High School Hit List (CLIQUE BAIT)

17. lashes and limousines

"You look nice," he said as I entered his car.

"Thanks," I said skeptically. "You too."

"You ready for tonight?"

"I guess so," I said. But in truth, I wasn't. My stomach kept churning sickeningly over the apple I'd eaten on my way out of the house.

"You posed that as more of a question than an answer," he pointed out.

"I guess I just don't know what to expect. Especially with Lola."

"Well, no offence, but you got yourself into this," he said, but his words were countered with a reassuring smile.

We pulled up at Li's house - the same house that had hosted the party last weekend. All of level one were meeting here before traveling together to the party, and Will was planning on leaving his car behind for the night behind the safe enclosure of the tall iron gate.

I stepped out of the car, the thin heels of my Louboutins sinking into the lawn. Will saw my struggle and stifled a smirk as he held my elbow for support. Cursing, I pulled the annoying – if gorgeous – hindrances out of the ground and followed him up the drive to the front door.

He didn't knock, instead the door opened for us and a doorman stood in waiting with a tray of champagne flutes. We each took one politely before following his gesture to the outside deck.

We were the last to join them. They were all sitting around a large glass table, each of them dressed to the nines. I was glad to see the dress I'd suggested on Maddy, and I was also glad that I seemed to blend in with my high heels and elaborate clutch. It had all seemed so silly when I left the house.

Li's house was as lavish as it had been the weekend before. Large, ornate pots dotted her back garden and exotic looking plants framed a huge pool. The whole setting was straight out of an interior design magazine. Her mother must be as bored as mine was to maintain the place.

Will and I occupied the two remaining seats. Ironically, he was next to Francis, while I was across from Lola – the pair we had been discussing just the night before.

"Drink up, Chloe," Lola said with excitement as Francis became preoccupied in conversation with Will. It was strange, the front they clearly had to hold despite the hate that must be secretly simmering between them.

The corners of my eyes creased in replacement of a smile as I downed the champagne in my glass. It had been a small serving, only enough to look fancy, but it seemed to satisfy Lola. There was a broad grin on her lips, glistening with glamor. Perhaps she was hoping to get me drunk enough to spill my secrets.

She didn't have a chance.

A caterer had another glass in front of me in seconds, and I smiled thankfully to them. My attention quickly shifted to listening to the conversations around me, either looking for one to join or for one to eavesdrop on. But none of them held much interest. No, it was much too early in the night for secrets to be divulged.

"There is no way that could be true," Piers said to Li and Sophie in front of him.

Sophie nodded animatedly, sipping from her glass. "It's true. Your brother's seeing her I swear it."

Piers' pale features were torn between displaying amusement and embarrassment. "Yo, Maddy. Tell your little sister to stay away from my brother."

Maddy, who had been murmuring a conversation with Zach besides her, turned and scowled at Piers. "There's no way my little sister would ever think about going near your brother."

Piers raised his eyebrows. "Well, apparently they're getting it on. Let me know if you want to do the same."

Maddy outright laughed while the other girls scrunched up their noses with disdain. The guys chuckled, and then everyone seemed to simultaneously take a drink.