Elite - Chapter 33
Saturday
My heart was more confused than ever as I turned in a circle looking for Kennedy. Tonight was officially a disaster. I knew that I’d just promised another dance to Felix. And I still owed one to Matt. But I needed to get the hell out of here before I did anything else crazy.
I didn’t see Kennedy anywhere. It seemed darker in here than before. The music was louder. The students rowdier. If the dancing was an indicator, it wasn’t just Matt and Kennedy drinking the spiked punch. I looked over at the bar.
Matt was downing another glass of punch. He slammed it down on the bar as we made eye contact. I was surprised the glass didn’t shatter.
And then he started to make his way over here.
Shit. I couldn’t talk to him right now. Not after what I’d done with James. Not after that conversation with Felix. I needed a second to breathe. The kiss with James meant nothing. But Felix didn’t mean nothing to me. I’d always really liked him.
Matt was taller than a lot of the other students, and I could see him clearly beelining right for me.
He was only a few seconds away. And I had no idea what to say to him.
I had no idea if I could trust him. James had seemed pretty adamant that Matt was a liar.
And I’d had my fair share of Matt’s lies to add to the list.
Rob stepped in front of me. “Wanna dance?” His lip was cut from the fight. And he’d lost his bowtie somewhere. It was probably trampled on the floor.
“Um…” It was tempting, just to give me a few minutes before I had to talk to Matt. But the last thing I wanted to do was give anyone else the wrong idea. I’d kissed James. Fallen for Matt. Mr. Pruitt apparently wanted me to be with Mason. The last thing I needed was another Untouchable on my radar.
It was like Rob could see my hesitancy. So he made the decision for me. He grabbed my hand and pulled me into his chest without waiting for a response. “Trust me, Sanders,” he said. “You don’t want to talk to Matt right now. He’s kind of an angry drunk.”
So he’d seen Matt coming over here too. Rob’s words slowly registered in my brain. Matt was an angry drunk? I tried to see him over Rob’s shoulder, but Matt had disappeared somewhere. I’d seen Matt angry. But I’d never seen it directed at me. “So you’re rescuing me from an awkward conversation?”
“No. I’m trying to get on his nerves because he’s an asshole.”
“Rob…”
“He is. I know it. And you know it too. What are you doing wasting your time with him?”
I shook my head. “How could you say that? Even with everything that’s happened, he’s one of your best friends. I don’t get why you basically just turned homecoming into a fighting ring.”
“We were best friends. Past tense.”
“So punching him in the face was your solution?”
“No.” Rob looked at me like I just wasn’t getting it. “He punched James in the face. Twice. I was defending my brother.”
James asked for it. He was itching for a fight. But I kept my mouth shut. “You don’t know the whole story.”
“I know enough.”
“Are you really not going to hear Matt out?” I asked. Not that I could really judge. I’d pushed that conversation with Matt off all week.
Rob lifted his chin a little. “Brothers before bros.”
“Is that really a thing?”
He pulled me a little closer. “I didn’t realize it had to be a thing. But yeah, it is. Matt crossed a line.”
“Friends are supposed to forgive friends.”
Rob smiled. “That’s why I’ve forgiven you for dating a Caldwell.”
I laughed. “Rob, you and I aren’t really friends.”
He put one of his hands on his chest. “Sanders, I don’t just go around giving nicknames to anyone.”
“That’s hardly a nickname. It’s my last name.”
“Rumor has it that it’s actually not your last name anymore.”
I pressed my lips together.
“But I promise I won’t start calling you Pruitt instead.” He put his hand back on my waist.
“I appreciate that.” I tried to peer over his shoulder again, this time looking for Kennedy. “Have you seen Kennedy? I really need to go see if she’s okay.”
“Yeah, I saw her at the punch bowl a few minutes ago.”
Damn it. “I should probably…”
“You still owe me a favor you know,” Rob said.
“Hmm?” I asked, even though I knew exactly what he was referring to.
A smile spread over his face. “Don’t play dumb with me, Sanders. You screamed my name, remember?”
“As you locked me in Matt’s room. Yeah, I remember. But you tricked me. I don’t owe you anything.”
“Actually, you do.”
“I swear to God, Rob, if you ask me for a kiss I’m going to lose my mind.”
He laughed. “Sanders, I don’t need to win a bet to kiss you. If I wanted a kiss from you, I’d just take it. And then you’d beg me for another.”
I laughed. “No.”
He smiled. “Maybe.”
“Definitely not.”
He laughed again. “You’re the one who immediately thought I’d ask for a kiss. Clearly you were the one thinking about it.”
