Page 131 of Shattered Stars
Trent glances at Winnie who shakes her head. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Trent shrugs nervously. “Okay.”
Summer barges the remaining girl out of the way and halts right in front of me.
“Hi Summer,” I say with what I hope sounds like sweetness. There really is no need for a scene and I would rather avoid one if I can. “You look nice.”
Summer’s eyes flick up and down my gown and her face turns bright red. She looks like she might blow a gasket. I half expect steam to start billowing from her ears.
“Where did you get that dress?” she hisses.
“Do you like it?” I say, ignoring her question.
“Where did you get it, Pig Girl?” she says and I realize there’s no hope of avoiding a scene. There’s already a crowd gathered around to watch this confrontation. Internally, I groan. This was half the reason I wanted to avoid coming tonight. It seems I can’t go anywhere in this school without someone attempting to start a fight with me.
“None of your business.”
“It is my business,” Summer says, tossing her head and nearly losing her tiara in the process. “Where did you get it?” She snatches her arm forward and grabs a handful of my skirt, rubbing the material roughly between her fingers. “It’s–”
“Mona,” Winnie says with a grin.
“VintageMona,” Summer growls. “This is the fucking dress Evette Saphire wore to the premier ofMoonbeams and Candlelight.” For a moment genuine admiration for the dress flickers over her face but as quickly as it comes it’s gone, replaced by pure rage. “How the hell did you get this? There’s no way you could afford it!”
She tugs on the skirt and I’m almost pulled off balance.
“Be careful, you’ll rip her dress,” Trent says. Summer turns her head slowly and glares at him and he takes a decided step away.
“Did you steal it, Pig girl?” Summer hisses. “Or did you suck some withered old dick in exchange for–”
“What’s going on?” Stone comes striding through the crowd of onlookers. His gaze swings from Summer and then to me. He stutters for a moment, his eyes smoldering with want. Then he regains his composure.
“Pig Girl is wearing a stolen gown.”
“Miss Clutton-Brock, I think we’ve spoken before about calling people names,” Stone says darkly and Summer’s cheeks actually pinken.
“Rhianna Blackwatersis wearing a stolen gown. A highly priceless stolen gown.”
Stone’s lip twitches and his eyes dance with amusement. “Miss Blackwaters, Miss Clutton-Brock claims this very beautiful dress you’re …” he clears his throat, “barely wearing,” I scowl at him, “is stolen. Is this accusation correct?”
I want to shrug. I actually have no clue where or how Tristan landed this dress. I’m guessing there is a possibility he stole it, although that doesn’t seem very likely.
“I don’t know,” I say.
Summer huffs in triumph, folding her arms across her body. “She should be made to take it off.”
“Miss Blackwaters, how has it come to be that you are wearing a dress that you are unsure whether is stolen or not?”
I scowl at him some more. I am going to torture him so badly when we are alone.
“It was given to her as a gift,” Winnie says, bringing herself to Summer’s attention for the first time. Summer makes some weird gurgling sound and points at Winnie in outrage.
Stone ignores her.
“Who gave you the dress, Miss Blackwaters? It may help us to determine if it is indeed stolen.”
“It isn’t,” another voice says from somewhere in the crowd. A voice recognizable to everyone in the school.
The crowd parts and this time Tristan Kennedy comes strolling through looking like he stepped straight out of a movie and into the Hall. He’s wearing a tux, but the bowtie is loose around his neck and his shirt is undone, showing a flash of golden collarbone. He’s slung his jacket over his shoulder androlled his sleeves up showing his muscular forearms. He looks like he’s been partying for hours, rather than just arrived.
