses. I grabbed a Marc Jacobs dress that was supercheap and a Chloe handbag for a ridic price.”
Elite Ambition Page 4