Behind her, a drunk guy attempted to pull a glass from the center of the champagne tower, sending the delicately balanced pyramid crashing to the ground.
I yanked her out of the way as shards of glass exploded on the floor. “Whoops,” Daisy giggled, then started to sway. “I think I need some air,” she said.
As we talked on the back patio, movement overhead drew my eye. A tall blond girl leaned on the railing of the upstairs terrace, surrounded by a group of wide-eyed look-alikes. There was something refined about the way she moved, her long fingers resting against her collarbone, shoulders pulled back and neck outstretched like a swan. Light seemed to radiate from her, everyone around her soaking itin.
“Wait, isn’t that—”
“Cecily St. Clair, president-elect of Sterling Club. She’ll take over running the club next semester,” Daisy said with a hint of jealousy. “She’s brilliant. She was a ballet prodigy at the age of twelve, got into Juilliard at sixteen, but decided to go to Princeton instead. Started a company in high school that connected professional dancers to product lines for endorsement. Sold it freshman year. And yes, that’sSt. Clairas in the family who owns half of Manhattan.”
For a moment, I saw it. The life I’d been dreaming of. One where we would drink champagne in each other’s rooms as wetried on designer dresses, dance late into the night, and swap stories the next morning about the wild nights we’d had. This was my chance. I took a deep breath and turned to Daisy. “Can you introduce me?”
“Sure, why not?” Daisy said, then shot me a warning look. “Just don’t screw it up.”
—
“Hey, Cecily,” Daisycalled out once we’d made our way over.
Despite the alcohol pumping through my system, I was suddenly aware of the sweat slicking my palms, the steady thud of my heart.
Cecily twisted to face us. “Daisy, hi! I’m so glad you made it. Love this look on you.” She ran her hand over Daisy’s fringed dress.
“This is my friend Maya,” Daisy said, and Cecily fixed her gaze onme.
Oh no. Was I smiling too much? I tried to relax the muscles in my face.
“Hey, nice to meet you,” I said.Nice to meet you?Too formal.Think.“I’ve heard so much—”No, not that.But it didn’t matter, she’d turned away and was listening to Daisy instead.
After whatever Daisy said, Cecily tossed her head back in laughter. Then she turned back to me. “So, why do you think you’d be a good fit for Sterling Club? I mean, I assume that’s why you’re here…”
“I—uh—”
Luckily, Daisy stepped in. “You know, Maya went to Sacred Heart with Alex Bain.”
Cecily’s eyes widened. “Do you know him?” Something had changed in Cecily’s expression, like she was seeing me clearly for the first time.
Humiliation whipped through me as I remembered the way he’d pass me in the hall like I didn’t exist. And his cruel laugh after he’d drenched me in beer outside Cottage.
“Uh, we weren’t exactly close,” I told her. “He was the captain of the football team.”
To my relief, a girl interrupted us, slinking an arm around Cecily’s waist. She had an air of confidence, even more than the others, withlong jet-black hair that poured down her back and perfect winged eyeliner. She was obviously from Cecily and Daisy’s world—her stiff black dress, while not Gatsby-themed, could have been a work of art.
She gave me a once-over. “Who’s the girl scout?”
“This is Daisy’s new friend,” Cecily said. “She went to Sacred Heart with Alex Bain.”Why was she looking at me differently now?
Her friend’s eyes went wide. “Your ex?”Ah.
“We hate him,” Cecily explained.
I nodded, grateful I’d gone with the truth. “He’s a total dick,” I added.
Her friend jutted a hand toward me. “Kai Ling.”
Ling was my mom’s maiden name, and I felt an immediate kinship. “Maya. Nice to meet you.”
“Daisy, is this your friend whose grandfather is an investor in Hong Kong?” Kai asked, turning to me. “My parents are too. Is he in real estate?”
Oh god.
