Page 26 of Ink & Stardust

“Shhh.” I cover the phone. “Don’t you have soccer practice or something?” I roll my eyes, refocusing on River.

“I’m driving overnight and going to get a hotel and sleep for a few hours beforehand. Don’t worry, I’ll be there for the welcome dinner tomorrow evening.”

“You better be. It’s bad enough that you’re the only one coming to see me on family weekend. I’m starting to see just where I stand on the priority list of this family.”

“Stop it. You know Mom and Dad would come if they could. It’s not their fault Dalton’s friends planned their wedding the same weekend and they have to watch the girls.”

“I know.” I huff. “I just hate that they can’t be here.”

“At least you get me.”

“That’s true,” I agree.

“And I’m a lot more fun than Mom and Dad.”

“Again... True.” I chuckle.

“I expect the whole treatment this weekend. No holding back. I want the full UVA experience.”

“Is that your way of saying you want me to take you to a party?” I groan.

Let’s be real. I don’t have the best track record with parties. The first one I got so drunk I was hungover for two days. And the second... Well, we all know how that ended.

“Um, duh.”

“Didn’t you party enough during your four years of college?”

“Probably.” He snorts.

“He wants to go to a party?” Maisie perks up in her bunk.

“No,” I mouth, shaking my head, already seeing her wheels turning.

“Kappa is having their annual glow paint rave this weekend. We have to take him!” She claps her hands excitedly.

“What the hell is a glow paint rave?” I ask.

“Shut up, they do those there?” The excitement in my brother’s voice is clear.

“Apparently so. Though I have no idea what that is.” I look at Maisie for further explanation, clicking my phone to speaker so River can hear her too.

“It’s a big party they hold at the underground every year.”

“The underground?”

“It’s a huge warehouse they rent out. They charge everyone twenty bucks to get in. It’s like a fundraiser of sorts. Anyways, everyone wears white and paints each other. They have black lights and stuff, so the paint glows. It’s so much fun.”

“You paint each other?” I sound unsure because I am unsure.

“It’s a lot more fun than it sounds,” Maisie reassures. “I went with Jackson last year and had a blast.”

“And they do this on family weekend? Seems like weird timing.”

“They do it on family weekend because people bring friends and siblings with them and they make a ton of freaking money.”

“What about the people whose parents visit? Surely, people aren’t bringing their parents to these things.”

“It’s not like the parents stay the night with their students. It doesn’t start until like ten at night.”

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