“What?” Yas reached for it, and I held it out of his reach. “What’s your problem? Can’t hide nothing from us, girlie.”
“There’s…” I opened it again, just a peek. “There’s a flower.”
Emma nudged the lid farther. “A rose.”
The petals were like lush suede, and a red so deep they looked almost black. Thorns covered it, like sharp, deep purple claws emerging from the long stem.
“Dude.” Yas inched away from me.
“I didn’t get a flower,” Emma said, sitting more still than usual beside me.
I thought, Yeah, I’ll bet, but my mouth was too dry to say it.
Careful not to snag its thorns on the fabric, I set it aside to study the dress. It was very red, like the rose.
“My dress is green,” Emma said. I must’ve had some expression on my face, because she quickly added, “But the dress is the same. I think they all are. Like a uniform. Except we all have different colors.”
“Oh goodie.” I shook it out to get a better look. “Mine just happens to be the color of blood.”
I had to admit, it was pretty, with a satin bodice and a frothy tulle skirt that looked about knee length. “I suppose there are worse things than looking like a slutty ballerina. But…crap. It’s strapless.” I held it up to my chest. “It’s not as though I have anything to hold it up with.” I shot a nod to Yas, realizing I’d gone to a place normally reserved only for girl talk. “Sorry.”
Putting a brave look on his face, he said, “Fret not, little D. It stays up.”
“Wait.” My hands flopped back into the box, crumpling the dress. “You saw Emma’s dress?”
They shared another look, and this time it was obvious. It was a look look.
“That’s it.” I crammed it and the rose in the box and stood abruptly. “I can’t deal with this without food. I just need to drop this thing in my room.”
There was an awkward moment of silence. A few students walked by, headed in the direction of the dining hall, and Yasuo suddenly looked eager to join them. “I’ll just see you ladies there. Give you some girl time, you know?”
“Yeah, sure,” I replied, but then I spun on Emma the moment we were inside. “How does he know how your dress fits?”
“I…tried it on. He wanted me to stand in the window so he could see.”
“What is this—an eighties teen-angst movie? Since when is Yasuo standing under your window?” My reaction was selfish and irrational, but still, I couldn’t help getting stormy. Yas and Emma were having secret interludes, and the realization stung. I unlocked my door, tossed in the detested dress, and shut it again. “Did you guys hook up? Why didn’t you tell me?”
She turned that true beet red that only redheads managed. “Of course not.”
“If you guys want to get together, you should get together already.” I headed back down the stairs, feeling low and left out.
Emma caught up to me on the landing. Her face bore a horrible combination of agitated and anxious. I mean, she was distraught, as if I’d just told her there was a bomb in the building and she had two minutes to defuse it or a roomful of kittens would die in the blast, all because of her.
It stopped me in my tracks. I’d known there was a spark between her and Yasuo, but was it more than that? “Oh. My. God. You like Yasuo. Like, like like.”
I think her face actually turned a shade of purple. “Yes…I…really like him.”
“Wow. Prairie girl meets gangster’s son.”
It made sense. She was so reserved and introverted, whereas Yasuo was just the opposite. He was easy to the point of doofiness, but nice, too, and it’d drawn Emma out of her shell. Some guys would feel uncomfortable with such a strong, stoic girl, but Yasuo’s big personality made her quirks seem like no big deal.
I considered how much he’d be interested in her. I’d noticed him watching Emma when she wasn’t looking. He’d grown up with his mom and had managed to remain down-to-earth despite living in hiding in the belly of Los Angeles, which to me spoke volumes about his mother. He didn’t talk about her a lot, but they must’ve been close. I imagined she might’ve been as pure and true as Emma.
I burst into a smile. “Just…wow. I can totally see it.” I nudged her shoulder in mock anger. “But why didn’t you tell me?”
She nearly crumpled with relief. “I was afraid.…”
“Of Yas?”
“No.” She paused, mouth open, hesitating. “Of you.”
That knocked the wind from me. “Me?”“Yes. Of how you’d react. Since we’re all friends.” She was looking nervous again.
I felt like a heel. “Seriously?”
She nodded slowly.
“Aw, hell, Em, I am so sorry.” I gave her a quick hug, then held on to her shoulders as I searched her face. “How could you think that? Are you kidding? I’d be totally thrilled if you and Yas hooked up.”
