16. Mensonge
Lie
Alice sat in her chemistry lab, the back of her head burning with Emily's gaze.
Days had passed since their small confrontation in the parking lot, and she suspected that Emily was still waiting for an apology, considering how little they'd spoken since then. She was finding it incredibly difficult to listen to their teacher drone on about electron configurations with Emily staring into her soul.
They'd never gone this long without speaking.
Julia nudged her lightly on the arm and Alice blinked, turning to face her.
"Emily still wants you to apologise?" Julia whispered.
Alice raised her brows in surprise. She hadn't told Julia anything about their little fight. Recognising her look, Julia shrugged. "Sierra Grammar loves gossip more than it loves old money."
"Right." Alice nodded, all too familiar with how quickly news spread when people had nothing better to do—like most of high society folk. "Yeah. I guess she does. We haven't really spoken, but I think she wants to come over before Debutante."
"What?" Julia muttered, quirking a brow. "Why? Isn't her house closer to the school?"
Alice paused furrowing her brows. She was right. Why hadn't they planned to meet at her house instead?
"Well, since Emily's having a sook," Julia teased with a smirk. "You're welcome to come over to mine. Amy's meeting me and we're getting ready together."
Alice smiled. It sounded nice, meeting up and getting ready with friends before Debutante, but she couldn't intrude on Julia and her girlfriend's special day. So, she shook her head.
"No, it's okay. My parents already made plans," she said, partially telling the truth. "You know how they get. They're making a big fuss about this whole thing."
And it was true.
After her plans with Emily had seemingly been thrown out the window, she'd told her mother about her newly emptied schedule, who promptly booked a five-person team of stylists, hairdressers, and make-up artists to ensure she was looking her best.
It was something Alice would be finished with long before the Debutante began, and something she could easily weasel her way out of, but Amy and Julia deserved some privacy.
She'd only be a burden, anyway.
"Oh, well if you change your mind," Julia offered with a smile. "You know my address."
Alice exhaled deeply, her heart swelling. "Julia, you're the best."
"I know," she teased, grinning.
"No, seriously," Alice whispered back, glancing in their teacher's direction who remained completely oblivious to their muttering. "I don't know what I would've done if you, Amy and Marco hadn't been so kind to me. Thank you, seriously."
Julia shrugged coyly, her eyes drifting to her fiddling fingers before meeting Alice's eyes again, a gentle smile on her lips. "I'm just glad I could help. If anything, I'm lucky to be your friend."
"No way." Alice knocked her arm lightly. "I'm the lucky one."
Julia laughed, opening her mouth to contest her only to be interrupted.
"Miss Travers, Miss Mathews."
The girls spun, eyes wide, to see Mr Farrows glaring in their direction. A red vein bulged from his shining bald head. Alice swallowed thickly.
"Just because you both did well in the assignment doesn't mean you can spend your lessons chattering noisily," he chastised, wagging a finger at them.
Alice set her jaw, "Sorry, sir. It won't happen again."
"It better not, Miss Travers." He narrowed his eyes at her, scrutinising her. "I would expect a prefect to be more well-behaved than this. Really."
Alice pursed her lips, watching as he huffed in annoyance and turned back to his whiteboard, returning to his lecture, his monotone voice morphing into one of irritation.
Alice sighed, her tensed shoulders relaxing as he moved his attention away from her, and beside her, she felt Julia do the same. They turned to face each other, their distraught faces mirroring each other.
Then slowly, their lips twitched into smiles and they found themselves hunched over, trying their best to swallow their laughter.
Alice clutched her stomach, biting down on her lip as she fought her giggles trying to escape. Julia was in much the same state, her hands clamped over her mouth as she leaned onto her desk, trying to think of decidedly unfunny things to kill her laughter.
Alice blinked her tears of laughter away, watching as Mr Farrows turned to face the two, his mouth half open in a ready lecture, only for the bell to sound.
She jumped from her seat, quickly collecting her pens and books.
"Well," Alice said, her voice straining and croaking with chuckles. "I have to head to English. And you?"
"Physics, and—" Julia paused, blinking. "Damn!" She cursed, shoving books around her backpack. "I lent my physics book to Amy and forgot to get it back. I'll see you, Alice!"
Before Alice could mutter a goodbye, Julia had grabbed her backpack and sprinted from the class, her phone in hand to call Amy. She bit back a "No running in the halls!" and instead smiled after her friend, clutching her books in her arms.
