Page 92 of A Scandal in Homeroom
Then I saw it. The embossed envelope. The exact same one Beth had gotten earlier this evening.
No. It wasn’t possible. It had to be a mistake.
“Open it,” Mrs. Sumner said, pushing the invitation in my direction. “It’s from the Historical Society.”
This had to be a joke. Some big, colossal, let’s-make-fun-of-the-poor-kid joke. I was going to open this envelope and there wasn’t going to be an invitation inside but some paper clown that popped up and laughed in my face.
Carefully, suspiciously, I tore open the flap and pulled out the card tucked inside.
No paper clown.
No mistake.
I, Miss Irene Adler, had been formally invited to the Cotillion.
21
Locke’s House
After School
Locke
“Imean, I don’t know how it happened. I don’t even know how they knew my name!”
I tried not to smile as Irene paced in front of me. We were in the kitchen as I was preparing us a snack. Or should I say, cutting pieces of fancy cheese into cubes, because that’s really all I knew about preparing snacks.
I set the plate of crackers and cheese on the countertop and made a cracker and cheese sandwich. I took a bite and decided it needed mustard.
“Are you even listening to me?” she cried out.
“Of course, I am,” I said, as I opened the fridge in search of some Dijon. “You were invited to the dance you didn’t think you were going to be invited to and now you’re quite pleased. I can listen to you and make crackers and cheese at the same time.”
“I’m notquite pleased,” she argued, doing an annoyingly on point imitation of me. “I’m just curious. I checked today in school. It wasn’t like there was a rush of Have-nots getting invitations. In fact, no Have-not I know got one. The only ones who are going are the few who are dating Snobs. Janie didn’t get one. I mean, I don’t think I can go if Janie didn’t get invited.”
“What did Janie say about that?”
“She said if I don’t go, she’ll kick my ass. She says I have to represent, but why me? This doesn’t make any sense.”
“Well, as you’ve mentioned before, you are the best cheerleader on the team. It’s a near sure thing you’re going to be captain of the squad next year. Captain of the cheerleading squad puts in you in the running for Homecoming Queen, as I’ve come to understand Haddonfield High politics. Maybe they wanted to get ahead of the curve on your popularity.”
She was considering what I said, so I took a moment to prepare her own cracker and cheese sandwich. This time with a little mustard.
She took what I gave her and ate it. “That’s really good.”
“Nothing but the best cheese in the land for Croft,” I said, as I made another.
“No, I meant your theory. Although the cheese is good, too.” She cocked her hip and took another bite. I tried not to focus too much on her lips, but it was hard. We hadn’t really kissed since the night Moriarty’s thug attempted to rough me up. I’d been purposefully letting her dictate the pace of our intimacy, as I knew it was a sensitive issue for her.
However, part of me couldn’t help but recall Croft’s advice.
Your cues come from her, but you shouldn’t be led by her. She’ll see that as a sign of weakness.
Which basically just translated into one thought. I wanted to kiss her again. I wanted to hold her. I wanted to feel her pressed against me. I wanted that delicious torture of arousal even if it went unsatisfied.
“So, will you?”
Shit. She’d asked me a question and I’d completely missed it because I’d been thinking about sex. I hated to be a cliché.
