But when the butler comes to my spot at the table, he doesn’t serve me waffles. Rather than breakfast, I’m served a smartphone.
I look up, but neither my aunt nor uncle are looking at me. Or each other for that matter.
“Thank you,” I say, carefully.
My aunt reaches for the orange juice, and again without speaking to me, says, “We couldn’t reach you last night.”
I glance over at Dane, and he’s staring staunchly into his poached egg.
“Sorry about that, I was just visiting my friend Dana. You know, the one in the hospital.”
Neither of them says anything, but I could cut the tension with a knife. I stop the butler from pouring me my own juice, pick up the phone, and thank them again for it before excusing myself from the table.
This whole thing started when I showed up at Hawthorne Academy in a rag of a dress with less than twenty dollars to my name. Now the world is my oyster. It’s so strange. I don’t know if I’m ever going to get used to it.
I know I won’t get used to being in the middle of this thing between my new aunt and uncle. I also don’t want to come across as unforgivably rude. So, I call the one person who will know what to do.
Dana answers pretty fast, and I can tell by her tone that she’s bored out of her mind.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Dana, it’s Teddy. I got a phone!” It’s a luxury I haven’t had before now, and Dana is ecstatic for me.
“Oh my god! That’s great! Finally. It’s awful here. I’m about ready to sneak down to the cafeteria just for a change of scenery and some new people to talk with.” She sounds
as if she’s only half joking, and I suspect that she’s not, really.
“You’ll be done soon. You do need to get better, but I’m sorry you’re bored,” I tell her sympathetically. “Oh, by the way, I was talking with Laura … um, Laura Brighton the other day. I mentioned I’d gone to see you. She sends her best, and she wondered if it would be okay if she came to visit you while you’re there. What do you think? Would you mind?”
Dana’s surprised, but she’s open to it. “Yes, I guess so. I mean … we’ve never even talked before, but if she wants to come visit, I feel like there’s probably something we could find to chat about.”
“Oh, right … you don’t know.”
I tell her how Laura ultimately chose us, not Victoria, when it came down to it.
“No way. Leave it to you to be the welcoming one when society fractures. I’m not surprised.” Dana pauses a moment and her tone turns serious. “Look, you know I’ve got tons of time in here to think. So, I was thinking about what you told me about getting back at Victoria for all that she’s done. She cost people their lives and she cost you your father. I know you want revenge, and I might have come up with something.”
I look around to make sure I’m alone, which is a rarity for me.
At school, if it isn’t the boys it’s one of the suddenly many hangers-on trying to get close to us. Here, if it isn’t Ellen or Dane, it’s the butler. I’m pretty sure they have a couple maids too, but so far I haven’t managed to spot them. I step into a quiet room and close the door. “Okay. I can talk privately now. What’s your plan?”
It’s quite simple, really.
The seniors always do a big charity fundraiser every year for Valentine’s Day. There’s an auction of donated prizes and a big dinner with guests. Usually the parents or family of the students attend, but sometimes other guests will come and buy tickets for the dinner to support the school.
The auction is always on the Friday before Valentine’s, then there’s a big dance the next night. The students have to obtain all the prizes for the auction, so there’s been some crazy stuff sold off in years past.
Rather than voting like in other school’s dances, the students who earn the most money for the school are named king and queen of the Valentine’s Day dance that Saturday night. It’s been Victoria’s mission to be the queen of the dance since she started school at Hawthorne. This is her one chance.
It’s only for seniors, so she only has one shot at it. Now, more than ever, I know her ego is counting on it.
I’d love to do something bigger, grander, worse … but for Victoria, this really is the best possible revenge.
“So, don’t you see?” Dana says. “All you have to do is make sure she doesn’t win. She’s shallow enough to be devastated more than a normal human being.” I can practically hear her grinning though the line. “Wouldn’t it be the sweetest Valentine’s Day ever if you became the queen and left her in the dust?”
“It would be very sweet,” I agree.
“No need to thank me. I want that murderer caught just as much as you do.” Dana sounds unusually vicious. “Kick her ass, Teddy, and I’ll be there to help you as soon as I can.”