A pair of blond Acari walked into the dorm—Margaret and Nance, an annoying couple of fitness hounds we’d nicknamed Mancy—and we shut up.
I nodded toward the door. “Come on.”
Had Emma really been afraid of my reaction? Could she really think I’d begrudge her happiness? Once safely outside, I ranted, “Jeez, Emma. How could you think I wouldn’t be supportive? If you can find someone on this rock? If you could be even a little happy? Oh my God, I’d be thrilled for you.” I shook my head, marveling at my own flaws. “How could you think I wouldn’t be? Clearly, I am the crappiest friend ever.”
“You’re a good friend,” Emma said, which for her was downright effusive. “A wonderful friend.”
“Apparently not.” Then, seeing the tentative expression on her face, I added, “I can see you’re still thinking. Spit it out.”
“Well,” she hedged, “you’ve been kind of…off. And then you kept looking at us funny. I didn’t want to bother you with it.”
She was right—I guess I had been giving them the stink eye. But it wasn’t for the reasons she thought. “If something bothered me, it was feeling like I was the last to know.” I stopped, looking around to make sure nobody was within earshot. “Please. You have to promise not to hold out on me. I know you’re the strong, silent type, but seriously, Em, you can confide in me. How could you even doubt that?”
“Okay, I promise to tell you everything.”
I pretended disgust. “Good God, not everything!”
She gave me a smile, and that heart-shaped face of hers lit up—she was so pretty when she smiled. “I’m just not used to the whole friend thing, I guess.”
“That makes two of us.” I linked my arm with hers, and I wasn’t sure which amazed me more—her news or the fact that I was walking arm in arm with a friend. “Wow,” I repeated after a moment. “You and Yas, huh?”
She halted, and alarm obliterated her smile. “Don’t say anything to him. I don’t think…I’m not sure he’s interested.”
“Oh, Em.” I tugged her forward and had to laugh at her innocence. “He’s a guy. He’s interested. Duh.”
I could see by her frown that she wasn’t completely satisfied by that answer, but it was the best one I had. We slowly walked to lunch, and I did my best to help her replay old conversations, interpret comments, strategize interludes, all that. And though I wasn’t exactly a genius when it came to matters of the heart, I was a good friend—really, I was.
And yet, all the while I couldn’t help but think, so much for asking advice about my stuff. This was Emma’s big crush moment—like a female rite of passage—and I didn’t want to steal her thunder. Because bringing up ancient vampires sure would step on a girl’s buzz.
See, I’d wanted to confide about Alcántara—how he was treating me like his favorite, and what the rose might mean, and what would happen when we left the island and were alone together, and what did it mean that I was feeling more comfortable with him and was that just a dangerous illusion. But how could I broach any of that when she was all starry-eyed for Yasuo? So I decided to put my problems off. For now.
We got to the dining hall, and Emma automatically went to where Yas was sitting. It happened to be with Ronan and Amanda.
Great.
I chose the lunch line instead, wondering how quickly I could shove the food down my throat and make a break for it.
Someone walked up behind me. “Gidday” was a whisper in my ear.
Josh.
I looked behind my shoulder at him. “You sure are friendly now that Lilac’s out of the picture.”
I’d thought my sarcastic tone would take the sting from my words, but—wow—he actually looked kind of hurt.
“I’ve always been friendly. It’s you who’s the ice queen.”
Ice queen really hadn’t been my intention—it was just how things came out of my mouth sometimes. Maybe that was the problem with my love life.
I put my tray down to give him my full attention, making an effort to be charming and warm. “Oh, I see. That you and Lilac were attached at the hip wasn’t your fault. Because you can’t help it that girls fall all over you.”
He grinned at that. “Exactly. That’s me—ever at ease with the ladies.” With an encouraging look on his face, he spread his arms wide. “So?”
Josh was a guy. And he was flirting. A little. With me.
I wondered if he might be someone I could be interested in. Then I gave a shake to my head. I needed to get a hold of myself. Alcántara hadn’t liked Josh’s concern for me, and I definitely didn’t want to be putting any boys in danger with any vampires. So even if I were remotely interested—and who wouldn’t be? I mean, premed, scruffy, and an accent?—it was a nonstarter. I just couldn’t do that to the guy.