Stuck With The Four Hotties

Okay, now my mouth is basically on the floor.

“Who are you and what have you done with Tristan Vanderbilt?” I choke out, but all he does is look at me, and then starts to walk, dragging me along with him. We all end up outside, finishing our drinks and leaving the glasses on the patio table.

“Mom and Dad are out dancing. They won’t be back until nearly dawn; I’ll clean these up when we get home.” Miranda waves her hand dismissively, and we all take off down the beach with Tristan leading the way.

Glancing back, I see Lizzie watching us, and I feel this tightness in my stomach that I can’t put words to.

“Does she know you called off your engagement?” I whisper, and Tristan goes completely stiff beside me. Holding onto him like this reminds me of our time in France, the way he let me cuddle up to him at Disneyland, or how he stopped so suddenly outside the Eiffel Tower and looked at me like he had something important to say.

“I have no idea,” he says in that cold, dark voice of his, like a sheet of ice sliding over my heated skin. “I haven’t told her, if that’s what you’re asking.”

My lips purse. I can feel the others watching us, not just Lizzie but Miranda and Andrew, the other two Idols, Zack, Windsor. Only Myron seems totally uninterested.

“Are you going to? I bet she’d like to hear it from you.”

“What do you care about my relationship with Lizzie?” Tristan hisses, his voice drowned out by the crash of the ocean waves against the shore, and the distant laughter of party guests. My cheeks flush, and I’m not sure how to respond to that. And then-I’m going to blame Windsor’s strange honesty gathering capabilities-I just blurt something out.

“Sometimes, when I look at the two of you, I think you’re still in love with each other.” My voice cracks a little, and my heart pounds, but as soon as I say it, I feel a little better. Tristan stops walking, and I think for an instant there that I might get something real out of him.NôvelDrama.Org © content.

But then his face shutters and darkens, and his eyes narrow.

For a split-second, I’m afraid I’ve royally pissed him off, but then I turn and spot Harper, Becky, and Ileana on the beach, surrounded by adoring fans. My throat gets tight when I see Greg, John, and that new guy, Ben,

nearby. Ben was a fourth year, so he shouldn’t have been on the school trip to Lake Tahoe. At the very least, he won’t be at Burberry Prep next year.

“We have to get Ben before the summer is over.” My voice comes out thin and reedy and tinged with fear. I don’t like that. I’m not afraid of Ben or John or Greg or anyone else. I turn to Tristan and catch his gray gaze. “He’s not going to be at Burberry next year. We have to get him here, in the Hamptons.”

My hand tightens on the handle of my beach bag. Inside, there’s a brand- new list. I felt like the last one was getting too cluttered, so I started over. I’m not ready to show the Idols this, not yet. But maybe one day.

Closing my eyes briefly, I can see it in my head. Everyone that was on that boat has their name written down all over again. What they did to me … I owe them all a lot more than I gave last year. Vengeance is due in spades.

Revenge On The Bluebloods of Burberry Prep

A list by Marnye Reed

The Girls: Harper du Pont, BeFky Platter, and Ileana Taittinger Their Cronies: Anna KirkpatriFk, Ebony Peterson, Gregory Van Horn,

Abigail Fanning, John Hannibal, Valentina Pitt, Sai Patel, Mayleen Zhang, Jalen Donner, Kiara Xiao, and Ben Thresher

The Plebs

Tristan exhales, nostrils flaring, and then takes off down the small rise, dragging me with him. Everyone else follows, a little entourage of bluebloods-that-aren’t-technically-Bluebloods, if you know what I mean. Windsor and Zack have the money, the looks, and the popularity to be in the Inner Circle. Hell, they have enough charisma to be Idols. And then there’s Miranda and Andrew who used to be Bluebloods, but got kicked out, even though they’re more worthy than any other person on that beach. And Lizzie

… Lizzie would be a female Idol if she went to Burberry Prep, that’s for

damn sure. From what Zack tells me, she’s the Queen of the Coventry Prep Elite.

The crowd on the beach hushes and goes still as we approach the bonfire together. All eyes are on Tristan as he heads over to one of the logs next to the fire, gestures for me to take a seat, and then leans down in front of me, so close that our mouths nearly touch.

“What can I get you to drink?” he asks as Harper scoffs and makes her way over to us. I’m so focused on Tristan though that I can barely look at her.

“Soda,” I whisper, and when he lifts one brow, I get more specific, “cherry Coke and a cup with ice and a straw?” Tristan leans in close and presses his lips to my cheek, leaving me with this hot, tingling sensation and literally no clue as to what’s actually happening here.

Are we friends now?

“Done.” Tristan stands back up and turns, putting himself chest-to-chest with Harper as Zack sits down on one side of me, and Zayd sits down on the other. Double Z-boys. I almost smile, but then I see Greg and John watching me, and the hair on the back of my neck stands on end. John was undoing his pants. I’m pretty sure he …

“Hey,” Zayd whispers, drawing my attention over to him. “Don’t look at those assholes.”

We stare at each other, his lip and eyebrow rings catching the flickering light from the bonfire. He really has a beautiful face, meant for stardom. And that voice … It’s no wonder his personal net worth is around twelve million. His dad’s net worth is close to four hundred million, but it’s Zayd’s grandmother, who started a rental car business in the sixties who’s worth the most: at around six billion.

“What the fuck, Tristan?” I hear Harper spit out, and even though I’d much rather look at Zayd, I end up turning to glance in that direction. Miranda is right there. Creed, too. Lizzie and Myron as well.

Windsor stands back, sipping from a red plastic cup. How he’s managed to get a drink in his hand so fast is just a testament to his party boy skills. He notices me looking at him and gives a dramatic little wink.

Tristan reaches out for Harper’s bare shoulder, and then pushes her to the side. Not forcefully or anything, just enough to get her out of the way. He funnels between Ileana and Becky as

they gape at him, and the others follow.