Devil Incarnate (Boys of Preston Prep #4) - Angel Lawson Page 0,93

right now, I’m clutching onto any lifeline being tossed my way, no matter how guilty and nervous it makes me feel.

I gather up a believable facade and strut down the hall, head held high. The worst thing, of course, is to let these vultures see a weakness. I pass Josie, who’s talking to several boys, fitting right in to Preston like she’s always been here. I’ve avoided her as much as possible since I heard her talking to those guys about me outside the dining hall, but it’s difficult since we live together. This is exactly what I was worried about when the term started. It’s impossible to hide a manic or depressive episode from someone who sees me every single morning and night. Passing her, I see Fiona in her cheer uniform, alone at her locker, probably a little amiss without Sydney here to boss her around, and I sort of relate. I miss the rest of my Devils now more than ever.

As I near the end of the hall, I spot Ozzy leaning against the wall, scrolling down this phone.

He looks up at my approach, sending me a smile. “Hey, Georgia.”

“Hi, Oz.” I’ve given him some time. There’s no way he hasn’t heard the rumors about me yet. But his kindness doesn’t seem attached to any obvious motive. He hasn’t hit on me, hasn’t tried to make a move, doesn’t even flirt. If anything, he treats me just like he treats Caroline and Vandy. It’s…nice. Kind of like being around one of my Devil brothers. Suddenly, it comes to me. This could solve at least one of my problems. I skid to a stop, doubling back to stand in front of him. “Hey.”

He looks up at me, putting his phone away. “Hey. What’s up?”

“I, uh, wanted to ask you something.”

“Okay.”

I tuck my thumb under the strap of my bag, fidgeting with it. “There’s this thing…at the country club. A girl thing?” Well, that came out weird. I’ve never had to really ask a guy out before. Usually, I can flirt until they do the heavy lifting—that is, when they don’t just come to me whether I like it or not. “It’s this totally stupid Debutante Ball. My mom is making me do it.”

He snorts a laugh. “Wait, you were serious that day at lunch? They still have those?”

“Unfortunately, yes.” I shift to my other hip. “So the thing is, I need an escort, and I was sort of thinking if you didn’t have anything better to do—and you probably do—that you might want to go with me? And while I can’t promise it won’t be super lame, I can definitely vouch for the after-party. Tons of good food. Probably booze, too. Someone always sneaks it in.”

Ah, yes.

Food and booze.

I know the way to an eighteen-year-old man’s heart.

He opens his mouth to reply and I blurt, “It’s okay if you say no. It’s a huge hassle and you’d have to wear a full tux, so no pressure, and it’d totally just be as friends—”

“Georgia,” he says, interrupting. “It’s cool, it sounds…” He pulls a face. “Well, not exactly fun, but tolerable. I don’t mind taking you.”

I don’t mind. Be still my beating heart. Just what every girl wants to hear.

Regardless, I do feel relieved. “Yeah?”

“Sure.”

Grinning, I say, “Awesome. Great. I’ll get you all the details, okay?”

I walk away feeling a million times better. Energized. Maybe even a little motivated to get that paper written. See? I just needed to get out of my funk. Stop thinking about Heston and his petty bullshit. Even though I’m holding that pen in my hand, I don’t even feel the urge to push the sharp point of it into my thigh.

Buoyed, I turn the corner, heading toward the staircase, which is when I feel a hand grip my arm, yanking me out of the hall and into a storage closet. The move is so quick, so fast, that my first worry is that Jase caught up to me. Panicking, I struggle against the grip, but I’m spun around, my lips suddenly captured by an insistent, unyielding kiss.

I continue to fight, but his hands hold me steadily in place. I figure out pretty quickly that it’s not Jase. Too tall. Too strong. And as my fingertips skitter upward, I admit there’s only one gene pool that produces a jaw this sharp.

With both hands, I shove him off.

“Jesus, what the fuck, Heston!” I exhale and then get a better look at him. His eyes are