CHAPTER 20

My mouth dropped open. "Uh…wait…you meansex?"

My astonishment prevented me from thinking of a better response. Mason thought it was hysterical.

Jesse looked like he wanted to die.

"Of course I mean sex. She said she'd do it if we said that we'd…you know…."

I made a face. "You guys didn't both, uh, do it at the same time, did you?"

«No,» said Jesse in disgust. Ralf kind of looked like he wouldn't have minded.

«God,» I muttered, pushing hair out of my face. "I can't believe she hates us that much."

«Hey,» exclaimed Jesse, reading into my insinuation. "What's that supposed to mean? We're not that bad. And you and me-we were pretty close to-"

"No. We weren'teven close to that. " Mason laughed again, and something struck me. "If this…if this happened back then, though…she must have still been dating Aaron."

All three guys nodded.

"Oh. Whoa."

Miareally hated us. She'd just moved beyond poor-girl-wronged-by-girl's-brother and well into sociopath territory. She'd slept with these two and cheated on a boyfriend whom she seemed to adore.

Jesse and Ralf looked incredibly relieved when we walked away. Mason slung a lazy arm around my shoulders. "Well? What do you think? I rule, right? You can tell me. I won't mind."

I laughed. "How'd you finally find that out?"

"I called in a lot of favors.Used some threats. The fact that Mia can't retaliate helped too."

I recalled Mia accosting me the other day. I didn't think she was entirely helpless yet but didn't say so.

"They'll start telling people on Monday " he continued. "They promised. Everyone'll know by lunch."

"Why not now? "I asked sulkily. "They slept with a girl.Hurts her more than them."

"Yeah.True. They didn't want to deal with it tonight. You could start telling people if you wanted to. We could make a banner."

With as many times as Mia had called me a slut and a whore? Not a bad idea. "You got any markers and paper?…"

My words trailed off as I stared across the gym to where Lisa stood surrounded by admirers, Aaron's arm around her waist. She wore a sleek pink cotton sheath in a shade I never could have pulled off. Her blond hair had been pulled up in a bun that she'd used little crystal hairpins on. It almost looked like she wore a crown. Princess Vasilisa.

The same feelings as earlier hummed through to me, anxiety and excitement. She just couldn't quite enjoy herself tonight.

Watching her from the other side of the room, lurking in the darkness, was Christian. He practically blended into the shadows.

"Stop it, " Mason chided me, seeing my stare. "Don't worry about her tonight."

"Hard not to."

"It makes you look all depressed. And you're too hot in that dress to look depressed. Come on, there's Eddie."

He dragged me away, but not before I cast one last glance at Lisa over my shoulder. Our eyes met briefly. Regret flashed through the bond.

But I pushed her out of my head-figuratively speaking- and managed to put on a good face when we joined a group of other novices. We earned a lot of mileage by telling them about the Mia scandal and, petty or not, seeing my name cleared and getting revenge on her felt amazingly good. And as those in our group wandered off and mingled with others, I could see the news spreading and spreading.So much for waiting until Monday.

Whatever.I didn't care. I was actually having a good time. I fell into my old role, happy to see I hadn't grown too dusty in making funny and flirty remarks. Yet, as time passed and Eddie's party grew closer, I started to feel Lisa's anxiety pick up in intensity. Frowning, I stopped talking and turned around, scanning the room for her.

There. She was still with a group of people, still the sun in her little solar system. But Aaron was leaning very close to her, saying something in her ear. A smile I recognized as fake was plastered across her face, and the annoyance and anxiety from her increased further.

Then it spiked. Mia had walked up to them.

Whatever she'd come to say, she didn't waste any time in saying it. With the eyes of Lisa's admirers on her, little Mia in her red dress gestured wildly, mouth working animatedly. I couldn't hear the words from across the room, but the feelings grew darker and darker through the bond.

"I've got to go, " I told Mason.

I half walked, half ran over to Lisa's side, catching only the tail end of Mia's tirade. She was yelling at Lisa full force now and leaning into her face. From what I could tell, word must have reached her about

Jesse and Ralf selling her out.

"-you and your slutty friend! I'm going to tell everyone what a psycho you are and how they had to lock you in the clinic because you're so crazy. They're putting you on medication. That's why you and Rose left before anyone else could find out you cut-"

Whoa, not good. Just like at our first meeting in the cafeteria, I grabbed her and jerked her away.

«Hey,» I said. "Slutty friend here. Remember what I said about standing too close to her?"

Mia snarled, baring her fangs. As I'd noted before, I couldn't feel too sorry for her anymore. She was dangerous.

She had stooped low to get back at me. Now, somehow, she knew about Lisa and the cutting.Really knew, too; she wasn't just guessing. The information she had now sounded both like what the guardians on the scene had reported, as well as what I'd told them about Lisa's history. Maybe some confidential doctor's stuff too. Mia'd snagged the records somehow.

Lisa realized it too, and the look on her face-scared and fragile, no moreprincess- made my decision for me. It didn't matter that Kirova had spoken the other day about giving me my freedom, that I'd been having a goodtime, and that I could have let my worries go and partied tonight. I was going to ruin everything, right here and right now.

I'm really not good with impulse control.

I punched Mia as hard as I could-harder, I think, than I'd even hit Jesse. I heard a crunch as my fist impacted her nose, and blood spurted out. Someone screamed. Mia shrieked and flew backwards into some squealing girls who didn't want to get blood on their dresses. I swooped in after her, getting in one more good punch before somebody peeled me off her.

I didn't fight restraint as I had when they'd taken me from Mr. Nagy's classroom. I'd expected this as soon as I'd swung at her. Stopping all signs of resistance, I let two guardians lead me out of the dance while Ms. Kirova tried to bring some semblance of order. I didn't care what they did to me. Not anymore. Punish or expel.Whatever. I could handle-

Ahead of us, through the ebbing and flowing waves of students passing through the double doors, I saw a figure in pink dart out.Lisa. My own out-of-control emotions had overridden hers, but there they were, flooding back into me.Devastation. Despair. Everyone knew her secret now. She'd face more than just idle speculation. Pieces would fall together. She couldn't handle that.

Knowing I wasn't going anywhere, I frantically searched for some way to help her. A dark figure caught my eye. «Christian!» I yelled. He'd been staring at Lisa's retreating figure but glanced up at the sound of his name.

One of my escorts shushed me and took my arm. "Be quiet."

I ignored her. "Go after her, " I called to Christian. "Hurry."

He just sat there, and I suppressed a groan.

"Go, you idiot!"

My guardians snapped at me to be quiet again, but something inside of Christian woke up. Springing up from his lounging position, he tore off in the direction Lisa had traveled.

No one wanted to deal with me that night. There'd be hell to pay tomorrow-I heard talk of suspension or possibly even expulsion-but Kirova had her hands full with a bleeding Mia and a hysterical student body. The guardians escorted me to my room under the watchful eye of the dorm matron who informed me she'd check on me every hour to make sure I stayed in my room. A couple guardians would also hang out around the dorm's entrances. Apparently I was now a high-security risk. I'd probably just ruined Eddie's party; he'd never sneak a group up to his room now.