Clementine chirped at her, “I don’t know who put you up to this, but this isnotappropriate. Now,whatever.Go!”
It was, of course, at that exact moment that Lexi joined us, because of course she did. I would have shielded her from this mess.
“Nicolai, introduce me to your friend,” Lexi snarled.
Her poisonous tone told me she’d seen Alina kiss me. “I’ll explain.”
“You’dbetter.”
And then, Alina did the dumbest thing she could have, and I cringed as I heard her doing it.
She threw her arms around Clemmy’s neck and hugged her. “Clementine! It’s so good to see you! Don’t you remember me?”
Clementine stepped backward out of Alina’s embrace and half-turned away. Her perusal of Alina, from head to toe and back up again, obviously found something lacking. “No, you don’t seem memorable at all.”
“It’s Alina Volkov, from Le Rosey. We went through the entire lower school together!”
Before Alina could even finish talking, Clementine had turned her back and stalked away with her head held high.
The ballroom crowd parted for Clementine as she strode. I swear to God that one of the tables jumped aside.
Alina ran after Clementine. “Wait! I want to talk to you!”
Lexi asked me, “Should I follow her?”
“Absolutely not,” I said. “Clementine will want privacy for this.”
Whatever had passed between Alina and me, I was confident that Clementine wouldeviscerateher.
CHAPTER 21
magnus: following clementine
MAGNUS NORWAY
Magnus Norway followed Clementine and Alina Volkov out of the ballroom, down the terrace steps, and around the blue-glowing swimming pool.
Alina kept calling after Clementine, “Wait up, Clem-Clem. I just want to talk!”
Clem-Clem?Alina was lucky Clementine hadn’t turned around and socked her in the mouth. She only tolerated the nicknameClemmybecause her favorite cousin had started it when she was young.
Clementine kept walking like she didn’t hear Alina trotting behind her and pulled what looked like a valet check ticket out of her purse.
Dear God, had Clementinedrivenhere? Magnus hadn’t heard sirens.
Clementine’s legs were longer than Alina’s, and she had a head start as she marched around the pool deck. If Clementinedidn’t want to be caught, it was unlikely Alina was going to succeed in whatever her game was, unless she sprinted.
Nevertheless, Magnus stayed quiet. Clementine could take care of herself, and Magnus wasn’t so dumb as to suggest she could not.
Magnus wasn’t so dumb as to suggest Clemmy could not take care of herselfagain.
Ahead of him, Clementine’s lightly tapping footsteps on the cement pool deck stopped dead, and Alina pranced the last few yards to where Clemmy stood.
Magnus stepped sideways behind a giant potted palm before one of them turned to look in his direction.
Was eavesdropping intrusive when you were concerned about a friend’s well-being?
Yes, probably, but he was going to do it anyway.
