Elena rounded on her, and I braced. If she was a bitch to Z, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to hold myself back.
“I don’t think I noticed when I came in, but wow, you’re stunning.” Elena dragged her knuckles down Zadie’s cheek. “Your skin feels like you murdered a few virgins and bathed in their blood. Is that your secret? Do tell.”
Zadie’s blue eyes widened, and honestly, mine did too. Who the hell was this girl being all funny and nice to Z? I didn’t trust it.
“I-I...no. I just use this lotion my mom bought me. It’s Korean,” Zadie answered.
Elena snapped her fingers. “First, I love that you took my question seriously and answered it. I’m totally relieved you don’t bathe in virgin blood. Second, you’re going to need to hook me up with the bottle, babe. Don’t hold out on me.”
“Well…” Z’s eyes slid to me, then back to Elena. “Well, okay. My mom buys it by the case so I can give you one of my extras.”
Elena pressed her hands together. “You’re a doll baby. Has anyone ever told you that? Because you are.” She draped her arm over Zadie’s shoulder. “Now, tell me, has Helen been nice to you? She’s not known for her couth.”
Zadie didn’t hesitate. “Helen’s amazing.”
Elena swung her gaze to me. It’d been over a year since I’d last seen her, and I could honestly say I hadn’t thought of her once. Okay, maybe she’d flitted across my mind since she was my friend Penelope’s cousin, but that was it. A passing idea. Nothing more.
“Is she?” Elena sounded like she didn’t buy it. “I don’t know about starting fresh, but I don’t intend to be here a lot. When I am, I want my home to be peaceful. As long as Helen keeps up her end, I’ll keep up mine, and we can coexist.”
I measured my words. Peace was good, but coexisting with Elena Sanderson wasn’t my idea of a good time. I was pretty sure I couldn’t switch rooms, though, and I’d never leave Zadie in the clutches of Elena. She’d probably have all the cool sucked out of her.
“I’ll coexist.” My arms folded over my chest. “If you try any of your uppity bitch shit on me, I won’t let it stand.”
Elena snorted. “Lovely. And I’ll have to lodge a protest if you turn my toothbrush into a shank.”
“Your toothbrush? Come on, El. I make my shanks from sharpened spoons. The stainless steel is much more durable when I’m shivving my enemies.”
Elena’s brow rose. “I am disturbed, but I’m also filing that info away. You never know.”
Zadie giggled. “Are we good? I hope we’re good.”
I eyed Elena. She let her eyes flit over me, bored and disinterested. I liked that. If she wasn’t interested in me, she’d leave me alone. I sure as hell planned to leave her be too. If she stayed on her side of the suite, I could stick this out. It wasn’t like I had any other choice anyway.
“I’m good,” I assured Zadie.
Elena flicked her French-manicured nails. “Mmm. Everything’s fine.” She spun on her toes and marched back to her room, leaving Zadie and me in her wake of fire, brimstone, and imported vanilla.
Zadie sighed when Elena’s door closed. “She wasn’t so bad. Or…not as bad as my roommates last year.”
I slumped on the couch, my box of mozzarella sticks in my lap. “That’s a low bar.” And of course, Theo’s girlfriend was one of those evil wenches who had done my girl Z way, way wrong.
I held up the box to Z. “Come eat these with me or I’ll feel guilty stuffing my face in front of you.”
She perched on the cushion beside me and selected a mozzarella stick. “Thanks.” She took a delicate bite, then elbowed my side. I cocked a brow. Her lips quirked. “Do you think you can teach me how to make a shank? It sounds handy.”
A loud laugh burst out of me. Once I started, I couldn’t stop. Days of stress and change poured out of me. Everything wasn’t going to be okay, not if I didn’t bust my ass to make it so. But for that single minute, Zadie giggling beside me, a container of mozzarella sticks in my lap, my first day of Savage U in the books, itfeltlike it was okay.
Only for a minute, though.