I woke the next morning to the sound of thundering bangs against our bedroom door. I gasped as I was wrenched from sleep, and Cress and I bolted upright in our beds. I glanced at the clock and was horrified to see it was only 4:00 A.M.
“What’s going on?” I asked as Cress flicked the light on, and we clambered from our beds. My heart was racing as we rushed for the door. Was there some kind of emergency?
Cress must have had a similar thought because she shared a worried look with me before she pulled the door open. To my surprise, there was no one standing in the entrance. When we leaned out of the room and looked down the hallway though, we saw a group of boys dressed entirely in black running for the exit. It suddenly all started to make sense.
We weren’t the only ones to suffer a rude awakening. Some girls were standing in their doorways, and others were still opening their doors to see what all the noise was about. We all filtered into the hallway as we watched the boys escape.
“You better run!” one of the girls shouted after them.
“Way to be original!” another girl called out.
We could clearly hear the boys’ laughter as they hurried through the door at the end of the hallway and down the stairs.
“Ugh, they do this every year,” Cress said.
“Really?” I asked.
“Yeah, it’s usually sometime in the first semester. But we never know when it’s going to be. You’d think they’d be bored with it by now.”
Anna slowly made her way over to us from down the hall. She was rubbing sleep from her eyes and was clearly exhausted like the rest of us. Yet she somehow still managed to look glamorous in her pink silk pajamas.
“Can you believe these prats?” she groaned. “I was having the best dream about finding a gorgeous pair of stilettos.”
“You dream about shoes?” I asked.
“You don’t?”
“I’m so sick of it,” Lily said, coming to join us. “I have a test this morning, and I really needed to get a good night’s sleep.”
“It’s so annoying.” Amber was still leaning against the wall near her and Lily’s room. “They always get away with it as well. Their dorm dad just doesn’t seem to care.”
The boys’ prank seemed to have woken up every girl on this floor, and everyone looked as though they felt the same way as Amber.
“Maybe it’s finally time we get revenge.”
I glanced over my shoulder, surprised to find Veronica had been the one to make the suggestion. There were a few other girls surrounding her, and they nodded in agreement.
“How?” one girl asked her.
“We give them a taste of their own medicine,” she said. “No one pranks me and gets away with it.”
There were more murmurs of agreement and many thoughtful faces as everyone began to dream up a suitable act of revenge. We were all pulled from our thoughts by the sound of yelling at the far end of the corridor.
“Girls!” We all turned as our dorm mom came marching toward us. “It’s four in the morning. Everyone get back to bed before I start handing out detentions.”
The girls groaned, and a few tried to explain what the boys had done, but Lisa didn’t seem to want to hear it. We all trudged back to our rooms to try and get a little more sleep before our actual alarm clocks woke us up.
My heart was still racing though, and I knew the chances of getting any more sleep tonight were slim. It left me feeling exhausted and annoyed. I might not have had a test this morning like Lily, but I still wanted a good night’s sleep. Lisa had put a stop to talk of a revenge prank before it had really started. But even if we weren’t getting revenge on the boys right now, I had a feeling no one was prepared to let their rude wakeup call go unpunished.
CRESS, Anna, and I were scowling when the twins joined us at breakfast.
“You guys suck,” Anna said. “How dare you interrupt my beauty sleep. We should banish you from our table.”
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” Sawyer said. His cheeky grin suggested otherwise.
We rolled our eyes. We hadn’t seen any of the boys’ faces last night, but I was certain Sawyer was involved. He wouldn’t have missed an opportunity to prank us girls. He was probably the mastermind behind the whole thing.
“You could have warned me,” I murmured to Wes, giving him a playful nudge as he took the seat beside me.
He simply shrugged, making me frown. This was the first time we’d seen each other all weekend, yet he hadn’t tried to kiss me or give me a hug in greeting—he hadn’t touched me at all. He was barely even making eye contact with me, and I got a sinking feeling something must be wrong.
“I missed you this weekend,” I said.
“Yeah, me too.” He finally glanced at me and gave me a soft smile, which put my mind a little more at ease.
I still didn’t like the distance between us. When we sat together, he usually slung his arm across the back of my chair or stole my hand to hold under the table. He hadn’t even pulled his chair closer to mine so we were brushing against each other.