“I most certainly was not.”
“Keep telling yourself that, Sanders. But since you don’t want a kiss…I was thinking…” his voice trailed off. He stared down at me like he was deciding how to torture me.
“Rob, I already did this dance with James. If you’re trying to make Matt jealous, I don’t want anything to do with it.”
“Oh, this favor would have a lot more to do with screwing over Isabella.”
He’d officially piqued my interest. “You want me to help you screw over Isabella?”
“Yes. Unless sisters before bros is your new motto.”
“Not a chance.”
He laughed. “Do you have access to her bedroom? Because I’ve been over to the Pruitts’ place countless times and I’ve never been allowed upstairs.”
“Well, I think I do. Maybe. I sleep in the opposite wing. I’ve never really been down the hallway that leads to her bedroom. But I’m sure I could find it.” Isabella had been in my room. Certainly I could go into hers.
“What are your feelings about frogs? Like…lots of them?”
“You want to put frogs in her bed?”
“Well…yeah. Wouldn’t that be kind of amazing?”
I could already picture Isabella’s face. And her screaming. But for some reason the scene made me feel bad for the frogs. “Couldn’t we do something where it wasn’t possible for her to hurt an innocent animal?”
“You’re worried she’d kill the frogs?”
“First the frogs. Then me.” I laughed even though I was very serious.
“She’s not going to kill you. Do you have any idea how many times she threatens to kill me on a weekly basis? It’s a lot. And she’s never gone through with it. Rumor has it that she had to sign some contract with her dad promising not to ever do it again.”
Again. That was the same kind of thing Mr. Pruitt had said. That Isabella was no longer allowed to use his assets to freaking kill people. “What do you mean again ? She’s killed someone before?”
“Yeah, I used to have a little brother.”
“Oh my God, what?!”
Rob started laughing. He was laughing so hard, the muscles in his arms tightened, pulling me closer.
“Miss Sanders,” Mr. Hill said in that same tone he scolded me in class. “Mr. Hunter. One foot between dancers at all times.” He shoved a ruler between Rob and me.
My face had to be bright red.
“Sorry, Mr. Hill,” Rob said when he was finally able to catch his breath. “I’ll make sure she keeps her hands off me.”
“Rob.” I shoved his shoulder.
“See what I mean?” he said. “So handsy.”
Was he trying to kill me from embarrassment?
Mr. Hill shook his head and went to go measure some other couples’ distance.
“What is wrong with you?” I shoved Rob’s arm again.
“Absolutely nothing is wrong with me. You’re the one all over everyone tonight. Kissing my brother. Dancing with Felix. I even heard you took some cute homecoming pictures with Mason tonight. And now you’re all up on me.”
Yeah, my face was bright red. “All of those instances are taken out of context.” But I could see how it looked. I wasn’t an idiot, I knew I’d freaking lost my mind tonight.
He laughed.
I needed to change the subject or he’d find a way to torture me all night long. “You were saying something about Isabella?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Oh, right. Her murderous ways? It’s all just based on a rumor. But in elementary school, Isabella didn’t have a whole posse. She just had one best friend. Stephanie. At recess, Stephanie kissed some boy that Isabella liked. And then none of us ever saw her again.”
I swallowed hard. I’d kissed James. Isabella really was going to kill me. “Elementary school? So when she was just a kid?”
“Yeah, she’s always been a nightmare.”
A murderous nightmare. Fuck me. I felt like there wasn’t enough air reaching my lungs.
“You okay?” Rob asked.
“I kissed James. She’s going to kill me just like she killed Stephanie.”
Rob laughed. “Don’t you think Rachel wouldn’t be breathing if she killed everyone James kissed?”
That was a good point. But it didn’t really calm me down.
“Oh my God, maybe that’s what this whole thing with Matt is about.
Maybe Isabella wasn’t trying to ruin Matt’s life with the blackmail.
Maybe she was trying to torture Rachel.” And Matt had just gotten stuck in the crossfire. How had I not seen this before?
“Huh.” Rob lowered his eyebrows like he was thinking it over.
If that was true then… I swallowed hard.
Isabella tormented everyone that got close to James.
She was going to kill me. Or make my life more hellish than she was already making it.
I pictured her cold stare as she’d picked up James’ homecoming crown.
She was plotting something awful. It could happen at any moment. “I need to get out of here.”
The smile that was permanently on Rob’s face faltered. “You’re shaking.”
“I’m not shaking.”
He gripped my waist a little tighter. “Yes you are.”
“I need to find Kennedy and get out of here.” Kennedy was going to spend the night. She’d be with me. I’d be safe back at home. Home? God. Was I safe there? Isabella had snuck into my room earlier and cut up all my clothes. What if she was going to slice my neck next?
