Page 31 of Massacre Monday

“Yes. You can’t use anything, Pippi! You know this!”

Now I’m the one who’s snappy. “But keys aren’t aweapon,and I was acting on instinct, trying to protect myself and?—”

She waves a hand in front of my face, as if she doesn’t want to hear any more, and that just pisses me off more. I never had sisters, but between the brood of Donovan girls and Valencia, it definitely feels like it.

“You sound extra guilty with all those excuses. I cannot believe you broke the rules.” She huffs, sitting back and crossing her arms.

“Well, I wish you’d stick up for me for once.”

But she’s already moved on in her brain to the next thing, I can tell. In a tumble of words, she mutters, “Terror Tuesday always goes to thoseIotanerds. Wicked Wednesday we may have a shot at if we get some good pledges. Probably better thanOmegaanyway. I’ve got it. We focus all our efforts on ThrillerThursday and Feral Friday. That’s it!” With a sparkle behind her irises, her plan of running for president next year is obvious.

“Feral Friday is for you juniors.”

“I know. So we actually have a shot.Shh! The traitor has returned.”

Ash sets a mug down of something that looks like a hot latte. When I glance up at her, she smiles. “What?”

“I asked for an iced Americano.”

“Oh. Sorry. If you’re not going to drink it, I will.”

A heavy sigh leaves my chest. Never ask Ash to do anything. “Fine. I’ll go get my own. Move.”

She bops to the side, her thick mane of light brown hair almost catching in my mouth, then she takes my place in the booth.

By the time I get my coffee and make it back to the table, Mitch is already there, and Ash has left. Valencia makes doe eyes at him, but he keeps checking for me.

“I didn’t know you’d already be here, or I would’ve bought you a mango smoothie,” I tell him as I sit on his side of the table. He stretches and places his arm behind me.

“Not a problem. Are you okay? What Professor Hall did was brutal.”

“What did she do?” Valencia interrupts, but I just sip my drink.

She’s still staring at me, so I say, “I thought you had some architecture project this afternoon.”

With a shift of her gaze to my dance partner, she waits for him to protest her dismissal, but Mitch only runs a hand through his wavy brown hair and looks away.I’m not sure why she’s interested in Mitch all of a sudden. Valencia is obsessed with anotherBetasenior named Logan Dawson.

Wait a minute… Mitch’sfriend. I understand now.

“We were just discussing howBetamade out in the rankings,” she says. “But you’re right. I have to go. Well…see you around, Mitch, and if you run into Logan, tell him I said hi, and I’m sad that he didn’t score any points last night.” She says it as if she doesn’t have one ounce of sadness in her about that.

“Bye,” Mitch returns politely, but his face is focused on mine. “So are you?” he asks as soon as she leaves.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just embarrassed. Won’t be doingthatagain.”

He gets quiet and picks up a straw paper, crumbling it between his thumb and fingers. “How did last night go?”

“Um, not good.”

The ball of muscle in the back of his jaw flinches. “You lose it?”

My brow furrows. “Lose what? Points? Yeah…I suppose I did.”

His dark blue eyes flash to my face. “No. Yourvirginity, Pip.”

A strange feeling comes over me, like all the times he’s tried to become more than dance partners. If I were appointed to him, I guess it wouldn’t be terrible, but I’ve never beenattractedto him. Not like…

Adalanteadivine. An image of Ryan Cardell from this morning pops into my mind, and I get heated all over. The ripples of his abs and the way his shoulders twitched as he thrust his hips forward. A bob of his Adam’s apple when he swallowed and groaned with pleasure. One of my hands slaps against the back of my neck to pull me back to the present, despite my heart beating faster.