"Ahem."
She turned at the sound of a clearing throat to see Emily standing behind her, a brow quirked, and her lips pressed in a thin line.
"Ah, Emily." Alice attempted to smile graciously.
"Alice," she greeted back. "Look, Debutante is this weekend and—"
"Travers," a low voice came from beside her as a hand reached out, clutching her arm and tugging her away.
Alice stumbled, catching her footing before resisting the pull, turning to find Finn Cauley, his face a cool, unreadable expression.
"I was talking to her, Cauley," Emily snarled, her voice twinging with anger.
"Cool, well, I'm talking to her now," he spat back, his eyes narrowed.
"Actually," Alice began, rolling her eyes in annoyance. "I was talking to Emily."
Emily's lips twitched up in a smug grin as Finn growled at Alice.
"Come on, Travers," he said, tugging her again.
She ripped her arm from his hold, stepping away from him. "No, Cauley. I can handle myself."
Finn groaned, exhaling loudly. "Can we do this another time, Travers? Come on, let's go."
She was annoyed with him.
How could he show up at her house and kiss her like that, just to leave without another word? He hadn't approached her at all today either, leaving her to overthink everything. She'd been jittery all day, waiting to hear someone whisper to their friend about how Alice Travers and Finn Cauley made out against a bookshelf.
She felt humiliated and angry. It felt like a repeat of Year Eight.
"Cauley, what I do is none of your business," she reminded him, raising an annoyed brow.
He paused, allowing a heavy silence to settle. He settled her with a sharp stare, but she only glared back, and his expression hardened.
"Fine," he snapped, turning away. "Handle your bloody self then."
"I will," Alice said, folding her arms.
She watched as his back retreated the room, leaving only Emily and Alice in the laboratory. She watched as his back retreated the room, leaving only Emily and Alice in the laboratory. A part of her hurt to see him leave. It was her fault, but she hadn't expected him to give up so easily.
She hadn't expected him to pretend like last night didn't happen.
But then a part of her was grateful. She could pretend, and then she could go to the Debutante and Theo would become her boyfriend like nothing had happened. Like Cauley had never re-entered her life.
Yes, it was better this way.
Alice turned to face her friend—were they friends? —feeling the chill of the empty chemistry lab crawl up her spine.
"Well, now that that's settled." She smiled triumphantly. "What's up?"
"What's going on with you and Cauley, anyway?" Emily asked, blinking. "We haven't spoken to him in, like, four years. What's his deal?"
Alice's mind flashed to her legs wrapped around his waist in the middle of her family library. She shook her head, avoiding her eyes.
"No idea."
Emily raised a suspicious brow, but continued, nevertheless. "Well, Debutante is on Sunday, as you know."
"Of course." Alice sighed, rubbing her forehead. "How could I forget? I think my mother has had that date marked on the calendar since before my conception."
Emily barked out a laugh, shaking her head. "Right, so, if you want to apologise—"
"To Heather."
"Right, to Heather—"
"I'm not going to."
"You'd better do it before—" she paused, furrowing her brow. "What do you mean you're not going to?"
"I mean what I said," Alice said, raising her chin. "I have nothing to apologise for. If you both want to attend together, then go ahead. I'll be getting ready on my own."
"But," Emily began, slowly. "I told you, they're refusing to apologise first. And besides, you don't want to ruin our friendship, right?"
"I don't know." Alice shrugged. "Maybe it wasn't a friendship to begin with. Maybe I don't want to keep up with all this."
"How could you say that?" Emily sputtered with wide eyes. Her voice softened, and her expression grew gentle. "Alice, we all love you. We've been through so much together. We took on high school together! You know what could happen if this continues, right?"
Alice knew. She'd simply decided to stop caring. She'd grown good at ignoring the problems in her life, and this had only become another to add to the list.
She shrugged.
"Yes, well, lately I've been through so much on my own," Alice said. She shook her head. "Look, Emily. It's just still so fresh. I need some time to think about it all—process it, you know?"
Emily stared at her for a moment before nodding slowly. "Okay. Okay, yeah, you're right."
Alice smiled gently at her. "Thanks. I'll see you at Debutante."
"Yeah, see you," Emily muttered, turning to leave the lab.
Alice followed, lagging behind to avoid turning up to English together. The classroom was down the hall, so she knew she wouldn't be late, and their teacher was quite foggy in the head and tended to show up late most lessons anyhow.