“Are you okay?”
“No, I’m not okay. I kissed your brother because he convinced me it was a good idea somehow. And I still have feelings for Felix and Matt.” And Miller. Damn it, where was Miller? I needed him to get me out of here.
“Hey, take a deep breath,” Rob said.
It felt like the air I breathed in wasn’t reaching my lungs. “Everyone’s so mad at me.”
“No one’s mad at you.”
That was a lie. I gasped for air.
“Take a deep breath, Brooklyn. I think you’re having a panic attack.”
“Isabella’s going to kill me.”
Rob pulled me against his chest. “She’s not going to kill you.”
“She is…”
“She’s not. Breathe, Brooklyn.”
I tried to.
“Just breathe. In and out. Just breathe.”
“I want to take it all back,” I said. “I want to un-kiss James. And unlike Felix. And unlove Matt. I want to undo all of it.”
“Breathe in,” Rob said. “And breath out. Just breathe.”
There was something calming about his voice in my ear with all the chaos around us.
“Breathe.”
I tried to focus on taking deep breaths.
And I wasn’t sure how long we stood like that in the middle of the dance floor. Just breathing. I knew there were a few changes of songs. I knew they weren’t slow ones and I knew we looked ridiculous. I was surprised Mr. Hill wasn’t back measuring us apart.
I pulled away from him. “How did you know how to fix that?”
He shrugged. “I’m used to taking care of people.”
I knew he was used to taking care of James. Did James get panic attacks? Or was Rob just used to picking up the pieces after James’ drunk and high escapades? “I’m sorry.”
“Why? You didn’t pull me into your hot mess,” he said with a laugh. “I’m practically the only person here that you haven’t kissed.”
I laughed, even though it still felt like my lungs weren’t quite working right.
“Will you help me find Kennedy?” I still needed to leave. The sooner the better.
He raised both eyebrows. “Thinking about kissing her next? If so, I’ll definitely help you find her.”
“No,” I said with a laugh. “I just think maybe I’ve had enough homecoming for the rest of my life.”
He smiled. “Luckily for you, she’s right behind you. And if you do decide that you want tonight to get even crazier…kissing her really would do the trick. You might even get people to forget about that fight you caused.”
“I’m not kissing Kennedy.”
“I don’t know…you still owe me that favor…”
“Rob. You need to reserve that favor for the prank we’re going to pull on Isabella.”
“Nah. Pretty sure you’re down for that prank anyway. I’ll hold on to my favor for now. I’m sad you’re bouncing though. Things were just getting fun.” He gave me a wink and dropped his hands from my waist just as Kennedy threw her arms around me.
“Best. Homecoming. Ever!” she screamed at the top of her lungs.
I heard Rob laugh. And a few other students cheered around us.
“Are you going to hook up with Robert Hunter too?” she asked. Her words were slightly slurred. “I can’t believe you just came into town and you’re already going to hook up with every single one of the Untouchables. What is your life? A fairytale?”
Hardly. Unless it was one of those real fairytales where everyone died terrible, gruesome deaths.
Maybe I was living one of those. “I promise I’m not going to hook up with all of them,” I said.
“Do you mind if we leave early? I have a really bad feeling. Isabella’s planning something, I know she is. ”
“What can she do here? We’re in the middle of a dance! Back to the topic of Rob real quick.”
“Kennedy, I really think we should get going…”
“Can I have Rob then if you don’t want him?” She removed herself from my embrace. “I’m going to go ask him for a kiss. Wish me luck.”
Oh my God, Kennedy, no! I’d made plenty of bad decisions tonight. But it didn’t mean she had to too. I tried to grab her wrist but she was already twirling over to him.
“Kennedy!” I hissed as I ran after her.
But she didn’t listen. And her long legs were faster than mine even when she was twirling instead of running. She twirled between a couple, preventing Mr. Hill from having to put a ruler between them. She zig-zagged away from me and started twirling in the opposite direction.
“Kennedy get back here!”
But she was like a freaking dancing ninja. I couldn’t catch up with her. Twirling, ducking, and…jumping? Did she just jump over that girl that was bent over in front of that guy? Why wasn’t Kennedy on the track and field team?
“Kennedy!” But she’d already reached Rob on the dance floor. I pushed past a couple dancing very inappropriately, just in time to witness the horror that was this moment.
Kennedy tapped her hip into Rob’s in some weird dance move I’d never seen in my life. “Hey, tiger,” she said. And then she made a rawring noise.
Oh God, no.