Clique Bait - Ann Valett Page 0,6

do this properly?” I clarified. I needed him to be clear on this. I was depending on him.

“Yeah.” He shrugged, already moving toward the staircase.

“What am I supposed to do, then?” I gritted my teeth. I couldn’t keep waiting for this. I couldn’t depend on him keeping quiet when he had every chance to run.

“Wait. Stay out of their view.” He pointed toward the balcony. “We’re going to need to be careful.”

“How long will this take?” I asked.

William sighed and retrieved his phone. “Give me the weekend. I’ll make sure we talk before school. Put your number in.”

“I want yours,” I said defiantly. We exchanged phones. It felt strange, holding William Bishop’s cell. I thought of all the secrets it could hold.

“Stay out of trouble. You’re already causing enough.”

Oh, just you wait.

William left to return to the others before I could come up with anything else to add. I wasn’t happy that he needed time, and I was especially unhappy that I’d have to waste the rest of the party avoiding the other Level Ones.

If I wasn’t here to do my job, then I had no desire to be here at all. Not when I kept expecting to spot Monica in the crowd—I kept thinking I saw a swish of her red hair among the designer outfits or heard her gleeful laughter as a champagne bottle was popped. Every time I blinked and cleared my vision I realized that she’d never want to come to one of these parties again.

As I grazed my hand along the polished railing of the stairs, I looked curiously over the throng of people, wondering if they even missed her. With my eyes focused below, I failed to notice the figure in front of me until I had almost tripped over her.

“Shit!” her voice slurred drunkenly before she let out a giggle. “You scared me!”

Maddy Danton was a beautiful mess, her curls bouncing around her face. Something had caused her eyeliner to smudge and her lipstick had found its way onto the silk of her white dress. Even though Level Ones were known for their partying, it was unusual to find one looking anything less than perfectly pulled together.

“Sorry!” I said after only a brief hesitation, my voice dripping with the same drunk-girl friendliness. “God, I hope I didn’t hurt you!”

Her eyes darted over me as she did a once-over. “Just watch it next time, bitch! Love your top by the way.”

And with a breathless laugh she trotted away from me like we’d never interacted to begin with. Girls in the Level One clique spoke in only insults and compliments, both often laced with sinister intentions. For now, I’d consider her noticing me as a move in the right direction.

I used my vantage point to spot Jack. It wasn’t difficult. He stood out with his lanky frame. When he saw me worming my way toward him, he shot out an arm and hung it around my shoulder. Leaning in close, he yelled in my ear over the heavy music. “Chlo! You disappeared!”

“I bumped into some friends!” I yelled back. “But I really have to head home now.”

He frowned, as if disappointed, and maneuvered us toward a quieter corner of the dance floor. “Where were you?”

“I just caught up with some friends,” I said nonchalantly. If William cooperated, Jack would know what I meant by that on Monday. For now, vague answers were all I could give.

“From Arlington?” he pushed. “I saw you just came from upstairs.”

I shrugged and yawned, feigning fatigue as I pulled out my phone to punch out a quick text to Mom. “Yeah, I just used the bathroom up there.”

Jack seemed to accept my explanation and launched into a play-by-play of how a guy from Richmond Prep had used one of the Rutherford’s rare antique vases to chug his beer. I apparently hadn’t missed much by going off on my little mission. Nothing that would have helped me, anyway.

Mom picked me up on the street, casting me excited glances from the driver’s seat the entire ride home. I figured she’d be excited by the prospect of taking me home, giving her some involvement in my night. The heavy pop music was still echoing in my ears as we finally pulled onto our street, my mind faraway, analyzing the events of the party.

I climbed to the second floor before shedding my heels, rubbing the soles of my feet in the hopes the pain wouldn’t carry through to the morning.

I’d really done it. I’d