“Is everything okay?” I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
“Yeah, I’m just a little tired from the regatta.” Wes tried to stifle a yawn, and I noticed there were bags beneath his eyes. He looked exhausted. He probably should have been sleeping this morning instead of sneaking into the girls’ dorm.
“Join the club, Wesley,” Anna replied. “You’ll get no sympathy here.”
“Yeah, Wes,” Cress added, folding her arms over her chest as she glared at him. “You can’t complain about being tired when you helped wake us up in the middle of the night.”
“I did no such thing.” He grinned at Cress, and I was relieved to see his smile return. He seemed to be relaxing. Maybe he was just tired, and it was taking a while for his coffee to kick in.
“Yeah, Cress,” Sawyer said. “I don’t know about you, but I slept like a baby all night.”
Cress threw her hands in the air with frustration, and I shook my head at the twins. Clearly, they weren’t even going to admit they were involved, let alone apologize for waking us up. It only made the thought of a revenge prank more appealing.
We weren’t the only girls who were annoyed with the boys. Most senior girls were dragging their feet around the school like they needed to go back to bed, and I saw more than a few girls reprimanding their guy friends in the hallway. Most of the boys looked a little more contrite than Sawyer and Wes had been while they were getting told off, but it didn’t last long before they were laughing about it once again. It seemed like pranking the girls was a tradition they were very proud of.
As I entered my math class, all thoughts of the prank fled my mind when I saw Kaden. He wasn’t sitting in his usual spot at the back of the room. Instead, he had taken the desk next to the one I’d been sitting at since he and Luther had started ignoring me. There was no sign of Luther yet though, and the classroom was half empty.
I slowly approached my desk, reluctant to sit down. Was I allowed to sit there? Or was this part of some malicious new plan Noah had devised to get to me?
“Kaden?” It was hard to keep the questioning tone from my voice. As I considered him a little further, I wondered if this had something to do with Cress. She had grilled him yesterday about the way he’d treated me, and she had told him there was no way she’d date him when he was ignoring me. Maybe this was his attempt to right that wrong. I knew he liked Cress, but I wasn’t sure if he’d be willing to risk his friendship with Noah for her—and definitely not so fast.
“Hey, Isobel,” he said, giving me a small and nervous smile. “Do you want to sit down?”
“Am I allowed to?” I sounded a little snarky, but it was only days ago that Kaden had stayed quiet while Luther banished me to the other side of the classroom.
“Please?” He pulled out the chair next to him and looked up at me with pleading eyes. I hesitated but then slowly put down my backpack and lowered myself onto the seat next to him
“So, you’re talking to me now?” I asked.
He shifted slightly in his seat as he nodded. “I never wanted to ignore you in the first place,” he said. “And I’ve realized that it was a bit of a jerk move. I’m really sorry. I want us to be friends.”
I was silent as I considered him.
“I never wanted to choose,” he added.
“But you did.”
He glanced at the door as a few students entered the classroom. They stopped their conversation when they saw us and watched with interest as they found their seats. It was understandable. They must have noticed I’d been shunned by Kaden and Luther last week, and seeing Kaden now sitting next to me would have alerted their gossip radars. I’m sure they were all dying to know what was going on.
Kaden was idolized almost as much as Noah. His family’s wealth rivaled that of Luther’s and Noah’s, but he was much quieter than them, which gave him an air of mystery. Even I didn’t know much about him, and I used to sit with him in class several times a week. It was probably part of the reason Cress was so intrigued by him. He was an enigma.
“It was a mistake. I’m sorry, Isobel. I really do want us to continue being friends.”
I slowly nodded. I was still pissed at him for bailing on me, and it was hard to disregard the fact he only decided to make up with me after getting a talking-to from Cress. But that was also what made this mean so much more. He must really care about Cress to risk Noah’s ire. I wanted Cress to be with someone who liked her that much.
I blew out a breath. “It’s okay. I forgive you.”
“Just like that?”
“I’m not big on holding grudges unless they’re well deserved.” I tilted my head as I looked at him. ‘Just tell me why.”
“Why what?”
“Why did Noah suddenly make you pick a side?”
“He didn’t really say.” Kaden shrugged. “He just asked us to trust him. Luther and I know he would only ask something like that of us if he had a good reason.”
“But what reason could he have other than the fact he hates me?”
