"What'd she want?"

I turned around. Becky was frowning at them with something else in her eyes. I narrowed mine, was she hurt that I had talked to her?

"She was giving me a heads up that Jessica and Jill wanted to confront me about the trip."

Becky's eyes narrowed and I knew there was suspicion in them, but then she yawned suddenly and her shoulders sagged down. "I'm so tired. I can't handle any more fights."

"You can't?" I touched the side of my face. It was still tender and the pain started to throb again. "I don't remember you helping out from your version of the story."

She grinned and linked her hands together in front of her. It was a self-conscious movement. "I would've, but you were so funny to watch. And you kept telling you could handle it. You were taunting her, actually."

"Was I?" An old comfort settled between my shoulders. That sounded like something I'd do. "Did it piss her off?"

"Oh yeah. She started to swing at you more and more. She got sloppier after that and you kept dodging her, then you'd give her an uppercut from nowhere."

I gave her a sloppy grin. That had made me happy. "Want to go for burgers tonight? I think I need some protein."

"Can we do pizza instead? There's an air hockey table at Gino's." As we passed a group of football players, she looked up, but quickly looked back down.

Adam was in the center of the group. He leaned against the lockers with his feet crossed beneath him. Cassandra Sullivan was pressed against him, as close as she could be without his arm around her. She had a hand splayed over his chest and was smiling up at him. When he met my gaze, his grew cold and he straightened.

A few of the guys looked over and said hello to me.

My feet tripped over themselves, but I stumbled down the hallway with a frown. When did football players say hello to me? Even when I had dated Jeff, and some of them were his friends, they'd never spoken to me.

Then I looked up as Becky and I were about to head into the classroom. Miranda met my gaze down the hallway. Her eyes seemed to be laughing at me, but I had an odd sense that she knew exactly what happened and she knew why it happened. Then she pretended to tip an imaginary hat to me.

Was that her first favor?

'Welcome to the Elite, Samantha.'

Her words came back to haunt me. Had I joined their ranks without realizing it? And if I had, what did that mean?

And then something else happened that took my breath away.

Jessica and Jill sat at a table behind Becky and me. I was tense, ready for whatever they were going to say to me, but they each gave me a bright smile. "Hi, Sam! How was the party?"

My mouth dropped.

Hell froze over.

Becky's head dropped to her lap and she couldn't silence her giggles. Her shoulders shook.

"What?" I said to them.

Jill's smile widened and Jessica's stayed, but the ends of her mouth seemed strained. Lydia plopped between them and clasped my hands. She nearly smacked her forehead against mine. "I didn't know you were friends with Miranda Stewart! That's awesome, Sam. Why didn't you tell me?"

The teacher started roll call, but I couldn't shake a chill when I turned back around. That had been the favor Miranda had referenced. She cast me as her friend, no one would touch me now…except the Academy Elite.

I clasped my eyes shut.

I didn't want to deal with them. They were on a whole other league.

The rest of the day followed the same pattern. Amelia White asked me to sit with her in sixth period. She offered her notes from the morning classes I missed and Emily Connsway saved a seat beside her in our last period. Mark Decraw gave me a few wary looks, but he extended his fingers in a wave once. And then Miranda passed me in the hallway after school. She called out, "See you later, Samantha!" before she bent her head and laughed at something Emily said to her.

I shook my head as I pulled out the two books I would need for homework and turned around. I bumped back against my locker when I saw Jeff behind me. His dark hair was gelled up in a haphazard nest and his eyes were fierce. He frowned at me. "What are you doing?"

My hungover cloud of confusion cleared suddenly and I snapped back to reality. I shoved him back. "What are you doing? Whatever you have to say, you have no right to say it. Get out of my face, Jeff."

He rolled his eyes and stepped closer. He lowered his voice to a grumble. "Jess is crapping her pants. Now you're suddenly all powerful and popular. What'd you do? How'd that happen? And what are you going to do to her?"

I reared back and took a long look at him. I thought he was angry, but I saw concern in his eyes now and something akin to fear?

I lowered my voice as well. "Why are you worried about Jessica? Shouldn't you be concerned about Jill, your girlfriend?"

"You weren't betrayed by Jill. You weren't friends with her. Jessica's the one that stabbed you in the back."

"Exactly!" I said in a sharp tone.

Heads turned our way.

I rolled my eyes, but quieted my voice. "I was the one stabbed in the back. Jessica could probably stop worrying if she'd apologize to me."

"What are you talking about? She has—"

"She hasn't said a thing to me."

He held my gaze for a minute and then edged back. "Are you serious? I thought she apologized a long time ago. I thought you were being stuck up and not accepting it."

I was amazed at his stupidity. "For one, I don't automatically have to accept an apology and two; you're the only one who's seemed sorry for what you did. Lydia's a beach ball. She keeps blowing from one side to the other. She's never apologized either and Jessica hasn't said a thing. She ignored me and then said hi once to me. I'm not going to sweep it under the rug."

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