Page 24 of Rivals
But that would just prove Gabriella had been right when she’d declared that Nina didn’t belong at a party like this.
At least Daphne wasn’t here. Apparently she had deferred her acceptance at King’s College to spend the year “focusing on her charities,” as if her charities actually mattered to her.
“Nina! You made it!” Jeff headed toward her, looking outlandishly preppy in a white Oxford shirt and blue sweater. “Are you hungry? We’ve got burgers.”
She was about to say no, but then she noticed that a couple of sorority girls were looking over—and that none of them were eating, not even a single M&M, though they all clutched red plastic cups in their hands.
“You know what? A burger sounds fantastic,” she said.
Jeff led her over to the grill, where the guy in the bow tie threw a patty and a bun onto the grill’s surface.
“So, how’s everything going?” Jeff asked.
“We had a minor drama in the Chalet last night. Rachel nearly set fire to the downstairs lounge,” Nina recounted.
Jeff’s eyes widened. “Is everyone okay?”
“Yeah, it’s all fine—except the slice-and-bake cookies Rachel was baking. Those didn’t survive.”
“Slice-and-bake?”
It was so easy to forget how detached Jeff was from reality. He lived in a world where cookies appeared at the push of a button, literally. All he had to do was dialkitchensfrom the phone in his room—the direct line was right there betweenpress officeandstables—and make a request of the chef,and twenty minutes later a footman would knock at his door with a tray of fresh-baked cookies.
“Slice-and-bake is exactly what it sounds like.” She rolled her eyes affectionately. “It’s a roll of cookie dough that you cut into cookies and bake.”
The boy behind the grill handed over her burger, its bun toasted to a golden brown. Nina added onions and condiments from the nearby table, feeling the stares of all the girls in their tight sundresses, and took a huge bite. It was delicious.
“What about you? How’s everything going?” she asked Jeff, wiping ketchup off her chin.
“Pretty good, except Urquhart’s class. It’s so boring that I keep wanting to ditch it and stay in bed,” he admitted.
“Don’t do that! Urquhart pulls most of his exam questions from the lecture slides, so you need to write down every word of his PowerPoint, just to be safe.” When she saw Jeff’s sheepish expression, Nina added, “Don’t tell me you’ve already skipped class.”
Jeff hurried to shake his head. “I haven’t skipped—but I did fall asleep yesterday. It’s a really early lecture!” he protested.
“Ten a.m. probably does feel early when you’re out late,” Nina joked.
A mischievous expression stole over Jeff’s face. He looked the way he used to when he and Sam were trying to talk Nina into something illicit: breaking into the armory to steal one of the old swords, or hiding behind a curtain to make spooky ghost noises as a tour group walked past.
“If only I knew someone who took perfect notes. Someone who undoubtedly got an A in this class last year,” he said leadingly.
Nina scoffed. “I might consider lending you my notes, but it would cost you.”
“Excellent, I’m open to bribery.” Jeff grinned. “What’s your price?”
Suddenly, their conversation felt like it was verging on dangerous territory—like it was too close to flirtation. Nina took one last bite of her burger and threw the remaining half in the trash.
“I need a drink,” she blurted out. “Can I get you something?”
“Another beer would be great,” Jeff said, a little confused by her abrupt departure.
This time, as Nina headed into the tent, she felt certain that the other girls were looking at her. Where before they’d glanced at her with bored curiosity, now they stared at her with a simmering resentment, as if she were an interloper, a thief who’d stolen into their closed-off world and tried to make off with the greatest prize of all: the prince himself.But of course it didn’t work,they would reassure each other in relieved whispers.Because she’s a nobody.
Ignoring the orange juice and champagne that the other girls all seemed to be drinking, Nina grabbed a pair of beers from the cooler. As she popped the cans and poured the beer into cups, a strident voice rose over the rest of the noise.
“I’m justsoproud of Nigel. Did you know the gown he made for my court presentation at Versailles is on display at the Louvre? They asked to borrow it, andof courseI lent it to them. I mean, it’s a work of art.”
Surprise, surprise: Gabriella Madison was here. She stood at the center of a group, wearing a color-blocked dress with a cutout that revealed a sliver of her pale midriff. An amethyst velvet headband and towering wedges completed the look. Even her toenails had been painted the exact same shade of purple, Nina realized.
