Bad, Bad Bluebloods(Rich Boys of Burberry Prep #2) - C.M. Stunich Page 0,47

On The Bluebloods of Burberry Prep

A list by Miranda Cabot Marnye Reed

The Idols (guys): Tristan Vanderbilt (year one two), Zayd Kaiser (year one two), and Creed Cabot (year one two)

The Idols (girls): Harper du Pont (year one two), Becky Platter (year one two), and Gena Whitley (year four) (graduated), Ileana Taittinger (year one)

The Inner Circle: Andrew Payson, Anna Kirkpatrick, Myron Talbot, Ebony Peterson, Gregory Van Horn, Abigail Fanning, John Hannibal, Valentina Pitt, Sai Patel, Mayleen Zhang, Jalen Donner … and, I guess, me! Kiara Xiao, Ben Thresher

Plebs: everyone else, sorry. XOXO

Zack Brooks

Halloween is on a Thursday this year which makes partying difficult, especially with all the Bluebloods—and Zack—restricted to the Burberry Prep campus. According to school gossip, there’s going to be a party Friday night at the cemetery. Technically, that is on campus, so there’s less risk of being discovering.

“I’m over the ‘slutty’ theme,” Miranda says, flipping through a magazine as we sit in The Mess and binge on a colorful stack of macarons. “For Halloween, I mean. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, I just … feel like I’d rather go as a giant bowl of popcorn than a sexy kitty, sexy firefighter, sexy nurse, or sexy warthog.”

“Warthog?” I choke, pounding on my chest with a fist and raising a brow. Miranda throws her head back and laughs, the sound like the tinkling of bells. I notice Jessie Maker watching her and biting her lower lip. Those two … “Whoever dressed as a sexy warthog?”

“Academy legend says that in the nineties, when The Lion King first came out, that Ms. Felton came to school dressed as a sexy warthog, in furry panties, a furry bra, and tusks. The yearbook from that year is missing from the library which totally makes me think it’s true.” She stuffs a pink cookie in her mouth and presents me and Jessie with the glossy page of the magazine.

Ah, print is still alive and well on the Burberry Prep campus, particularly between Monday morning when we hand in our phones, and Friday evening when we get them back. Of course, I snuck a burner phone in here by hiding it in a box of tampons (of which I carefully used glue to reseal the flap so it looked unopened). I’m sure I’m not the only student to have thought of that.

I examine the costume—it’s a giant bowl of popcorn made out of papier-mâché that’s totally not going to work considering Halloween is tomorrow—but it’s cute.

“We could dress up as macarons,” I suggest, lifting one of the pretty cookies up to the light. “You know, put some of that temporary dye in our hair, wear matching dresses and heels.”

Miranda squeals and rises up from her seat, nearly knocking the macaron tower over as she throws her arms around my neck and practically strangles me in the name of hugging.

“That’s such a cute freaking idea!” she gushes, eyes sparkling. “And we all still have our off-campus privileges. We could go after school today, just run into town and grab a few things.” Miranda snaps her fingers as Andrew walks in, carrying his bookbag over his shoulder. He raises his eyebrows at her. “But only if you go in full drag.”

“Drag … for what?” Andrew asks suspiciously, and Miranda tosses him a yellow cookie which he just barely catches.

“Halloween. I’ll do your makeup, and we can get you a wig when we go out today. We’re dressing as macarons, like all colorful and cute. You’ll love it. Besides,” she waves her hand dismissively in his direction, totally lost in her own world, “you’ve been saying you wanted to try drag.”

“Um, try drag in private in a place my dad would never—” Andrew stops abruptly as the door to The Mess opens and Zack walks in. My heart flip-flops in my chest, and my throat closes up to the point that it’s hard to breathe. That kiss, that kiss, ah that fucking kiss … But I hate him. Piece of shit.

I focus on my cookie and stuff it into my mouth. Unfortunately, it tastes like cherries which just reminds me of the taste of Zack’s mouth.

“Zack, will you do drag with Andrew?” Miranda asks as he pauses far too close to me. I can smell his cologne, this musky, sporty mix of citrus, mint, and cedar that drives me nuts. “Like, full on makeup, wig, dress, heels.”

Zack shrugs his broad shoulders.

“Yeah, why not? What is Halloween for if not for girls in short skirts and dudes in