had been a mirage too—a drunken one. He’d been about to score with Callie and had wound up scurrying half-naked out of Jenny’s bed, with Pardee on his tail.
Now Jenny—pretty little Jenny—was in trouble because of him. But he’d needed to be near her. She looked so pink and new, sort of like that Botticelli painting he’d seen in Rome last year:
The Birth of Venus
, with the sexy chick coming out of the clamshell. He didn’t want her to be in trouble. But he didn’t want Callie to find out he’d touched Jenny, either. Easy gripped his head in his hands to keep his hungover brains from spilling out of his ears.
“So listen, I don’t know what’s going on here, but as your adviser, I have to warn you: this sort of offense, on top of your myriad other offenses, could lead to expulsion.”
Brett sucked in her breath and shook her head, pretending to actually care.
Easy barely blinked. “Okay.”
“Did you hear what I just said?” Dalton asked. “You might be expelled.”
“Yeah. I heard you.”
“If I were you, I’d spend more time thinking about why I was here,” Dalton suggested sternly, “and less time getting in trouble.”
That was the kind of dick thing one of his brothers might say. Easy was the youngest of four, and his three brothers had all gone to Waverly as well. Whenever Easy complained to them about it, they’d say that he wouldn’t understand the importance of Waverly until he got out. Which was one of those bullshit things people said when they got older and brainwashed. His brothers had already graduated from college and law school; two were married and the other one was engaged. They were pussy-whipped, boring adults and didn’t know a thing about
really
living.
“Fine,” Easy replied through his teeth. “You done advising me, then?” Without waiting for an answer, he stood up force-fully, yanked the door open, and strode out.
Outside Stansfield Hall, he felt suddenly light-headed.
You might be expelled
. Was he serious? If Easy got kicked out of Waverly, he could forget about his year in Paris. He’d be forced to live at home, alone with his crusty parents, where he’d be schooled by a private tutor and his only contact with the outside world would be the scary frosted-blond mail lady who liked Easy a little
too
much. Easy needed to sit down. Maybe it was the vodka from last night, but he felt a whoosh of nausea.
Hoot, hoot
.
Easy looked up into the trees. One of the great horned owls was watching him, its eyes round and yellow. Easy made a cooing sound at it, like the one he made when he needed Credo to calm down, and pulled a dented Sprite bottle out of his school bag. He took a swig of the remaining Ketel One from last night. Everyone was making their way to the first classes of the year, but Easy needed to think.
He wandered along the worn stone path toward the stables, wishing Callie would be there to lie down with him in a humid corral and make him forget all about Dalton’s threat. They’d stretch out on an old horse blanket and stay there all day, not caring about missing the first day of classes. But picturing Callie naked in the abandoned stable wasn’t getting him excited—he couldn’t stop Fantasy Callie from complaining about hay in her hair and imaginary bugs on the blanket.
Easy closed himself into the warm, slightly moist corral, and squeezed his eyes shut. But when he revisited his fantasy, it wasn’t Callie sprawled across the horse blanket, staring up at him.
It was Jenny.
Email Inbox
To: Waverly Students
From: [email protected]
Date: Thursday, September 5, 9:01 A.M.
Subject: Property defacement
Dear Students,
It has come to my attention that pony drawings have shown up around campus—on the sidewalks, on marker boards, and on the shower walls of the girls’ locker room.
Please know that defacement of Waverly property is a serious offense and will not be tolerated. A few students have anonymously reported emotional
Now Jenny—pretty little Jenny—was in trouble because of him. But he’d needed to be near her. She looked so pink and new, sort of like that Botticelli painting he’d seen in Rome last year:
The Birth of Venus
, with the sexy chick coming out of the clamshell. He didn’t want her to be in trouble. But he didn’t want Callie to find out he’d touched Jenny, either. Easy gripped his head in his hands to keep his hungover brains from spilling out of his ears.
“So listen, I don’t know what’s going on here, but as your adviser, I have to warn you: this sort of offense, on top of your myriad other offenses, could lead to expulsion.”
Brett sucked in her breath and shook her head, pretending to actually care.
Easy barely blinked. “Okay.”
“Did you hear what I just said?” Dalton asked. “You might be expelled.”
“Yeah. I heard you.”
“If I were you, I’d spend more time thinking about why I was here,” Dalton suggested sternly, “and less time getting in trouble.”
That was the kind of dick thing one of his brothers might say. Easy was the youngest of four, and his three brothers had all gone to Waverly as well. Whenever Easy complained to them about it, they’d say that he wouldn’t understand the importance of Waverly until he got out. Which was one of those bullshit things people said when they got older and brainwashed. His brothers had already graduated from college and law school; two were married and the other one was engaged. They were pussy-whipped, boring adults and didn’t know a thing about
really
living.
“Fine,” Easy replied through his teeth. “You done advising me, then?” Without waiting for an answer, he stood up force-fully, yanked the door open, and strode out.
Outside Stansfield Hall, he felt suddenly light-headed.
You might be expelled
. Was he serious? If Easy got kicked out of Waverly, he could forget about his year in Paris. He’d be forced to live at home, alone with his crusty parents, where he’d be schooled by a private tutor and his only contact with the outside world would be the scary frosted-blond mail lady who liked Easy a little
too
much. Easy needed to sit down. Maybe it was the vodka from last night, but he felt a whoosh of nausea.
Hoot, hoot
.
Easy looked up into the trees. One of the great horned owls was watching him, its eyes round and yellow. Easy made a cooing sound at it, like the one he made when he needed Credo to calm down, and pulled a dented Sprite bottle out of his school bag. He took a swig of the remaining Ketel One from last night. Everyone was making their way to the first classes of the year, but Easy needed to think.
He wandered along the worn stone path toward the stables, wishing Callie would be there to lie down with him in a humid corral and make him forget all about Dalton’s threat. They’d stretch out on an old horse blanket and stay there all day, not caring about missing the first day of classes. But picturing Callie naked in the abandoned stable wasn’t getting him excited—he couldn’t stop Fantasy Callie from complaining about hay in her hair and imaginary bugs on the blanket.
Easy closed himself into the warm, slightly moist corral, and squeezed his eyes shut. But when he revisited his fantasy, it wasn’t Callie sprawled across the horse blanket, staring up at him.
It was Jenny.
Email Inbox
To: Waverly Students
From: [email protected]
Date: Thursday, September 5, 9:01 A.M.
Subject: Property defacement
Dear Students,
It has come to my attention that pony drawings have shown up around campus—on the sidewalks, on marker boards, and on the shower walls of the girls’ locker room.
Please know that defacement of Waverly property is a serious offense and will not be tolerated. A few students have anonymously reported emotional
Similar Books
