Because of that, I was nervous about tonight’s gala, figuring there was still a chance that someone would do something to me there, but Trina, Adam, Talia, Leticia and Grace had promised me that they’d watch out for me. They all seemed to think it would be fine, and for the most part, I agreed with them. It was off-campus, where the blacklist stuff apparently didn’t apply, and like Adam said a few days ago, once the guests saw others being nice to me, they’d probably do the same thing.
Still, that tiny malignant thought that the bullying would follow me never left my mind.
I even had a nightmare last night where I went to the gala only to discover that the whole thing was a Carrie-style setup, and as soon as I realized this, someone pulled on a rope to dump a bucket of pig’s blood all over me. I woke up in a cold sweat around four o’clock in the morning, haunted by the foggy remnants of the nightmare, and I hadn’t slept at all since.
Trina seemed to know what I was thinking about, because her laughter dried up, and her expression turned sympathetic. She reached over and squeezed my knee. “Don’t worry. Everything will be fine tonight. The Princes won’t be there.”
I smiled faintly. “I know.”
The limo pulled up outside the hotel that Talia and her friends had hired for the gala. The eye-popping Beaux-Arts-style building was built by the edge of Royal Lake, the town’s largest natural body of water, and its warm golden lights made the inky expanse glitter like someone had filled it with priceless jewels.
The ballroom inside the hotel was just as gorgeous. Marble floors, tall windows draped with thick gold-threaded curtains, and stunning embellishments on the walls and entry archways. Rich and beautiful, like everything else in this town.
On the far side of the room, a stage had been set up with a microphone and photo exhibits from the elephant sanctuary. Below that, the scent of perfume, cologne, and wine drifted through the air along with the murmur of many voices. It was unbelievably elegant and refined; a far cry from the teen parties in Silvercreek, which involved a couple of cheap kegs and a stack of red plastic cups in the abandoned quarry outside the town.
Once upon a time, I would’ve felt wildly out of place at an event like this, but right now in my shimmering gown, I felt like I belonged here. Like a princess.
As we headed through the room, my worries melted away. Everyone was in a good mood, smiling and laughing in their little groups, and several people actually turned and smiled right at me as I passed. A few even said hello.
The most surprising thing that happened was over by the drinks table, when Trina and I went to get some champagne for her and a virgin cocktail for me. The guy who called me a ‘dirty, feral-looking slut’ in the hallway last Tuesday approached me with a hang-dog look on his face, and he awkwardly patted me on the shoulder.
“Hey, Laney. I… uh… I just wanted to say I’m sorry for the other day,” he said. “That shit I said wasn’t cool.”
I pursed my lips as he spoke. I didn’t feel ready to forgive him yet, but it was still nice that he was apologizing. “Thanks,” I said.
“It’s just hard, you know? Usually the Princes tell us why we’re blacklisting someone, and it’s always a good reason. Like that rapey asshole from last term. But this time they didn’t say why. We’re all just meant to go along with it without questioning anything,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “But I dunno… you seem pretty cool to me.”
“Well, um… thanks again,” I replied, brows rising.
“I’m sorry, too, Laney.”
I whirled around to see Jessica Fitzgerald standing near me. She looked like she was about to cry.
“I shouldn’t have said that horrible stuff about your dad. And the stuff in your locker…” She shook her head and trailed off for a second. “I guess I was trying to impress the Princes, but—”
Trina cocked an eyebrow and cut her off. “If you’re really sorry, you’ll stop,” she said. “But I bet when we go back to school on Monday, nothing will have changed.”
Jessica held up one palm. “Look, I can’t control everyone else in the school. But I really am sorry, Laney, and I promise I’ll leave you alone from now on. And if you ever need somewhere safe to sit in the cafeteria, you can sit with us. No stupid blood pranks or anything. I’ll make sure of it.”
I swallowed hard. “Thanks, Jessica. I appreciate it,” I said, even though I wasn’t ready to forgive her either. I really did appreciate her effort, though, and I had to admit it took courage to approach me after the awful stuff she’d said in the past.
“I guess we were right,” Trina said with a grin as we headed back over to Adam a moment later. “Everything’s fine. People are actually apologizing to you!”
“I know. I can’t believe it.”
“God, even Jessica Fitzgerald said sorry!” she went on. “Trust me, she doesn’t do that very often. She’s usually a huge snob with an ego the size of Everest.”
Once we made it back to Adam, we did some people-watching from the edge of the room, and when the music got louder, we headed out to the dancefloor. The lights had dimmed now, and a dry ice machine was pumping out colorful swirls of blue, pink, and white.
“It’s finally a real party!” Adam shouted over the music. “Fuck all that formal shit!”
I laughed and joined him as he danced and pumped his fists to the beat. Trina did the same, and we swayed and gyrated until our feet ached and our foreheads were beaded with sweat. It was the most fun I’d ever had.
About half an hour later, I spotted Talia making the rounds in a gorgeous red gown, collecting donations with a mobile credit card terminal. I caught her eye and waved, and she hurried over to us.
“Hi!” she shouted over the music, wrapping her arms around me. “I’m so glad you changed your mind about coming! Love the dress, by the way.”
“Thanks. This place looks amazing,” I replied. “You did a really good job.”