“Hey, do you want to go outside while the drama dies down?” Luke asked.
“Yes,” Evan quickly replied. Being in the same room as Ellie and Hunter felt like her own personal Shawshank.
As soon as they stepped on to the heated candlelit terrace, though, Luke immediately tried to steer them back into the ballroom.
“Luke, what are you—?” Evan’s question was interrupted by a handsome, muscular blond guy whose hair was parted in a way that was probably supposed to be ironically retro. His brown eyes narrowed at Luke from behind his trendy square black-framed glasses.
“Looks like you’ve grown a beard since I saw you last,” he said with an eyebrow raise.
Luke tried to play it cool. “Evan, this is Chris. He goes to GDS.” He said that last part pointedly, but Evan could already tell from Luke’s body language and voice that this was the source who had outed him. Evan hated Chris instantly.
Chris moved closer to Luke’s ear, but Evan had no problem hearing his self-righteous voice. “You can’t keep this up forever. It’s going to come out whether you want it to or not.”
Luke clenched his jaw, fighting back a response. Or a punch to this guy’s face.
“I’m sure your Mormon buddies can explain that quote to you from the Bible,” Chris continued. “What is it exactly? Something like, the truth will set you free? If your dad is going to spend his entire career proclaiming how awful we all are, he should know exactly who he’s talking about.” He smirked, then walked back toward his GDS posse, a group of guys and girls who were sneaking joints back and forth in their skinny ties and sequined fedoras.
“Are you okay?” Evan asked Luke. He had looked tough a moment ago, but now his shoulders slumped in defeat.
“I knew he was angry when I broke things off, but I never thought he’d pull something like this,” Luke said dejectedly. “I’ll be right back. I just need a sec,” he said, his voice barely audible.
“Do you want me to come with—?”
“I’ll be fine, Evs. Promise.” He gave her a sweet kiss on the forehead that was an actual friend kiss and not a fake boyfriend kiss.
Evan walked to the edge of the patio, hung her arms over the railing and closed her eyes, zoning out from the chatter, which was either about Brinley Madison’s brush with death or Taryn Reyes’s new reign as queen of G.A. She didn’t want to hear any more voices.
“I thought I saw you come out here.”
Except that one. Hunter’s voice. Evan opened her eyes and he was standing next to her, his arms now dangling over the railing, too.
“You look…” He looked like he was searching for the right words, then he finally came out with, “…really beautiful.”
For once, she wished he hadn’t spoken to her at all. It was cruel for him to say something so amazing when there was nothing she could do about it.
“So everything okay in there?” she asked lamely. She couldn’t care less about the Brinley drama, but she couldn’t handle him giving her another compliment like that.
“The paramedics showed up and are checking her out.”
Evan nodded. They stared out at the D.C. streets, the cars whizzing by with no rhyme or reason, kind of like Evan’s life.
“So…you and Ellie,” she finally said. Might as well state the obvious and get it over with.
“Yeah, we, uh, got back together before the party. Everything you said really made me think.”
Evan paled. “Everything I said?”
“That everybody makes mistakes,” he replied, putting his hands in his pockets.
They got back together because she couldn’t keep her mouth shut. Evan was officially on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
“Well, it wasn’t just that. I had a long talk with my dad and he pointed out, you know, since I did miss being with Ellie anyway, that getting back together was a good thing for everybody.”
“And by everybody, you mean…” Evan was in disbelief and she was going to make him say it.
“Her mom looks really bad right now between Strippergate and Mike Lim, and that makes all the Dems look bad…” Hunter trailed off, for once not abounding with confidence.
“Does Ellie know that you got back together with her because it helps the party’s image?”
“I said that’s not the only reason,” he snapped, specks of anger peppering his voice. “We’ve been together two years. I love her.” Evan couldn’t tell if he was trying to convince himself or Evan.
She cheated on you in a room full of vodka bottles at a rookie party! Evan wanted to shout. Not like it would matter, though. In Hunter’s mind, he and Evan had done the exact same thing last night to Luke.
“I’m really happy for you,” Evan mumbled, then ran as fast as she could in those stupid heels so she could go to the bathroom and bawl her eyes out.
***
Ellie stood shivering outside the St. Regis, standing off to the side as a young paramedic monitored Brinley’s heart rate. Brooks walked out of the hotel and immediately handed Ellie his jacket.
“I got the rest of her things. They want to take her to the hospital to run a few tests. I’ll call my parents so they can meet us there.”
Ellie did not envy that phone call. “Can I do anything?”
“I’ll call you later and let you know how she is. You should go back inside, though, enjoy the party. They’re only going to let family in at the hospital anyway.” Brooks glanced over at Brinley, a sad look on his face. “I knew this was going to happen.”
“You couldn’t have done anything, Brooks.” Brooks had given Ellie a quick recap of Brinley’s addiction. At least it explained Brinley’s erratic behavior lately, not to mention the Washington Post article. She wished Brinley had come to her, but it’s not like she could blame her. Ellie still hadn’t told her anything about her history with Gabe.
