Page 80 of The Academy
“I found a video online of the scene in Simone’s room that night,” Cordelia says. “It’s pretty incriminating. Would you like to see it?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Audre, this is a person we’ve put in charge of our students…”
Audre says, “Simone Bergeron has done a good job since she’s been here. She deserves a little grace for past lapses in judgment.” Audre pauses. “We all do.”
“Very well,” Cordelia says. “I just thought you’d want to be aware.”
“Thank you, Cordelia,” Audre says. When Cordelia leaves, Audre thinks how remarkable it is that Cordelia Spooner could dig up all that information before the day has even begun. With those kind of sleuthing skills, why can’t she figure out who’s behind Zip Zap?
February
19. That’s So Fetch
No one ever asks Olivia H-T for her opinion. It’s just assumed by the girls on the first floor of South (which basically constitutes Olivia’s entire universe) that Olivia thinks whatever Davi thinks.
But with the announcement of the school musical, this changes.
Mr. Chuy has chosenMean Girls.Everyone predicts that Taylor Wilson will play Cady and Davi will play Regina George. Olivia H-T will probably end up getting the part of Regina’s lackey Gretchen, which would be the definition of typecasting.
The night before tryouts, Davi shocks everyone by saying that she isn’t going out for the musical this year because she wants to focus on her studies.
Olivia H-T is hurt enough that she closes the door to her room so no one sees her tears. Davi isn’t just choosing her studies over the musical; she’s choosing Charley over Olivia. Davi and Charley had a random bonding moment right before the Kringle, one Olivia H-T hoped would vanish once Davi realized how truly weird Charley was. (She’s a plant lady! A bookworm!) But in the new year, Charley has emerged victorious—not only because she has somehow won Davi’s devotion but also because she’s hanging with East, which Olivia H-T can’t believe is a real thing.
Olivia knows everyone expects her to say she’s not going out for the play either—but for once, Olivia H-T is going to do something on her own.
And guess what? She slays her audition, and despite the fact that Olivia H-T does not fit the role in either traditional beauty or social status, she is cast as Regina George.
Olivia pretends it’s no big deal as everyone on the floor—including Davi, including Charley, including Miss Bergeron—congratulates her. But as soon as she’s alone in her room, she jumps up and down, silently screaming,That’s so fetch!
Zip Zap post:The Harkness Society would like to welcome new members… Hakeem Pryce and Cassie Lee.
The newest Zip Zap post comes out on a Saturday evening in February. Valentine’s Day has come and gone (Head Prefect Lisa Kim mentioned something about Candygrams one morning in Chapel, but then she got deferred Early Decision 2 at Tulane and was so despondent about it, she forgot to order the candy), and it’s weeks until spring break. In other words: Welcome to Tiffin’s bleakest time of year.
Taylor Wilson receives the Zip Zap alert just like everyone else. Hakeem and Cassie have joined the Harkness Society. Taylor isn’t sure why she’s so jealous. Hakeem and Cassie are always breaking the No PDA rule (forbidden: page 3 ofThe Bridle) and making out in the halls of the Schoolhouse, so joining the Harkness Society is the obvious next step. Taylor supposes she’s jealous because Hakeem has now lost his virginity and Taylor hasn’t. She hasn’t even come close.
The alert addles Taylor so much that she considers going home for the weekend, but home is Philadelphia, which isn’t realistic. So instead, Taylor plucks a well-hidden “water” bottle from the back of her mini fridge. It contains Casamigos tequila that she pilfered fromher parents’ bar cart over the holidays. She grabs a bag of tortilla chips and a jar of salsa from her hanging baskets and texts Dub.I’m coming over.
K,Dub responds.
When Taylor gets to Dub’s room, he’s lying in the near-dark playing “exile” by Taylor Swift and Bon Iver. He has the room lit only by the electric candles they used at the Kringle; he’d swiped a bunch at the end, telling Taylor they would be such a vibe in his room this winter. He was right: They add a romantic glow to an otherwise dreary evening. Are the music and the candlelight for her? Oh, how she wishes this were true, but somehow she knows they’re not.
“Hey.” She closes the door because Mr. Rivera wasn’t at his post and didn’t see her come in. She plops in the middle of the floor and opens her backpack. “Trifecta,” she says. “Tequila, Late July salt and lime chips, and Mikey V’s seven-pot salsa.”
“No way.” Dub joins her on the floor. She hands him the bottle and he takes a slug. “Woof. Limes would have been nice.”
Taylor swallows some tequila herself. It’s sooooo gross. Tequila tastes like dirt and Taylor can’t understand why the world doesn’t agree with her, but it’s her parents’ preferred poison, and beggars can’t be choosers.
“You saw Zip Zap?” She pulls open the bag of chips.
“Yup.”
“I can’t believe he lost his virginity to a random third-former,” Taylor says. She dips a chip into the salsa, which sets her mouth ablaze; the discomfort is welcome.
“It wasn’t his virginity,” Dub says. “Probably hers, though.”
Taylor pulls from the tequila again. “Itwashis virginity.”
