Bad, Bad Bluebloods(Rich Boys of Burberry Prep #2) - C.M. Stunich Page 0,4
had to see … well, more than a dad should ever see. He saw me kissing Creed in a towel, making out with Zayd on my bed, and letting Tristan grope me in the library. And my panties …
Humiliation washes over me in wave, but I’ve had an entire summer to learn how to channel it into anger. My eyes flick over to my leather bookbag, resting on the edge of my desk. I’ve taped my revenge list into a notebook and filled it with ideas. Ideas, and rules. Because if you can’t trust yourself, then you’re doomed to fail.
“Friday …” Zack starts, and then sighs as he tucks his hands into his pockets. “I’ll be here.”
“Great! We leave at eight sharp, no later. It’s tradition to have pancakes at the Railroad Station on Marnye’s birthday.” Dad slips back outside, letting the door slam behind him. I can hear him wheeling the grill into place.
“I don’t expect you to forgive me, but I wanted to at least come and tell you that I’d planned on having a conversation with you that night.”
“Sure you did,” I say, debating the chances of me getting up and down the hall before Zack cuts me off. “Look, you’re a little bit off my radar right now, so why don’t you just leave and we can pretend we’ve never met each other?”
“At least unblock Lizzie and talk to her,” he says, but there’s no way. Even if I were inclined to speak to Lizzie again, she’s too tangled up with Tristan. “Give her a chance to apologize. She’s been sick over the whole thing, and not just about our bet. She’s furious with the Burberry Bluebloods. Hell, she basically pit Coventry Prep Elite against them this summer. The Hamptons … turned into a social bloodbath.”
My interest is piqued at that, but to get more information, I’ll have to either talk to Lizzie or Zack. Neither of whom is someone I want in my life right now. The majority of my anger is focused on the Idol boys. I have to go back to that school, with those people, and I need to do more than just stay on the defensive. If I want to have a successful career at Burberry Prep, I need to show the others that I won’t be pushed around, not anymore.
“I don’t care,” I whisper, and Zack grunts, pushing up from the wall and taking a step toward me. The space is so small, it basically puts us toe-to-toe.
“You do care. Because Tristan Vanderbilt is in love with Lizzie Walton, and she put him through the wringer this summer. All I’m saying is that you’ve got an ally there, if you want her.”
“What good does that do me when she’s in a completely different school?” I snap, feeling that anger overtake me again. That’s going to be the hardest part, holding it back and channeling it appropriately. “It’s just me against the world at Burberry Prep; I’ve already accepted that.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Zack tells me, his eyes like hot coals as they rake over my body. After a moment, he turns and heads back down the hall, pausing just before he slips out the front door. “See you on Friday.”
“Don’t count on it,” I whisper, and then I stand up and grab my notebook from my bag. The cover is just one, giant red infinity symbol with a slash through it. The Infinity Club. Their parents might have unlimited resources, as Lizzie said they might control the world, but this is the junior version.
It’s never too early to learn humility.
The next day, I slip out of the house after dad leaves for work, and walk six blocks to a tattoo parlor called Shade’s Dungeon. The guy who runs it is a creep, but he’s also the only person in town that I know of who’ll tattoo an almost-sixteen year old girl, actually do a good job, use a clean needle, and avoid infection.
“You actually showed up,” he says when I walk inside, wiping down the chair with a strong antiseptic. “You got the money?” I take out the wad of cash I got from the ATM and hand it over. He counts it—twice—and then tucks it in his back pocket. “Take a seat, and let’s get this over with.”
I pause, my hand still resting on the door. It’s not too late for me to turn around and walk away. Part of me wonders if I should, if I should give