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“So, like, some idiot flushed a tampon down the toilet again, and ended up flooding the entire second floor.” She takes a pull at her smoke, and I’m nearly blinded when the massive diamond on her ring finger catches the sun. “Now they have to relocate everyone.” She leans past me. “Oakes. Oakes!”
“JesusChrist,” Kat spits, spinning to glare at Ada. “What?”
Ada’s voice drops back to its normal disinterested drone. “Where you staying, girl?”
“If you give me longer than a fucking second to speak to Willow, I’d tell you!”
I’m struck with a surreal image of these two as an old married couple. I giggle into my cup, earning a slit-eyed glance from Ada. She pushes her hip out to one side and studies me like I’m something she’s spotted at an art exhibition, and she isn’t sure if I’m an installation or a heap of trash someone left out.
“Larsen? You must be new.” She puffs out some smoke. “I think the university made a big mistake letting foreigners in.”
“I’m American.”
Ada’s mouth purses like she doesn’t believe me. “I meantcityfolk.”
It’s hilarious, because I thought coming from the city would give me some kind of street cred around here. But Ada’s looking at me like she’s hoping I’ll go back to the subway tunnel I just crawled out of.
“I hate politics,” she says through a sigh, sending another weed-scented cloud my way. “I preferred it when they only let people like us enroll.”
“Ada, play nice!” Kat steps over the lounger, grabbing the girl’s shoulder to steady herself. Strangely, Ada doesn’t pull away. I guess, despite all appearances, they’re friends. Or maybe they’ve just become so acquainted with each other that they couldn’t be bothered to fight. “Ignore her, Evie. Ada was born with a silver spoon up her ass, and refuses to have surgery to remove it.”
“Silver?” Ada scoffs dismissively. “So you’re officially homeless, Oakes.” She stretches out a hand and taps her finger on the cigarette to flick off the ash. “Years sooner than I expected. Congrats.”
“Shut your whore mouth,” Kat says, flipping her off but with her eyes on me. “Evie, we’ve got a problem.” Then she smiles. “But don’t worry, Ada McCunty is gonna fix it for us.” That smile solidifies as she turns back to Ada. “Aren’t you, doll?”
“Ugh.” Ada drops the other half of her cigarette, the pencil heel of her rose-gold stilettos crushing it out with a casual precision born of endless practice.
It feels weird, being the only person out here wearing sweats when everyone else is still in their party clothes or swimsuits. Then again, even the thought of standing next to Ada makes me feel like a troll, so fuck that. The less skin I’m showing, the better.
I’m suddenly regretting the bear claw I had for breakfast. In fact, I’m pretty sure I should have skipped my last ten meals or so.
“You can be glad you’re so fucking rich,” Ada says as she adjusts her sunglasses. “It’s literally the only reason I associate with you.”
“You wish,” Kat says, looping her arm through mine as she turns to follow Ada. “I’m the only person in Pinecrest who doesn’t need an antacid when they’re done talking to you. That’s why you love me.”
“Bitch,” Ada drawls, skimming her hair over her shoulder without looking back.
“Look at her,” Kat says with an affected resignation. “She walks like a runway model.”
I’m not jealous, but damn it, I know exactly what she means. I’m feeling all kinds of sour shit rising up my gullet. It should be biologically impossible for anyone to bethatperfect.
“She was, for seven years, if I remember correctly. She’d be head cheerleader if her mom wasn’t convinced she’d injure herself and need plastic surgery.” Kat lurches to the side.
“Are you okay?” I grab hold of her, steadying her. “Kat?”
“I’m fine,” she says breezily. “But if you get a chance, could you chase away some of these ferrets? They’re looking at me funny.”
When she turns and sees my face, she slaps my arm and barks out a laugh. “I’m joking! Jesus, like I haven’t taken acid before. Relax, would you?”
Ada stops behind the rattan sofa where the guys had been snorting coke. Faint lines are still visible on the glass surface of the coffee table beside the drugs, a credit card, and a rolled-up Benjamin. My family isn’t poor by any means, but it seems a waste to shove a hundred-dollar bill up your nose. Then again, for all I know, the people in this mansion use it as toilet paper.
“Hey, baby,” Ada says, running her long fingernails over the back of Liam Bailey’s neck. “I need you to do something for me.”
There’s a moment’s silence where it seems everyone except Ada stops breathing. Then Liam turns slowly in his seat and presses a kiss to the inside of Ada’s wrist. “Anything, baby.”
Ada lifts an arm, her hand flopping back to point at Kat. “Oakes’s room was flooded.”
Liam’s mouth quirks into something unpleasant as he unfolds from his seat and turns to scan me and Kat.