“I don’t think he hates you.”
“Oh no,” I said sarcastically. “Telling my friends not to talk to me must have been an act of true love.”
Kaden laughed softly. “I just mean that I think there’s more to it than that. Maybe it’s got something to do with his grandfather and the rivalry with your families. Or maybe he felt like he had to do it because he’s seeing Veronica now. Noah is like a brother to me, but that doesn’t mean I know what goes on inside his head that often. Or that I agree with it.”
I’d seen Noah and Veronica together all week, and I’d speculated with my friends that they were together. It was one thing to guess but another to hear it stated so matter-of-factly by one of his closest friends. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit it hurt. I nodded at Kaden’s explanation but decided to move the conversation away from Noah.
“So, what could possibly have sparked this change of heart from you?” I smiled so he knew I was joking.
He swallowed nervously, and his cheeks flushed. “I mean, I always knew deep down it was wrong to ignore you. Cress just knocked some sense into me.”
‘Good,” I nodded. “It’s about time you two got together.”
He smiled. “I know. I’ve liked her for the longest time, but she’s always had a boyfriend. I finally decided to man up on Halloween, but then I was totally awkward on the Ferris wheel and felt like I’d blown my chance. Then when I asked her on a date yesterday, she turned me down because of the way I was treating you, and I really thought I’d messed it up for good. But in a way, that only made me like her more. Anyone who would put their friend first like she did has to be pretty special.”
“Yeah, she really is.” I smiled.
“So, do you think you could put in a good word for me? Maybe I can make the third time lucky.” He looked so hopeful I knew I couldn’t say no.
“Yeah, I’ll tell her that you and me are all good. She really likes you, Kaden, so that should be more than enough.”
He grinned brightly, and when he smiled that way, I could definitely see why Cress liked him so much. Kaden’s smile was a rare but powerful thing, and when you saw it, you naturally found yourself smiling in return.
“Thanks for being so cool about all this,” he said.
“It’s no problem.”
He glanced at the doorway over my shoulder and his face fell. I turned to see Luther entering the room.
His gaze went straight to Kaden, and there was a confused look in his eyes. He glanced between us and his regular seat at the back of the class, and I wondered if perhaps Kaden’s actions would give Luther the courage to forget Noah’s demands as well.
But he seemed torn, and eventually his expression hardened. He drew his shoulders back and continued past us without a word to take a seat at his usual desk.
I released a sigh, revealing my disappointment.
“I guess we just need someone to knock some sense into Luther now too,” I said.
Kaden didn’t look very optimistic. “I’m not sure there’s anyone who can,” he said with a wince. “He wasn’t happy about being made to choose. But he’s very protective of Noah. He won’t want to risk upsetting him.”
“And you don’t mind upsetting him?”
“I don’t want to hurt him,” he said. “But Cress made me realize that his family’s rivalry with yours isn’t my battle to fight. I’m always going to be there for him, but as far as I’m concerned, you’ve done nothing wrong. I guess he’s just going to have to understand.”
I wasn’t confident Noah would understand. He had been acting so strangely lately when it came to me, and I didn’t share Kaden’s faith Noah would be okay with him talking to me again.
The teacher entered the room and called the class to order, bringing our conversation to an end. Unlike Luther, Kaden actually liked to listen in class, so while I was disappointed I wasn’t sitting with both the boys, at least I’d be able to get some work done today.
When class was over, Kaden and I walked to lunch together. Unsurprisingly, Noah spotted the two of us together as soon as we entered the dining hall. He gave Kaden a hard look making him grimace.
“Why do I feel like you’re about to have the world’s most awkward lunch?” I asked Kaden.
He swallowed. “Yeah, I better go talk with him. Enjoy the rest of your day, Isobel.”
“You too. And good luck.”
He gave me a parting smile before he walked over to his usual table. He sat at Noah’s side, and the two of them fell into quiet conversation. I would have loved to hear exactly what they were saying, and it looked incredibly serious. I really hoped Noah would be as understanding as Kaden expected.
“Why are you staring at Noah like that?” Cress asked as she stopped at my side. “He’s not being rude to you again, is he? You know I’m happy to talk to him…”
I realized I’d been watching his table for far too long, and I quickly dragged my gaze away. “Well, if you think it’ll be as effective as your talk with Kaden, then maybe you should.”
