9781250209153

“You’re saucy,” he says. “You can stay.”
I have no idea what to say to that, but Tally drags me away before it
matters.
In the center of the house, next to a fireplace that belongs in a fancy ski
lodge, Candlehawk kids are waiting in line. I can’t figure out why until I see
a wall of vines with tiny candles and cacti dotting the shelves. It’s a selfie
backdrop. They’re waiting in line to take pictures.
“So cool,” Tally says. “It’s, like, the perfect aesthetic.”
A group of friends hand off their phones and gather in front of the selfie
wall. One of the guys musses his hair, keeping his hand there like he’s midmovement.
The girl next to him opens her mouth to laugh, but she doesn’t
actually laugh. She just holds the pose like she might. I feel like I’m in the
twilight zone.
“We can get a picture later,” Tally says, oblivious to my bafflement.
“Drinks first.”
She grabs my hand and I let her. We migrate to the kitchen, where
several people do an obvious once-over of our outfits. Tally pretends not to
notice, but she smooths her shirt beneath her leather jacket. She leads me to
a counter full of liquor bottles and White Claws.
“Here,” she says, pressing a can into my hands. It’s not a suggestion. I
think of Irene attending these Candlehawk parties with Charlotte last year,
and I can understand why she wanted to get drunk during them. But I also
know where that led.
“I’m okay, actually,” I tell Tally. “Um. My throat’s been kinda sore. I’ll
just get some water.”
Tally looks surprised, but she doesn’t push me on it. She makes herself a
mixed drink and takes a big gulp.
I’m pouring water from the sink when none other than Charlotte Pascal
slithers up beside me. I feel her eyes on me like a laser beam.
“We have Pellegrino, you know,” she drawls.
I take a pointed sip from my tap water. “I’m fine with this, thanks.”
She narrows her eyes. “Why are you here?”
“Wanted to see how the other half lives.”