Rival: A Feuds Novella (The Feuds Series) by Avery Hastings Page B

robes. “Besides, he’s a trainer. You know it’s completely off-limits for trainers and competitors to hook up. And I’m really, really, really, really—”
    “I get it. You’re really hoping to make it past the Pre-quals.”
    “Did you get the invitation?” Davis avoided her friend’s eyes and held her breath. She hadn’t been sure how to bring it up, but the chances of Vera
not
getting the showcase invite were slim. She was the most talented cellist in Columbus.
    “Of course.” Vera waved her hand in the air carelessly. “And you did, too?”
    “Yesterday,” Davis said, still relishing the thought of the invitation tucked away in her bag.
    “That’s great!” Vera jumped up and down, kissing Davis on the cheek. “I’m so happy for you! Let’s celebrate. None of our usual manicure bullshit. Let’s go for the hydromassages. On me.”
    “Vera, those things are way expensive for non-members.” It wasn’t that Davis’s family didn’t have money—like most Priors, they did, and plenty of it. But she knew how hard her dad worked, and she always felt wrong spending too much of his money, somehow.
    “On my family’s account, I mean,” Vera said. “Trust me, they won’t mind. My parents will be happy for you!”
    “Okay,” Davis agreed, hugging her friend. “Sounds amazing.”
    And it
was
amazing. Five minutes later, they were facedown on adjoining massage beds in their bikinis, letting warm currents of high-pressure water course against their aching muscles. Well, at least Davis’s muscles were aching—and all over, since she’d been spending an average of six hours per day in training. Vera’s body got sore, too, Davis knew, from holding the heavy cello while she practiced for just as many hours.
    “Could this feel any better?” Vera asked.
    “Nope. Heaven.”
    “So back to the boy,” Vera prodded. “You’re not a competitor
yet,
you know.”
    Vera was right, but the thought of doing anything even remotely close to violating a rule made Davis’s stomach clench into a knot. “But I don’t want to jeopardize my chances,” she said slowly, watching beams of soft light pulse in the glass floor in perfect rhythm with the waves of the hydromassage. “Remember that time Auralie’s sister was disqualified just because someone saw her trainer leaving her building in the morning? One of the judges lived there, too, or something, and spotted them. I can’t take any risks.” She hesitated before continuing. “Plus, it’s not like we know if he even likes me. Or thinks I’m pretty. So this whole conversation is basically pointless.” Davis didn’t mind how badly Vera always seemed to want to set her up with the right guy, but sometimes she went a little too far.
    Vera rose a little in her bed, knocking against the upper-body jet streams. “I can’t believe it,” she said. “I can’t believe you just said that. You’ve
got
to know how ridiculous that sounds. Number one, who wouldn’t like you? Number two, obviously you’re pretty and lovable. All Priors are pretty—”
    “Not all Priors are lovable,” Davis pointed out. “It’s not like there are personality enhancements.”
    “You wouldn’t need a personality enhancement even if they did exist,” Vera told her. “Since when did you unleash the inner Imp? Talk about insecure.”
    Davis rolled her eyes. Vera was ridiculous.
    “Anyway,” Vera went on, “the heat was practically radiating off the two of you in giant waves. I could basically see it. Even
I
was getting worked up.”
    Davis laughed, raising her head, too. “You’re so dramatic.”
    “I’m a little dramatic from time to time,” Vera agreed, shaking out her blond curls. “But when I know, I know. You guys had chemistry. Plus, you have so much in common! He’s a dancer. And he’s older, which is hot.”
    Davis rolled her eyes. “Yeah, so much in common.” Still, she couldn’t help wondering if Vera was right. It
would
be nice to date a dancer, to