She slowed her steps, her heart racing—she wasn't a fan of confrontation, but she'd done it. She'd gotten rid of Emily's persistent nagging, at least for the meantime. All she needed was to get through the Debutante, make her parents proud, and then she'd sort out the mess with Heather.
Right, that's what she'd do. She'd figure something out.
Alice paused, feeling eyes on her back, and smiled to herself.
"Stop spying on me," she said, turning to see Cauley leaning against a wall.
He regarded her with calm neutrality, pushing off the wall to step closer. "I'm not spying, merely waiting for my next class to begin."
"Oh yeah?" Alice challenged. "And what's that?"
He paused, thinking. "Modern history."
"That's in the South Block."
"And this is?"
"The North."
"Right."
Alice laughed to herself, rolling her eyes. "You know, Cauley, I can take care of myself. I'm a big girl. You don't need to, I don't know, watch me or whatever."
"First of all," Finn began, his voice a low drawl. "It's frankly quite narcissistic that you would believe I'm watching you. I have better things to do with my time, Travers."
"Like what?"
"Like break into girls' family libraries."
Alice blushed, and Finn smirked at her reaction, taking it as a cue to continue.
"And secondly," he said. "No matter how many times you remind me that you can handle yourself," he paused, his eyes dropping to scrutinise her before dragging back up to meet her eyes. "I still don't think I believe you."
Alice huffed. "Well, that's just rude, Cauley. I'm not a child."
"I never said you were," he said, his voice plain condescending. "You just have your priorities all wrong."
"Do I now?"
"Yes, of course," he quirked a brow at her. "For instance, what is your number one priority in life?"
"What?" Alice blinked. "I don't know."
"Yes, you do," he challenged. "Your priority is always to do what your mother and father expect. Always to play the role of Miss Perfect."
"What's wrong with having high standards?"
"Nothing," Finn said simply. He stepped back with a shrug. "But yours... yours are impossible standards, Travers. And someday, it'll all come crashing down."
Alice gulped thickly, rolling her eyes in an attempt at masking her sudden unease.
"Don't be ridiculous, Cauley. I can handle myself perfectly well."
Finn quirked a brow at her, unimpressed, before turning and strolling down the hall. Alice turned, her mind whirling as she stepped into her English class.
Finn Cauley was the worst.
He knew exactly how to rile her up. He knew the perfect words to say to make her feel unsettled, the exact phrases that she dreaded to hear.
He knew her perfectly well, Alice thought, and that was what scared her the most.
***
Graduation was coming, and that meant so was Sierra Grammar's Debutante Ball.
It was Sunday morning, the very end of August, when Alice awoke to find three tailors fussing about in her room, steaming her gown, and quickly adjusting the sizing. A make-up artist and hairdresser had stationed themselves in Alice's bathroom, and her mother stood eagerly in the midst of the chaos, ordering everyone about.
Her breakfast was non-existent. 'Must keep that figure slim,' her mother had told her, so Alice spent the morning at her usual deportment lessons preparing to be presented before her team of stylists began fussing over her appearance.
"I'll be freezing," Alice muttered as her tailors tugged on the zipper of her gown.
"Hush," her mother scolded. "This is an important day for all of us, Alice dear. You must be considerate."
Alice glued her mouth shut, glaring at her own reflection. Her parents had ordered her gown from Paris at the start of the year, custom designed by some French designer Alice had met as a child. It was a strappy satin gown with a split on the side, a soft golden colour. The bodice had been structured and tailored to perfectly accentuate Alice's waist, although it felt a bit like a corset with its boning.
For Alice and most other students, Debutante was a fun night to hang out with friends and dress up a little. For their parents, however, it meant their daughters would be presented and connections would be made. It was another night for networking and planning their futures, and more specifically, future betrothals.
And if Alice was being presented by Theo tonight... she tried not to think about the message it would send to their parents, the future they'd probably plan for the couple after tonight.
A harsh tug to her scalp had Alice hissing and snapping out of her daze.
"Alright, I think we're done," Alice whined.
Her mother tutted. "No, no, I want it more slicked down. Alexander, continuez. Moins de volume."
Alice pursed her lips, relenting as Alexander tugging a gelled comb through her scalp.
"Now, Alice," her mother began. "Your father and I will be leaving in a moment. We need to get set up, and we must be there before the other parents arrive. Make sure you enter with the other young ladies. Theodore will be waiting for you there. Understood?"
"Yes, mother."
