Devious by Cecily von Ziegesar Page A

button-down from Bloomie’s didn’t do it for her. You had to have one so worn-in it was tissue-soft with the undeniable scent of a former owner still clinging to it.
    Isla flicked on her stereo, and the sounds of The Raconteurs filled the room. She refilled the shot glasses. “Only trouble is, now we have to outdo ourselves.”
    That afternoon, they’d found a couple of gorgeous vintage prom dresses in the theater department’s costume room and had pranced around the crowded dining hall wearing them. Tinsley had worn a delicate, seafoam green satin bodice with a full ballerina-style tulle skirt, while Isla donned a lavender strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline, her hair in a loose upsweep. They took turns photographing each other as they walked through the lunch line, the plastic dining hall trays contrasting with their frilly dresses. All the girls had stared at them jealously, while the guys looked on with dreamy expressions. Tinsley loved the feel of everyone’s eyes locked to her, and the sounds of whispers as she strolled by. It felt like the good old days.
    Tinsley stretched out her long legs in front of her as she downed another shot. Before she knew it, two hours had passed. Isla was interested in hearing all about Tinsley, and Tinsley loved talking to someone from outside the Waverly bubble.
    “Shit,” Tinsley exclaimed finally, staring at her phone. The shots of vodka had blurred together and she’d been with Isla for hours longer than she’d planned. It was almost midnight. “I’ve got to get to Julian’s.” She jumped to her feet, wavering slightly. She had to put a steadying hand on Isla’s dresser as she slid into her black ankle boots.
    “Whoa, girl.” Isla laughed, swinging her bare feet to the floor. “You sure you can make it out the window?” She hoisted up her window with a noisy squeak.
    “Don’t worry about me.” Tinsley blew her a kiss as she slung her legs through the window and let her body fall gently to the ground. Her head buzzed pleasantly, and the snow glittered in the moonlight. The campus was nearly silent, and all Tinsley could think about was Julian. She was late—really late—and she hoped he hadn’t gone to bed yet.
    She knocked at his window. Thank God for first-floor bedrooms. The curtains were drawn, but a faint light shone through. She thought she could hear the murmur of music. She knocked harder, her bare knuckles rapping against the cold glass.
    Finally, Julian’s face appeared at the window. He seemed surprised to see her, but he quickly opened the window and held out a hand. She grabbed it and tried to pull herself up, but the bottoms of her shoes kept sliding down the brick wall. Eventually, she was able to climb over the ledge, her feet landing softly on Julian’s floor.
    “I must be out of practice.” She giggled. She dusted herself off and threw her coat on Julian’s roommate’s empty bed. “Hey, baby.” Tinsley turned to Julian and threw her arms around his neck.
    Julian stiffened and gave her a funny smile. “Hey.”
    “Sorry I’m late.” She pressed her cheek to his chest. He felt so warm and delicious. “Isla and I were just having so much fun working on our project. It’s just… the coolest project ever.”
    “Uh-huh.” Julian disentangled himself from Tinsley’s arms and sat down on his bed, yawning. He wore a plain white T-shirt and a pair of striped gray flannel Abercrombie & Fitch pajama bottoms.
    “Were you sleeping?” Tinsley teased, crawling into bed with him. “That’s so cute.”
    “I didn’t think you were coming.” Julian let her kiss him, briefly, before leaning back on his elbows. “And, dude, take your boots off. You’re getting snow in my bed.”
    Tinsley kicked her boots to the floor and then crawled back next to Julian. “Isla has an amazing eye. We’re doing this whole series of photographs of ourselves in these high-contrast poses. Everything looks so gorgeous so far,” Tinsley gushed