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"Eliza Thompson!" she screamed at a beleaguered girl in a headset.
After rifling through her pages the door girl snapped, "You're not on the list. You'll have to wait in line."
"Under Kit Ashleigh?!"
"You should have said that you were on Kit's list in the first place," she said sullenly. "What did you say your name was again?"
"ELIZA THOMPSON!"
"Oh, there you are." The girl nodded at the gorilla in the three-piece suit. He lifted the rope reluctantly. Eliza tugged at Jacqui's arm, and the two were swept inside the nightclub.
They found themselves in the middle of a chaotic scene, and Jacqui felt the familiar rush she felt whenever she was somewhere new, uncharted, and maybe even slightly dangerous. She licked her lips in anticipation. She was certain Luca was here somewhere. She could feel it.
"Hold up!" Eliza said, grabbing Jacqui's arm. "I see my friends over there."
Kit was sitting in the middle of the biggest banquette in the middle of the packed VIP room. His face lit up when he spotted Eliza. "Liza!"
"Kitty cat!" she shrieked, giving him a two-cheek air kiss as if they hadn't just seen each other a few hours before.
"Who's your friend?" Kit asked, wagging his eyebrows at Jacqui.
"Jacqui Velasco. She's, uh, an exchange student... living with
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my uncle's family," Eliza said before Jacqui could open her mouth. She gave Jacqui a mute plea to play along.
"Sim." Jacqui nodded. What was that all about?
"Cool," Kit said. "What are you studying?"
"Design," Jacqui said.
"English," Eliza replied.
They looked at each other. Eliza laughed nervously. "English design, right, Jac?"
"Whatever," Jacqui conceded. She was too busy scanning the room for a sign of her beloved to deal with Eliza right now. But she was polite enough to smile at Kit, who beamed at her.
"About time you got here!" Kit's girlfriend, Taylor, said to Eliza as she squeezed herself between her man and the hot South American girl.
"You're back!" Lindsay, another friend, crowed, coming to join them.
"My girls!" Eliza said, triumphant.
So many people were coming up to hug and kiss her she felt like homecoming queen. Except that she'd never be caught dead at something as lame as a high school dance. This was homecoming Eliza style: frozen margaritas, flowing bottles of Cliquot, hot guys, good shoes, even better cars parked outside.
"Sweetie, you look fantastic!" Taylor said in an admiring and slightly jealous tone.
"You must be starving yourself!" said Lindsay, the master of the back-handed compliment.
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"Is Charlie here?" Eliza asked, a little too eagerly.
"Not yet. Why?" Lindsay asked, narrowing her eyes. "Nothing. I just thought it would be nice to see him, for old times' sake." Eliza shrugged.
Lindsay and Taylor exchanged a knowing look.