Her mother nodded, her face stern, before barking out some orders to the stylists in French and marching out of her room. Alice sighed. She felt as though she'd been standing in front of her mirror for hours, being prodded and fitted and painted on.
Once the door clicked shut, Alice waited a moment before turning to Alexander, who seemed to be in charge around here.
"How much longer until we're done?"
"Three hours," Alexander stated simply, moving to spray more product onto her hair.
Alice pursed her lips. "Great."
And she had no choice but to stick through it.
***
Sierra Grammar's annual Debutante Ball was held in the Great Hall of the school. The enormous hall had been transformed into a ballroom.
It was decked out with chandeliers and white clothed tables, and the grand doors were perfect for presenting the young Debutantes. In the corner of the hall, an orchestra played classical music while parents mingled throughout the room, smiling, and making polite small talk despite their common interests, networking.
Alice hated networking, so she was grateful to be outside the hall, behind the great doors with the other young ladies.
"Alright, ladies." Madame Bouchard clapped her hands together. "We will begin the presenting."
She walked through the rows of young ladies in glistening gowns, her chin high despite her petite stature. "Line up! Come on, quickly, now!"
Alice pursed her lips, ignoring the cold chill running down her arms in the December wind, and lined up in her place. Alice's surname began with a 'T', meaning she had to stand directly behind Emily, whose surname, Sinclair, began with an 'S'.
Begrudgingly, she sent Emily her classic Travers smile and attempted polite conversation.
"Emily, you look beautiful," Alice began, well-practiced in the socially elite art of fake small talk for the sake of appearances. "Where did you get that dress? It's stunning."
Emily sent her a glowing smile. Her blonde curls had been straightened and lay over her shoulders. She wore a lacey white gown that fell to the floor, and it reminded Alice of her grandmother's dusty antimacassars.
"It's a customised Rodarte. And you?"
"Custom designed Gaultier." Alice smiled back. "Well, have a great Debutante."
"You too."
And that was the end of their conversation.
Alice tried not to think about how they'd dreamed of this day when they were children—planning their dresses, promising to sleepover the night before so they could spend the day getting ready together. Even Cauley had been dragged into their plans, forcing him to promise to present the both of them together, as a trio—as it had always been.
She smiled bitterly at the memory. How things had changed.
"Miss Travers, please, will you hurry up?"
Alice blinked at Madame Bouchard's voice and quickly realised it was her turn to be presented. She stepped up to the threshold, watching Emily as she waved to the crowd, her hand hooked onto the arm of a young man from St Jude's.
"Miss Alice Sabine Travers, daughter of committee members Charles and Wendy Travers. Presented by Theodore McKay."
Alice stepped into the Great Hall and all eyes were on her. Theo was already waiting for her, his arm extended, and she took it lightly, walking into the centre of the hall as the announcer presented her.
"Miss Travers plans to major in business at the Australian National University and continue her family's legacy by taking over the family business."
Alice smiled, nodding to the crowd of smiling suits and gowns before turning and waltzing to her place in line on the side.
"Miss Sarah Turner, daughter of—"
Alice watched as the next young lady entered the hall when Theo's hand rested over hers. She turned to find him smiling at her, his eyes gentle enough to make her want to melt. She missed him.
"You look incredible," Theo muttered under his breath.
Alice smiled. "So do you."
And it was true. He wore a fitted black suit, his tie the perfect shade to match her dress, his suit perfectly accentuating his muscles and toned body.
"I haven't seen you in so long," Alice continued, her polite smile still plastered on her face.
"I know," Theo mumbled. "I know, I'm sorry. I've been so busy. I'll make it up to you, babe. Swear."
Alice sighed, her heart fluttering, but she relented. "Okay."
"And we can go back to mine after." He winked. "Like we planned."
Alice swallowed thickly, turning back to face the announcer who began going through her welcoming speech and 'thank you's. At the end of her speech, the orchestra's music picked up in a gentle waltz, signalling the Debutantes to begin their first dance.
"Shall we?" Theo grinned, his voice thick with charm.
Alice nodded, her heart swelling with the music as he led her to the dance floor. He unlatched his arm from her grip and stepped back, extending his hand, and bowing lowly. Alice curtsied in response before taking his hand, and the pair began twirling around the room.
And for a while, life was perfect again.
Alice twirled across the Great Hall, laughing and grinning, melting beneath Theo's gaze. He stepped on her toes and she giggled, but they continued dancing until one waltz blended into the next, and the next.