“What do you mean?”
“Guess who just made up with me?”
Her eyes widened as she looked between Noah’s table and me. Luther had joined his friends there now, and Veronica was also sitting with them. But Cress only had eyes for one boy. “Please tell me it was Kaden.”
“It was Kaden.”
She squealed so loudly several girls at a nearby table looked over in concern. They probably thought there was something wrong with her. I took her by the arm and guided her to our table.
“Seriously?” she asked as we took a seat.
“Yeah. I guess he acts fast when he’s going after something he wants.”
Her cheeks turned bright pink. “So, what did he say?”
“Just that he never wanted to ignore me, and he apologized.”
“Oh, that’s great.” She smiled softly and glanced down at her hands. I could see how much it meant to her that Kaden had made up with me.
“He also mentioned that he’s liked you for a while.”
“Really?” Her eyes darted up with surprise.
“Yeah. I knew there was no reason to doubt him. He said he was just nervous on the Ferris wheel at the carnival. So, I guess that explains why he didn’t throw himself at you. You make him nervous.”
She laughed quietly. “I think it might be the other way around.” There was a dreamy look in Cress’s eyes, and she couldn’t keep the grin off her lips, but her face suddenly grew more thoughtful. “So, what now? Do you think I should approach him or wait for him to approach me?”
“Maybe give him a chance,” I said. “I don’t think you’ll have to wait long.”
She blushed again and glanced at his table.
I followed her gaze, but instead of seeking out Kaden, my eyes were drawn to Noah. Veronica was Velcroed to his side as always, and something about the way she was grinning up at him felt forced. Noah had been so quick to accuse Wes and I of lacking chemistry, but I wondered if he’d considered how his relationship with Veronica compared.
His arm was around her, sure, and they were trading smiles, but I honestly didn’t feel like I could sense much attraction between them. Neither of them had the excited glow about them that shone from Cress at the mere mention of Kaden. And I was certain I couldn’t see the same intensity of feeling that had flowed between Noah and me when we were together. I wasn’t sure if it was wishful thinking or some baser instinct, but a part of me wondered if his relationship with her was just another way he was attempting to please his grandfather. Or another way to get to me.
Sawyer’s arrival at the table snapped me from my thoughts and drew my attention from Noah.
‘Where’s Wes?” I asked once he’d said hello and sat down with us.
“School nurse,” he replied.
“What?” I gasped. “Is he okay?”
“I think he’s got some bug. He faded pretty fast this morning.”
“Oh no.”
“Yeah, it usually takes a lot to get my brother to admit he’s unwell, so he must be feeling pretty crap.”
“He didn’t look too good this morning,” Cress agreed. “He probably picked something up at the regatta.”
“I should go check on him,” I said.
“Unless you’re sick, I wouldn’t bother,” Sawyer replied. “Cress is right. Half the rowing team is down there. Miss Ludwell was kicking out anyone who didn’t need to see her.”
“Oh.”
“I’m sure Wes will text you with an update.”
“Yeah, okay.” Sawyer was right, but I still pulled out my phone and sent a message to Wes telling him to let me know if he needed anything. I hated that he wasn’t feeling well, but I felt a little relieved his sickness was probably to blame for the way he acted earlier today. He obviously wasn’t feeling his usual self.
It wasn’t until after lunch, when I’d left my friends to walk to class, that my phone vibrated with the arrival of a message. I quickly whipped my phone from my pocket, but I was slightly disappointed to see it wasn’t from Wes. The text was from Cress.
Cress: It happened!!!!!!!!
I’D LEFT her barely five minutes ago. My fingers flew across the keyboard as I responded.
Me: What happened?
Cress: Kaden found me after lunch and asked me out again. I am officially going on a date with him!!!!!!!!!
I LAUGHED because I felt like I could almost hear her squeals of delight through the phone.
Me: That’s great Cress! When are you going? What are you doing?
Cress: No idea, but he said to keep Saturday free and leave the plans to him!
Me: So exciting!!!!
I COULDN’T KEEP the grin off my face as I made my way to my business management class, and not even the scowl Noah shot my way as I entered the room could bring me down. He might not have been happy Kaden and I were talking again, but I really didn’t care what he thought. It had been a turbulent week since Halloween, but today made me wonder if perhaps things were starting to turn around for me.
