Fallen Crest University (Fallen Crest High #5)(21)

“I know. I just…” She waved a hand down the line of girls. “Most get jealous when they find out what I used to do for money.”

“Are you talking about the whoring spirit?” The heavyset girl joined our conversation along with the little female next to her.

“What?” Summer asked.

“What you used to do for money.”

“Oh. Uh…” My roommate was a deer in headlights. Her eyes were wide, and she went pale.

I stepped in, channeling some Logan, “She used to clean ass.”

All three of them snapped their attention to me.

I grinned. “She was a nurse’s aide. That’s what they do, but she didn’t want to let you know. All the jokes, you know?”

“Oh.” The heavyset girl scratched the side of her face. “That’s…completely understandable. I was a sandwich artist all through high school. It may sound great, but there’s really no art involved, if you get my drift.” She held her hand out. “I’m Kitty, by the way. With my name, trust me, I really do understand not appreciating the jokes.”

We all stared at her.

She glanced at each one of us and then explained, “Kitty’s not a nickname. It’s my real name. My mom was obsessed with Pink Kitty.”

“Oh.” I frowned. “I’m so sorry.”

“Ah, what can I do?” She waved it off and nudged her elbow to the white-haired girl. “This is Nina.”

“Hi.” Both Summer and I nodded and introduced ourselves.

Nina waved but glanced over her shoulder at the house. Most of the girls had gone inside.

Seeing this, she asked, “Shouldn’t we have a plan, so no one gets lost? And are we all walking back together to the dorm or going with our buddies? We are not prepared for this house party at all. Do we even know who’s hosting it? I heard some fraternity got disbanded last year. It’s not those guys, is it?”

I tensed, wondering what else she had heard, but Kitty had the answer. “Oh, no, I talked to Ruby.”

“Who’s Ruby?” someone asked.

Kitty’s eyebrows knitted together. “Our RA. Don’t you guys listen?”

Summer grinned at me.

Kitty was already saying, “She told me where some of those guys were holed up, and it’s not the same house. These guys are just a group of friends. She knows them. She said they’re pretty harmless, except for those two creepers she warned us about. Oh, and she was going to call to give them a heads-up that some of her girls were coming.” She pointed at us, including the group who had gone inside the house. “That’s us.”

Summer sucked in her breath, fighting back a grin.

“I think we should do a four-person buddy system. You two look out for us at the end, and we’ll do the same,” she said with precision and a firm head nod.

I glanced down, expecting her to do a little footstep. It’d sounded like she was starting a cheer. As I was waiting for the toe-heel movement, she linked her elbow with Kitty and began prancing up the hill to the house. Her free arm was swinging widely. Her head was high. Her shoulders were back. She even tossed back her hair with a head shake. Nina was ready to take the world on, one house party at a time.

Summer groaned next to me. “Oh my god, we’re surrounded by dorks.”

“Not our whole floor.” But I wasn’t sure, and dorks wasn’t the nicest word to use, but I had to agree a little bit. “I would say that they…” I was searching. “Um…they’re not as practiced with house parties as we might be?”

“Speaking of, you’ve barely blinked since we got here.”

We started after the other two after Kitty hollered for us to get our spirit butts in gear.

“But from the stories I’ve heard about Mason Kade and his brother, I’m not surprised. I have to admit that even I’ve heard about the Kade parties. I wanted to go to one, but I could never talk my friends into crashing one with me. They were too scared. They’d heard the girls who went to them were like savage beasts.”

“You’re not far off with that one.” Kate and her pack of four could howl with the best of them. “And,” using her phrase, I said, “you’ve barely blinked yourself.”

The music grew louder as we stepped onto the porch. Reaching for the door, Summer murmured before opening it, “I’ve been to a few discos overseas. These don’t compare.” She winked as she drew back the door.

The music overwhelmed us.

So did the laughter and conversation.

So did the heat from all those bodies inside.

So did the smell of weed, booze, and sweat.

I couldn’t believe it. My first college party really looked like a scene from Animal House.

Just inside the door, Kitty, Nina, and some of the rest from our floor were huddled together, gripping their red plastic cups.

Summer frowned at them. “You guys already have beer?”

At that moment, a guy wearing a toga came around the corner, holding a row of red cups. A guy came with him, holding a pony keg on his shoulder. As they both saw us, wide smiles lit up their faces.

The guy with the cups said, “Well, hey there! Two newcomers. Hold on, ladies.” He knelt and pulled out one cup, holding it underneath the keg’s spout.