Her heart raced when the music slowed, and Theo pulled her to his chest.
"Are you having fun?" Theo asked below the music.
Alice smiled to herself. "Definitely."
"Good." Theo grinned a wide school-boy smile. "I have a lot to make up for. Between trials, and rugby, and your parents, I feel like I've barely seen you this past month. We're only getting started."
She laughed and he gripped her hand, twirling her beneath his arm.
"Alice, listen," he began slowly, staring into her eyes. The chandelier lights twinkling in the reflection of his eyes and Alice practically melted. "I really like you."
"I like you too, Theo," Alice sighed back, a wide smile stretched across her lips.
"And we've been hanging out for a long time now," he continued, his voice quiet and low. "I really like hanging out with you."
"I do too."
"Good." He beamed at her. "Because I want you to be my girlfriend."
Alice blinked, her heart leaping into her throat. "What?"
"Be my girlfriend," he repeated, smiling. "I want it to be official. I want it to be exclusive. I like you, Alice. Let's go out together."
"So suddenly?" Alice asked. She felt like the room was spinning around her.
It was all she'd wanted. She'd imagined dating him for months. Since before they'd started talking, back when Theo was just the handsome, rugby team captain that Alice would smile at in the hallways. Back when Theo would attend her parents' parties and they'd exchange looks from opposite ends of the room.
Except now that it was happening, she wasn't sure how to process it all. It was all so sudden.
"I hated not seeing you all those days when we were both busy," Theo said. His hand drifted from her waist to her fingers, and he squeezed them with a smile. "And now that I've presented you into society, I mean... It only feels like a natural progression, doesn't it?"
He looked at her, his brown eyes sparkling under the glistening chandelier lights. She felt herself reflecting his smile.
"Of course, Theo."
She lifted herself onto her toes, pressing her lips against his. She smiled into the kiss, keeping it brief due to the plethora of watching eyes surrounding them. They pulled away and Theo grinned at her stupidly. He stumbled, his shoes stepping onto hers and she winced.
"Sorry, sorry," Theo muttered, hastily moving back. "How long have we been dancing?" he asked, blinking.
"I don't know," Alice said, in a daze. "But my feet are killing me. I thought you'd be coordinated, what with all your rugby training."
Theo smiled sheepishly and the music died down, blending into another waltz.
"Should we take a break? I'll get you a drink," he paused. "Girlfriend."
Alice nodded reluctantly, though a wide smile grew at the sound of the last word.
She wanted to keep dancing, but her feet really were killing her. She spotted her parents across the hall, mingling with lawyers and businessmen, and decided to stray as far away from there as possible.
She wanted to have fun tonight, not be stuck in politesse and formalities, making small talk about the weather. So, she walked to the opposite side of the hall and sunk into a chair at a table where Amy and Julia were already seated. Alice raised her brows at the pair.
"You guys look amazing!" she exclaimed, scanning their outfits.
Both the girls had come in matching white gowns, though Amy's was significantly more sparkly. Julia's long black curls had been pulled up in a bun, stray curls pulled out to perfectly frame her face.
The couple turned to her in surprise, before smiling widely.
"Alice!" Julia grinned toothily. "So, do you!"
"Yeah, I love the slit!" Amy enthused. She paused to wag her brows at her. "I bet Theo does too."
Alice blushed immediately, opening her mouth to object, when a champagne flute was placed in front of her.
"I do, actually."
"Theo!" Alice blinked, turning to find him grinning at her.
"Champagne for the lady." He winked. "I need to head to the bathroom. I'll see you in a bit?"
Alice nodded, smiling as he departed for the restroom.
"He's so handsome," Amy remarked dreamily.
"I'm right here!" Julia protested.
"You can't deny it. It's an objective fact." Amy shrugged, popping a grape into her mouth.
Alice laughed, shaking her head, and taking a sip from her champagne. She scanned the dancefloor, watching the sway of partners across the hall before her eyes landed on Heather.
Heather wore a red satin dress, similar to Alice's but much more scandalous. Her brown hair had been pulled back in an updo, revealing her protruding collarbones and long neck. She looked gorgeous.
Heather met her eyes and sent her an arrogant smile, turning away with a huff. Alice rolled her eyes, tossing back the remainder of her champagne.
"Woah!" Julia cried, watching as she tipped the remainder of her glass into her mouth. "What's the rush?"
