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My cousins aren’t here. I barely know the guys at the elite table. Sure, I grew up with them, but we’ve barely talked in the three years since they turned their backs on me. And though they nod and accept my presence when Dixie pulls me over to the elite table, we don’t talk now. We don’t have the history they have with Duke, the stories and parties and games to recount; the inside jokes; the easy comradery that comes after spending all of high school together.
“Hey, man,” Cotton says, throwing an arm around me as I approach their tables.
My body automatically tenses, ready for a fight, like it does whenever an elite comes near me. I shrug off his arm. “Cut it out.”
“Oh, yeah,” he says, giving me a wide berth. “Probably better if we don’t touch.”
“Huh?”
“Never mind,” he says. “Now that your cousin’s back, we were talking. The guys and me thought, to make it all official that we’re on good terms, y’all should throw the annual New Years Party again.”
“I don’t know,” I say, sliding into a chair at their table. “My grandpa’s kinda elderly now, and—”
“He’ll do it,” Dixie says, giving my knee a warning squeeze.
“Hell, yeah,” Cotton says. “Your girl knows what’s up. Don’t be such an NPC, Colt. Those parties were legendary, and this is your chance to recreate it. It’s our senior year. The only one I ever got to attend was freshman year, and that’s the one that got broken up.”
“You mean the one your buddies, the Dolces, decided to crash? The one where they tried to murder Preston?”
“Yeah, that one,” he says with an easy grin, scooting in on my other side.
From an outside perspective, someone might think he’s being a dick, disregarding all the shit that’s gone down and pretending we’re all fucking fine now, so they might as well use it as an excuse to get back into the biggest party Faulkner’s ever known. The Dolces couldn’t recreate what we had, so they didn’t even try. Everyone knows our parties were unparalleled, and now they’re finally allowed to admit it again.
But I know a few things about Cotton. He might seem like a simple guy with a fetish that makes him a creep, but I’ve studied all my enemies, not just the D-Boys, and I think my cousin’s a bit more complicated than that.
Behind the cocky smile, Cotton’s eyes are guarded, waiting. It would be awkward to drag out all the shit that’s gone down in the past three years, to point out that I was their victim, that he’s jumped me with the others, stood by while they cutoff my finger and dragged my sister to the basement. I see the glimmer of hope in his smile though, the offering of peace. This isn’t just an excuse to party or a reason to use me to gain access to my family’s notorious debauchery. It’s a chance to show the whole school that they can call off the troops. I’m one of the good guys now.
“I’ll see what I can do,” I mutter, pushing back from the table. I know I’m being a dick, but it comes naturally to me at this point. I’m used to being on the defensive. When people are nice to me, it’s usually a trap. I’m an even bigger asshole to them than to people who show their true colors from the start. At least I know what’s coming with them.
Dixie’s hand clamps down on my thigh, and she scoots back with me. “What are youdoing?”she hisses through gritted teeth. “This is your chance. He’s offering you the crown on a silver platter.”
I turn back to Cotton, who’s watching us with bland curiosity. “I’ll do the party,” I say. “Spread the word?”
“You know it, cuz,” he says, holding his hand up, palm down. I feel like a tool as I slip my left hand into my pocket to hide my missing finger while I hold out my right, letting Cotton bring his palm down on mine and drag it into a clasp. “Good call.”
I pull my hand back and turn to Dixie. “Happy now?”
“Oh my god, a Darling New Year’s party!” she squeals, pulling out her phone. “I’m going to post a drop ofTearight now.”
“I need a cigarette,” I say, kissing her head. “I’ll be back.”
“What? No, you can’t leave,” she cries, grabbing my leg again. “You have to be here so people can see you and put your face with the rest of the elite when they turn to look at us. We’re going to get so much attention for this. It’s the biggest party ofthe year. When they hear you’re throwing it, and that everyone at this table is going, you’ll be popular again.”
I grit my teeth and scoot back in. Dixie sees Harper and waves her over, her other hand still typing away on her phone.
Harper looks between us and then comes over. “Hey, Colt.”
“Pull up a chair,” Dixie says.
“I’m going to talk to Lo,” Harper says, looking around for the demon queen, who hasn’t yet taken her usual spot on the floor. “Maybe today’s the day I can convince her she’s better off letting all this go.”
“Hold on,” Dixie says, getting her post done while Harper stands there looking annoyed.
“I don’t think she’ll listen,” I say to Harper. “But she’s lucky to have you in her corner.”
“She’s been there for me too,” Harper says, aiming a look at Dixie, who doesn’t notice.
“I’ll see you in class,” I say. “Apparently I have to sit here for people to know I’m the shit too. Not sure why that doesn’t apply to you.”
