Empire High Elite (Empire High #2) - Ivy Smoak Page 0,115
stuck out her bottom lip.
“And we rented a limo.”
“A limo!” Kennedy looked so excited. “I’ve never been in a limo. Please, Brooklyn.”
I’d been a terrible friend all night. The least I could do was let her get a milkshake. And maybe then she’d sober up and remember that Isabella was the worst. “Okay…”
“Yay!” She threw her arms up and almost fell over.
Isabella and I caught her before she could face plant on the marble floor. The three of us walked out into the chilly autumn night. Isabella’s driver, Donnelley, had already pulled up to the front of the hotel. He was smoking a cigarette and it took a second for the puff of smoke to drift away from his face. He looked so sinister.
I really didn’t want to do this. I looked around once more for Miller, but he wasn’t out here either.
“This is so exciting,” Kennedy said.
Exciting for her. Torture for me.
Donnelley tossed his cigarette on the ground and rubbed the heel of his shoe against it before opening the back door of the limo for us. Kennedy practically jumped through the door with a squeal of delight. Isabella followed her with a laugh.
“Will you text Miller and let him know I got a ride home with you instead?”
He didn’t even bother to look at me. “Mhm.” His voice sounded weirdly high-pitched like he was nervous.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“What? Yeah, of course.” He wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead, even though it was freezing out here.
“Are you sure? You seem nervous about something.”
He laughed. “You try driving a huge limo in this city. It’s a nightmare. I had to circle around the hotel like 5 times because I couldn’t merge.”
Oh, that made sense. “Yeah, I wouldn’t want to drive it around either. I’m sorry about that.”
He lowered his eyebrows as he looked at me. “Thanks.”
I knew that look. It was the same one Justin gave me when I asked him what his goals were. And the same one Tiffany gave me when I thanked her for the food. Donnelley was underappreciated. The Pruitts didn’t treat him like a human. I’d never be like them. “I’ll try my best to keep them quiet back there. So we don’t distract you.”
“Thanks, I really appreciate that.”
“No problem. Thanks for driving us home.” I followed Kennedy into the back of the limo and Donnelley closed the door behind us.
Wow. I’d never been in a limo before either, and it was pretty awesome. There were lights along the roof of the limo and everything was glowing. There were even glasses of what looked like champagne sitting there ready for us. And strawberries. Yum.
Isabella’s little demon dog, Sir Wilfred, jumped up on the seat beside me. He wagged his tail and looked up at me like he hoped I had treats. Had he been sitting in this limo all night? I reached out to pet him and was relieved when he didn’t bite my hand off.
“We’re going for milkshakes,” Isabella said as Donnelley climbed into the front seat. The little separator between the front and back of the limo was down.
“I think I should just take you girls home,” Donnelley said.
“No. We want milkshakes.”
“But…”
“Milkshakes, Donnelley!” Isabella screamed.
“Isabella,” I said. “Maybe we should just go home.”
She stared at me like she was going to rip my face off when I said the word home. But it was just for a second. Her face morphed into a fake smile right away. “We can go home after we get milkshakes,” she said loud enough for Donnelley to hear. “Give me one second, chicas.” She went to the separator and started whispering at Donnelley. But it seemed a lot more like she was hissing at him.
“Mmm,” Kennedy said as she lifted up a glass of champagne.
“I think that’s enough alcohol for one night,” I said and grabbed the glass out of her hand.
“You’re no fun. Isabella’s fun.”
Ouch.
“We’re all set,” Isabella said as she sat down between me and Kennedy. “Milkshakes then home.”
Great. They started talking about elephants again. I looked out the window at the busy city streets. Sir Wilfred nestled into my side. He actually looked kinda cute when he wasn’t being a menace.
“Where are we getting milkshakes from?” I asked. The buildings were starting to get more spread out and more rundown. Surely there was a fast food place closer to our apartment.
“Oh there’s a little local joint that I think you’ll appreciate. I think it’ll remind you of your real home.”