“Maybe I would’ve gotten through to Brin if I hadn’t run out of Clintons to compare her to,” Brooks quipped, slightly back to his old, sarcastic self. “If only Chelsea wasn’t so goddamn straight-laced.”
Ellie returned his coat and walked back through the foyer of the hotel. She saw a ladies room at the end of the hallway and suddenly felt the need to splash some water on her face. This night kept getting more surreal by the second.
She pushed open the bathroom door and stopped in her tracks when she saw Evan standing at the sink, wiping her face with a paper towel. She looked like she had been crying, but Ellie didn’t care. She gave Evan a withering look.
“What?” Evan asked, innocently, halting her pity party long enough to look at Ellie.
“You’re really going to pretend that you didn’t kiss Hunter?” Ellie asked, the venom easily sliding off her tongue and the familiar feelings of anger rushing through her body.
Evan was too shocked to answer for a moment, then finally said numbly, “I’m sorry, Ellie. It just happened—”
“How could you do that? I thought we were friends!”
Evan looked down, but when she looked up again, animosity darkened her blue eyes. “Why do you even care? You guys got back together!”
The fact that she was acting so indignant when she was the one who threw herself at Ellie’s boyfriend enraged Ellie even more. “Has this all been some bitter plan of yours the whole time? To try to swoop in on Hunter and get me back for what happened two years ago?”
“I wasn’t trying to swoop in!” Evan shouted.
“Then what were you doing? Putting in a good word for me?” Ellie yelled back, the sarcasm powerful enough to reach out and grab Evan. Thankfully, there was no one else in the bathroom to witness this.
“What does it even matter? You got what you wanted, Ellie! You got Hunter!”
“Don’t even act like you didn’t kiss him just to spite me. You and Luke have been mauling in every freaking corner of the ballroom all night!”
Whatever Ellie said catapulted Evan into another galaxy of outrage.
“Not everything is what it looks like,” Ev
an retorted, her words laced with anger. “Just ask Hunter.”
Ellie froze. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Just ask Hunter. The only reason he got back together with you is because his father told him to!”
Evan bit her lip the second the words were out of her mouth, but they had already hit Ellie like a ton of bricks.
“You’re lying,” Ellie said, but at the same time she was starting to believe it. The whole night had seemed too good to be true. Maybe that’s because it was.
“I shouldn’t have said anything,” Evan muttered, then brushed past her and out of the door.
Ellie looked in the mirror at her despondent reflection. The fairy tale of four hours ago was crashing down in flames almost as quickly as it had swept her off her feet. She didn’t even want to see Hunter right now. She just wanted to go home.
She left the bathroom and paused at the double doors to the ballroom. She needed to grab her stuff, then she could sneak out. She smoothed her hair down and plastered on a smile for the photographers, who would be clamoring for a photo-op on the other side of those doors.
Ellie inhaled a gulp of fresh air, then entered the ballroom.
But no photographers were waiting for her on the other side. In fact, they were all crowded around the dance floor snapping away at something Ellie couldn’t see. She moved closer, her heart pounding, almost knowing what it was before she even saw it.
And then she did. Gabe and Taryn were in the middle of the dance floor kissing with complete abandon, oblivious to the photographers who were illuminating them with their fluorescent bulbs as the newly anointed golden couple.
Ellie felt like she was going to throw up as the realization hit her. She had made a terrible mistake. This entire week she had thought Gabe was the bad guy and Hunter was the good guy.
But she had it all wrong.
Gabe loved her for all the right reasons and she had rejected him under the false belief that Hunter was the one she should be with. The belief that Gabe was her escape and Hunter was her safety net. But it was the exact opposite. Hunter had gotten back together with her because his father told him to. Gabe had been fighting to be with her, despite what his father thought.
She walked toward the exit in a fog, but couldn’t resist one last look at the dance floor. There was nothing she could do now. Gabe had made it clear that he thought nothing could ever truly work with them and now he was with Taryn.
Guys always were more interested in Marilyn than Jackie.
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Georgetown Academy
Book Three
CHAPTER ONE
Monday, 3:37 p.m.
Ellie Walker weaved through McKinley Hall toward her locker, dodging the rush of giddy students who were as happy as she was that the school day was officially over. The hallway walls, which were usually tastefully adorned with portraits of Georgetown Academy’s impressive political alumni, had been plastered with banners promoting the annual ski retreat to Stowe, Vermont, taking place in just three days. All the private schools in the area participated, with a handful of teachers tagging along as chaperones and spearheading a few boring leadership activities so that students from different schools could network and interact. But if you went to G.A. or any of the other D.C. private schools, your parents were most likely involved in the government, which meant everyone knew each other already. After all, not many kindergarteners across the country could name more CNN anchors than Muppets on Sesame Street. So really the retreat ended up being an excuse for them to party together in a location other than D.C.
