My heart drummed.
“You know they’re just jealous, right?” I decided to chance it, leaving my hand on his shoulder, my eyes on his face.
He turned to me, the movement sharp. “Jealous?”
I was caught. Warmth bloomed through me like sunlight. “Obviously.”
He smiled.
“Jessica.” Courtney’s icy voice broke through. “I know you’ve got to take your best shot at Mint while he’s down, but now is really not the time for flirting.”
It was like she’d reached across the grass and slapped me. Or worse—like she’d wrenched my top off, leaving me exposed, my intentions and desires naked for everyone to see. I recoiled, pulling my hand from Mint’s shoulder, eyes stinging with hot humiliation. But before I could draw one shaking breath—to say what, I didn’t know—Heather cut in.
“Courtney, stop being such a bitch.”
Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised. Heather was dogmatic about right and wrong, saw the world divided up smoothly into good and bad. I’d attributed this to the fact that her life had been uncomplicated, devoid of obstacles, for eighteen years. The easy sailing had allowed her to believe the world was black and white, no gray. Heather could afford to think this way because she didn’t need to claw, constantly, for what she deserved, or live her life in the gray just to understand the people she loved. It was yet another luxury, like her beautiful clothes and her purses.
Still, Heather and Courtney were a pair—best friends, roommates. That’s where her loyalties should lie.
“Are you serious?” Courtney looked as stunned as I was. A kick of wind blew her glossy, magazine hair around her shoulders. “You’re choosing her?”
There it was, a line in the sand. I could do nothing but blink at both of them.
Heather was quiet for a beat, then said: “Yes. Stop punching down.”
She’d chosen me.
Courtney’s mouth fell open. She searched the circle of faces, looking for an ally, some measure of sympathy. Her gaze lingered on Mint. But whatever she saw had her swallowing hard, then rolling her eyes. “Fine, whatever. I’m bored. Have fun wasting your time on lost causes.” She glanced at Heather. “I guess I’ll see you later, or something.” It sounded more like a question: Will I? In that moment, Courtney looked young and unsure.
Heather nodded curtly. “See you at home.” But when Courtney walked away, she found my eyes and smiled.
I filled with light. Forget Mint; this was like looking into the sun. Heather had defended me. Picked me. Who had ever done that?
“You guys.” Jack’s eyes were wide with excitement. “I just got an idea. A way to get back at Chapman and reenter the Battle. The only problem is, it’s slightly illegal.”
And just like that, the last half hour was washed away, the slate wiped clean. We grinned at each other.
“Spill,” Frankie said.
Jack winced at Caro. “Okay. You know how Charles is obsessed with Caro?”
Mint cracked a laugh. “Oh, this is going to be good.”
“Whatever you’re thinking, no,” Caro said.
“Hear me out. What if, since Chapman destroyed our float, we stole theirs?”
“Silly Jack,” Coop said. “You had me at illegal.”
I tried to smile at Coop, but he wouldn’t look my way.
“We know Chapman’s hiding their float behind Bishop.” Bishop Hall was a dorm for seniors, so one of the Chapman freshmen must have had an upperclassman connection. “All we need is for Caro to get into Charles’s room and take the keys to their float. Then tonight we steal it, turn it into the East House float, and tomorrow we ride it to victory.”
“Brilliant,” Frankie breathed. “We can even use the fireworks.”
I rolled my eyes. “So the whole plan hinges on Caro being James Bond for a night. No pressure.”
“Yeah, forget it,” Heather said. “Caro can’t prostitute herself. She hates Charles. He’s a lacrosse douchebag.”
“A Phi Delt lacrosse douchebag,” Coop corrected. “Which means it’s okay.”
“No, wait a second.” Caro took a deep breath. “I’ll do it. For you guys.”
I squinted. “You sure?” Sometimes I worried about the depths of Caro’s loyalty.
Frankie clapped. “We’re going to be legends.”
“One small hiccup,” Mint said. “I’m pretty sure I remember Trevor saying the Chapman float theme is Duquette in Paradise.”