Page 43 of Push & Pull
“My ‘lies’ did fine. Besides, why do you care about yoursisterswhen they’re so obviously terrible? My God, I’ve never met such self-absorbed assholes, and I go to Hailey’s parties.”
Petra had closed her eyes and rolled away from Simone.She’ll lay it into me any moment now.Except Petra didn’t hear Simone say anything for a whole minute. Not even when her footsteps slowly crossed the room and the bed sank beneath her added weight.
Hair landed near Petra’s face. She couldn’t smell the shampoo, but she knew it was Simone’s hair from how fine and light-colored it was when Petra opened her eyes.
“I don’t know,” Simone finally said.
Petra accepted that answer with honorable silence.At least you’re honest.She would have been less impressed if Simone spewed a word salad in meager defense of her so-called friends.Tell me all about your sisters, Simone.Petra hadn’t gone to college, but she knew a thing or two about fraternities and sororities from the media. The fact it was called “Greek life” only made it more ironic to her.
“My whole life has been nothing but chasing down fake friends.”
Petra lifted her head and slowly opened her eyes. Simone’s face was close enough to kiss.
“Since I was a kid, you know.” Simone’s fingers threaded atop her stomach. She was still wearing her outfit from brunch, but now Petra noted the wrinkles in the jacket and the haphazard way the cream-colored camisole covered Simone’s chest. Her makeup? Either removed or smudged.She’s a far cry from the put-together heiress who marched into the hotel lobby this morning.“I don’t think my mom realized she was doing it when she arranged playdates for me. She had been married to my dad long enough by then to know what the rules of being a socialite were, but when she had me, I think she overreacted. Wanted me to grow up with a bunch of rich and influential besties. My mom didn’t have that growing up. She was middle-class.”
A fake gasp ripped through Petra. “Notmiddle class!” That shrinking thing? Simone was hilarious.
“Stop it. I’m serious. From the day I was old enough to go to a private preschool, I was pushed to make friends with as many girls as possible. If they went to my schools, then they were worth getting to know. My mother encouraged it I think, in part, because she was a social butterfly. Part of the reason my father’s world welcomed her after their marriage was because she quickly learned the rules and was naturally charming. If you think Shéla is bad, you should meethermother. A real piece of work with a stick permanently lodged up her ass. Even my mom made her laugh once.”
“That’s right.” Petra rolled onto her back and placed her hands behind her head. “Let it all out. The slumber parties in elementary school, the horseback riding camps in middle school, and the house parties in high school. Tell me, what did those assholes in ‘Zeta Nu’ make you do when you pledged?”
Simone’s fingers tightened together. “They were careful about who they hazed. Cady and I came from affluent families, so we didn’t get it too bad. The worst we had to do was serve drinks at one of the parties they hosted for a frat. I had to wear a thong and a wet T-shirt, no bra.”
“I’m of two minds about this,” Petra said, as she imagined a twenty-year-old Simone in such a sexy getup. “One, that’s a disgusting thing to make a girl do. On the other hand… eh. I’d have liked to have been there to see that shit.”
“It was for a frat’s entertainment, so it was not fun, even if you were a gay girl ogling the nipples and firm thighs.”
“I would have found a way to enjoy that.”
“I didn’t tell you what happened to Judy Wang.”
“Do I want to know what happened to Judy Wang? Because I can guess – really heinous shit because she didn’t come from the ‘right’ family. The point was to haze her until she dropped out of the pledge, right? Or did she drop out of school entirely?”
“Let’s say they put love notes in her body for their boyfriends to find when she went over.”
Petra shot straight up, hand almost bumping into Simone’s leg. “Excuse me? Even my brain ain’t depraved enough to think up something as gross as that.”
“She dropped out. Not out of school, though.” The faraway glaze in Simone’s eyes told Petra to cool any comments about to come flying out of her mouth. “She eventually became student body president after running on a campaign to protect students from sexual assault. She won in a landslide and started cracking down on hazing. Didn’t help that by then one of the frats had a scandal that hit some of the national news. Don’t know if you remember it, but a pledge ended up in the hospital for, uh… scrotal repair.”
“Remind me why I didn’t go to college again? Oh, and why are you still friends with these awful people?”
“Because when you’re raised to think a lot of your worth comes from those you know and maintain relationships with, you find it difficult to cut ties. Zeta Nu is a powerful sorority network. I’ve relied on those connections more times than I care to admit.”
“Is that where you get all of your legendary assistants from?”
Simone rolled her eyes, but at least there was a hint of a smile on her face. “Please. I hire my assistants based on very important criteria. Like how good their asses look in their leggings.”
“What do you need an assistant for, anyway? Where are they now? Why aren’t they in here with us right now putting on a show? Apparently, that’s why you have them. No need to answer the first question.”
Petra lightly jabbed Simone in the side when she said that. A tired giggle erupted from Simone’s shaking body, but she quickly pushed Petra away before she could tickle anyone again. The bed rocked beneath them. Petra caught her breath while Simone removed her jacket and tossed it onto the chair in the corner of the bedroom. Her bare arms were a sight for sore eyes in the mid-afternoon light of the room.
“Since graduating school, I’ve become more serious about getting a foothold in my family’s business. My stepmother may have been made VP for no damn reason, but she’s been generous enough to recommend me for projects that she both does and doesn’t oversee. Projects that I need help with. Assistants help me keep my meetings in order as well as ensure my personal errands aren’t falling by the wayside. But… it’s been a few months since I last had one. I’ve been on sabbatical for a while. I’m supposed to meet with my stepmother about picking up work again when I get back home.”
Petra bit her lip, but it couldn’t save her from having a big mouth. “Did you go on sabbatical because you were in rehab?”
She potentially pressed a dangerous button when she said that, but Simone was in a vulnerable enough mood, right?Unless I’ve really pissed her off after what happened at brunch.Oh, and had the other ladies realized they’d been robbed yet? Had that been traced back to Petra? That might make the tension between her and Simone less… sexy.
“I can’t believe you know about that now.”