Ellie reached her locker and twirled in the combination, the door quickly popping open. The photograph taped up on the inside of her and her best friend, Brinley, instantly made her smile. Two weeks had elapsed since the Follow the Stars charity event, the night when Brinley’s parents checked her into a posh rehab facility to kick her Adderall habit. Thank god Brinley would finally be returning tomorrow because Ellie had been drowning in loneliness without her. She had to tell her over email about her final break-up with Hunter and knew Brinley probably expected to come home to find her a basket case like after their first break-up. And it was true. Ellie was distraught. But this time Hunter McKnight wasn’t the one she was heartbroken over, though that wasn’t something she admitted even to Brinley.
Thoughts of Gabe seized her like a death grip and she slammed her locker door, wishing she could shut her feelings inside it. She tried to think of anything besides him as she made her way toward the exit of the building, but it was suddenly even more impossible than usual.
Gabe Mills was standing six feet away from her, making out with Taryn Reyes in front of his locker.
He wore naturally distressed dark jeans, not the trendy, expensive pairs most guys have to buy in order to look that worn. His black long-sleeved tee was the same shade as his shaggy hair. It fit him perfectly, the vintage pendant he always wore hanging against it. Ellie had the same uncontrollable reaction every time she saw him, no matter where they were or what had happened between them. She wanted him to grab her, pull her into him and kiss her so that everything around her would disintegrate the way it always did the second he touched her. When she met him two years ago, their connection was instant but not long after their relationship imploded, leaving them not speaking to each other until he returned to D.C. a few weeks ago. But she quickly banished the thoughts of her and Gabe’s history from her head, averting her eyes from him and Taryn.
She had tried to come to terms with the fact they were now dating, but it was still way too painful to watch it play out in front of her like a cheesy show on the CW. Apparently, she was the only one who felt that way, though. Every other student who walked by stared, pointed and whispered their cooing approval. Ellie and Hunter had relinquished their gilded thrones as king and queen of the school in time for Taryn and Gabe to step up for their coronation.
She forced her feet off the ground, turned on her heels and walked the other way. It was worth it to take the longer route out of the building so she didn’t have to see them stick their tongues down each other’s throats. She reminded herself once again she and Gabe could never be together anyway. Her mother and his father were vicious enemies in the Senate and their hatred of each other made Romeo and Juliet’s parents look like besties. At least Juliet didn’t have to deal with the unforgiving media, which had roasted Ellie like a pig at a luau a few weeks ago when someone leaked a photograph of her cheating on Hunter and passionately kissing Gabe. The news coverage was just as brutal as the gossip around school. Ellie still didn’t know who had sent that photograph to the Huffington Post, but whoever it was had turned her life into a nightmare she couldn’t seem to wake up from.
She continued down the hallway, everything swirling past her in a blur until she realized someone was calling her name. Her stomach dropped when she turned and saw Hunter, a pink cardigan she immediately recognized as her own, slung uncomfortably over his arm. He wore his standard preppy chic khakis with a blue sweater that brought out his light blue eyes, both of which looked through her like she was transparent. It was hard to believe they had been so close only a few weeks ago.
“Hey, I forgot to give you this earlier. I found it in my car,” he said, stiffly handing her the sweater.
“Right, thanks,” she said quietly.
They had barely spoken since their break-up at the Follow the Stars charity event. She had dumped him in the parking lot within minutes of finding out the real reason he had gotten back together with her… Th
at his father, the Attorney General, had urged him to do it in order to take the heat from the photograph scandal off Ellie’s mother, his ally in the Democratic Party. Hunter had sworn it wasn’t the only reason, but between his deception and her feelings for Gabe, they both knew their relationship was over.
She took the sweater, the air thick with discomfort. Most of her initial anger at being used had now dissolved into shame and she had a feeling he felt the same way. He had lied; she had cheated. It wasn’t how either of them would’ve wanted it to end, but no matter how happy they once were, the truth was, the second Gabe came to town, their relationship hadn’t stood a chance. At least she and Hunter had managed to keep the details of their break-up private, with most of the G.A. students assuming he still couldn’t get past her cheating on him.
She shoved the sweater into her book bag and looked up to find Hunter still standing there. But instead of looking at Ellie, he was frozen, intently watching Evan Harnett and Luke Jensen holding hands and talking closely by the exit of the building.
Her body tensed at the sight of Evan, as it did every time she thought about her once-best friend’s betrayal. Their friendship had a rocky past, but a few weeks ago, she thought they’d finally moved on and gotten back on track. That is, until Evan secretly kissed Hunter while she knew Ellie was trying to get him back. Clearly, Evan had only kissed him out of spite since Hunter was now single and she was still parading around with Luke like he was some kind of trophy. But Hunter was so ferociously concentrated on them right now, it suddenly dawned on her that that kiss might have meant more to him than it did to Evan.
Ellie’s phone chirped loudly, momentarily snapping her attention away. She pulled it out of her bag.
“It’s my mom. I should take this,” she told Hunter.
Georgetown Academy, Season One Page 24