girl from last year’s biology class, and she’s not wearing anything. Everywhere I look, it’s chaos.
My mind conjured up a lot of scenarios for what this party might be like, but it wasn’t this imaginative. A wave of nausea crashes over me as I consider what else I might find. In particular, who I might find Landon with.
I don’t know what I’m doing here. I shouldn’t want to see this. Technically, Landon and I aren’t even friends. I’m just the girl sent by the school to help him, and he’s just the moody asshole I couldn’t help crushing on. So, it’s no big deal what he does, right?
Except it feels like a big deal to me.
“Bruhhhh, look who showed up.” One of the football players from BMA intercepts me, humping the air as he eyes my chest. “Yo, Hawaii! Wanna smash?”
“Ugh, don’t be such a pig, Camden.” A platinum blonde with icy blue eyes shoves him out of the way and takes his place in front of me. “Men, am I right?”
“I’m not sure you can call these atomic masses of hormones men just yet,” I answer dryly.
“You’re funny.” Her red lips tilt at the corners, and I think I just entered an alternate universe. One where Audrey Rothschild has suddenly decided to notice my existence.
I know who she is because everyone does. Audrey is a Black Mountain Academy fixture simply for the fact that her entire family is alumni. She belongs here as much as one of the historically preserved buildings. Nobody challenges her existence. They just worship her for what she represents.
Rumor has it her grades suck, and her parents pay off the staff every year, but nobody really knows for sure. In either case, it doesn’t seem to matter. She’s one of those freakishly genetically gifted girls who looks like a Stepford daughter. But she supposedly spent the summer on a medical holiday in an unknown location nipping and tucking her assets. We had three classes together last year, and not once did she ever bother to look my way. So, I can’t figure out why she’s talking to me now.
“It’s Kailani, yeah?” She smiles, her white teeth shining through her painted lips.
“Yep.” I resist the urge to roll my eyes. “We’ve had a few classes together. And we officially met yesterday at the bookstore.”
“Oh, that’s right.” She pins me with her feline gaze. “You were with Landon.”
Yesterday, we went to pick up the last book on the summer reading list, and when we bumped into Audrey and a few other BMA students, Landon practically sprouted wings. They weren’t aware he was in town, but it became apparent pretty fast they all knew each other. Yet he couldn’t get away from them fast enough. He muttered an excuse that we had somewhere to be, except that wasn’t true, and as soon as we got back to my house, he ditched me too.
“Do you know where he is?” I ask Audrey.
Her eyes flick over me in that dismissive way she’s mastered, but her face never wavers. “I’m not sure. But if I had to guess, he’s probably balls deep in some annoying fan girl right about now. God, it’s like they have no self-respect, lining up to take their turns with him. Pathetic, much?”
A nerf dart sails between us, and someone crashes into her from behind, thrusting her forward. I’m grateful for the momentary interruption, so she can’t bear witness to the anguish on my face.
I don’t care what’s he’s doing.
“God, you fucking halfwit.” Audrey shoves the drunken girl away from her, knocking the interloper back onto her ass. She primps her hair and turns her attention back to me. “I swear some people just can’t hang.”
“Right.” I clear my throat and try not to look at the girl who’s crawling away on the floor.
I want to leave. I should leave.
“You should stay a while,” Audrey says. “I never see you at any of these bashes.”
“I just came to say hi to Landon.” I sound like one of those pathetic girls she was just talking about.
Her eyes flash with interest. “Let me help you find him then.”
When my gaze darts around the room, I agree that’s probably a good idea. It’s crazy in here, and even though I’m familiar with the house, it feels brand new in the current state. Audrey grabs my hand and drags me toward the staircase, but we don’t make it far before someone else interrupts us. I recognize the other two guys who