"Debutantes are hardly manageable without a bit of champagne," Alice replied easily, sending Julia a smile.
Julia raised a brow, tossing back her own glass of champagne, earning a laugh from Amy. "Amen to that."
"You aren't having any, Amy?" Alice asked, noticing Amy's glass of water.
"No," Amy shook her head. "I'm not eighteen yet."
"Amy," Alice quirked a brow at her. "Neither is half of our grade."
"Oh. Well, in that case," she reached over the table, grabbing Julia's glass and tossing back the remainder of champagne.
The trio burst out into a fit of laughter.
"Oh!" Julia exclaimed suddenly as the music began to swell. "I love this song! Amy, let's go dance! Please?"
Amy rolled her eyes but stood from her seat. "Fine."
Julia squealed in excitement, grabbing her hands, and dragging her to the dancefloor. And just like that, Alice was alone.
She sighed, reaching over to tug Julia's plate of fruit closer and began nibbling on some grapes herself. She hadn't eaten at all that day, on orders of her mother, and she was starving.
"All alone?"
Alice spun to see Finn Cauley arching a brow at her. He looked dashingly handsome in an all-black suit. His blond hair had been slicked back to reveal his glowing blue eyes. She glanced around to see if Theo had come back.
"Theo must have gotten caught up with some friends or something." Alice shrugged.
"Ah, so only temporarily alone then?"
Alice laughed lightly. "Something like that, I guess."
Silence settled over the pair and Finn's eyes roamed over her body. Alice dropped her grapes, feeling slightly self-conscious of how she looked, and straightened her back.
She cleared her throat awkwardly. "Did you present anyone?"
"Some girl from St Jude's." His eyes twinkled with mischief. "Practically begged me. Couldn't say no to the poor girl. I do love a bit of charity. I'm not completely heartless, you know?"
"You're so full of yourself, Cauley," Alice rolled her eyes.
"Maybe tonight, someone else will be full of me."
Alice gasped, whacking his arm, and he laughed. "We're in high society, Mr Cauley. Behave yourself."
"Right, forgot I was in the presence of a stuck-up prefect. And a Travers at that."
"More of that and I'll report you to the Headmaster for ill representation of the school."
"I dare you," he threatened, his eyes glistening, and his lips tugged up in an arrogant smirk.
She huffed, crossing her arms. "Maybe I will."
"Be my guest."
She glanced at him and paused. He was finding this hilarious. He didn't care whether or not she reported him—they both knew he wouldn't get into any real trouble anyway. She rolled her eyes, turning back to watch the couples dance, gliding smoothly across the floor.
"Well," Cauley shoved a hand into his pocket. "I'm in desperate need for a smoke. You coming?"
"I don't smoke," Alice spat, aghast. "And smoking on school grounds is not allowed!"
Finn rolled his eyes. "Right, forgot. Then I'll just head outside for some... fresh air."
He turned to leave, and Alice jumped to her feet. "You absolutely will not!"
"What are you going to do, report me?" Finn called over his shoulder with a smirk before moving through the crowd towards the exit.
Alice's eyes grew wide and frantic, and she turned to scan the hall. No one would notice if she was gone for a second, and Theo seemed to still be caught up somewhere. She pursed her lips, turning and marching after Finn.
"You'd better stop!" Alice called as she caught up to his long strides. "The Headmaster will have you expelled for this."
"Oh, please. Try me, Travers." He drawled lazily, reaching the main doors.
"And it's terrible for your health," Alice reasoned pointedly.
"Is it now? Had no idea."
He moved to tug the door open slightly, slipping out. Alice followed right behind him, her hands on her hips.
"It will rot your teeth and lungs. Don't come crying to me if you're on your deathbed in ten years-time."
Cool air hit her as she stepped out of the hall, pausing a step-in front of Finn. She stuck her chin up at him, but he didn't reply, his brow furrowed, and eyes narrowed at something behind her.
"Cauley?" Alice muttered, turning to follow his gaze.
Alice staggered back, her eyes wide and jaw falling slack. Perched on the stone balustrade on the far end of the main staircase leading to the Great Hall was Emily.
Her dress rode up on her thigh, a large hand creeping higher on her skin, the other wrapped around her waist as the couple made out, oblivious to Alice and Finn's presence.
Alice's breath caught in her throat, but she managed a whisper. She watched as the man peeled himself away from Emily to catch his breath, and Alice felt her face burn.
"Theo?"