Empire High Elite (Empire High #2) - Ivy Smoak Page 0,95

floor. There weren’t even any adults in sight. Well, maybe a few. I spotted Mr. Hill yelling at some kids about dancing too close, but I quickly looked away. The last thing I needed was for him to yell at me instead.

I looked around the ballroom. There were gold balloons everywhere. I wouldn’t have even been surprised if they were somehow made from actual gold. “Do you think we could pop one?” I asked.

Kennedy didn’t respond. She was just staring at the dance floor where tons of students had stopped dancing.

It was like someone had lit up a big neon sign saying to quiet down. Heads turned toward me. Everything was hushed. I swore the music volume even lowered. And then the whispering started.

“What is happening?” I said to Kennedy out of the corner of my mouth.

“They’re probably staring at you because of that song Matt sung on the float. Just ignore them. Who cares what they think?”

I wish I didn’t.

“Come on. Let’s get some drinks.” She grabbed my hand and pulled me through the crowd like the whispers didn’t bother her at all.

I wanted to be like Kennedy when I grew up. She was so good at brushing things off. I tried to stand up a little straighter.

I swore I heard someone whisper the word slut. And I had a feeling that some of the whispers weren’t about me. Kennedy gripped my hand a little tighter. She’d heard the word thrown at her too. But the smile remained on her face.

For some reason I found it easier to be strong for her even though it was hard to be strong for myself. I squeezed her hand back. “You’re right,” I said. “Who cares what they think?”

We stopped in front of the bar that was usually decked out with alcoholic beverages for adult events. Tonight it was filled with juices and sodas galore.

James was standing there, drumming his fingers along the wooden bar top. His crown was lopsided on his head, but otherwise he looked more sober than I’d seen him all week. Maybe being the king to Isabella’s queen had finally sobered him up.

But when the bartender wasn’t looking, James unscrewed the cap off a flask. He looked over his shoulder to make sure no one was looking and proceeded to dump the whole flask into the punch bowl. He shoved the flask back in his pocket just before the bartender turned around.

“Can I get you ladies anything?” the bartender asked, completely oblivious to what James had just done.

“I’ll have some punch,” Kennedy said and stepped forward.

I opened my mouth but then closed it. Kennedy could drink one glass and I could still keep my promise to Uncle Jim. Honestly, if people were whispering about me being a slut, I’d want a drink too. I’d keep an eye on her.

“What about you?” James asked me. “Don’t you want some too?” He tried to straighten his crown but it just made it more lopsided.

“Um…no thanks.”

For some reason that made him smile. Smiles from James were few and far between. Especially real ones.

I wasn’t sure why he was even talking to me, let alone smiling at me. Aside from Matt’s performance today and his texts, all the Untouchables had been avoiding me like the plague ever since the truth had come out. Well, except for Mason tonight. He’d been weirdly kind. And he’d hinted that the Caldwells and Hunters weren’t really speaking anymore. Which broke my heart.

“So no drink,” he said as Kennedy joined me by my side. “How about a dance then?”

I forced myself not to look over my shoulder, even though I couldn’t believe James was asking me for a dance. Wait…why was he asking me? “Actually, Kennedy and I…”

“Kennedy is just going to drink this real quick and join you two on the dance floor in a bit,” Kennedy said. She raised her eyebrows and stared at me like I was insane.

Which was weird because she was the one that was acting insane. James and I weren’t friends. He was nice sometimes. Other times he was just plain cruel. And I didn’t feel like playing whatever game he was currently making up in his head. “Um…”

“Come on, Brooklyn,” he said and put his arm out for me. “I promise I won’t bite.”

I glanced at Kennedy who was shooing me away. This felt like some kind of weird trap. But I wasn’t exactly sure how to get out of it without looking like an ass. And after what Matt