The backyard was an expanse of perfectly manicured lawn, covered only in part by a stone patio where a string trio was playing. Waiters in tuxedos carried glasses of champagne and trays of canapés around to girls in sparkly cocktail dresses and guys in suits. I didn’t immediately recognize anyone because they all looked so different from how they did at school, but after a while my brain started making the necessary connections. I saw a girl from my AP English class picking over hors d’oeuvres, a guy from the water polo team joking around with one of the girls who played lacrosse. The information settled in with almost a palpable click, and it was satisfying to put the pieces together. It was the same feeling I got when I checked my work in calculus, or when I figured out the clue in a logic puzzle that opened up the whole thing. It was one of my favorite feelings in the world.
A middle-aged waiter came by and offered us champagne. Alex took a glass like she was used to people bringing her drinks at fancy parties, but I wasn’t so sure that mixing booze and Novalert was a good idea, at least not for my first time. “Do you have anything nonalcoholic?” I asked, feeling my face get hot. The waiter gave me a silent nod and walked off, returning faster than I could have imagined with what looked like champagne again. Was I mistaking him for another waiter? “But I—”
“Ginger ale,” he said, smiling. “I know how much you kids hate to stand out in a crowd.”
I thanked him and took a sip, grateful that he understood this party better than I did. “This is so weird,” I said to Alex, who’d already finished her drink and had snagged another. “But I think the Novalert kicked in.”
“Yeah? What do you think?”
“So far so good,” I said.
“Well, then, it’s time to get in there.” She grabbed my hand and pulled me off the patio onto the grass, where most of the kids were hanging out in small groups, talking. She stopped by a group of three guys who were standing near a statue of what appeared to be a Greek god. What was with this house and all the statues, anyway? I recognized two of the three guys—neither was in my classes, so I wasn’t sure where I’d seen them before—but the third looked totally unfamiliar to me. The first thing I noticed about him was his eyes, which were super dark, almost black, the same color as his hair. The second thing I noticed was that I had to look up to see them, which was surprising given how high my shoes were. The third thing I noticed was that he was hot. I hadn’t thought that about anyone for a really long time.
“You made it!” the cute guy said, and gave Alex a hug. My heart sank a little. He was probably the Prospect. “And you brought a friend, I see. Nice.” He had an English accent, which was pretty much the sexiest thing I’d ever heard. Alex had good taste.
“Hey, Raj, this is Kara, who I was telling you about.” She gave me a look, and I wondered what she’d been saying. “Kara, this is Raj, and Justin and Bryan.”
Justin and Bryan were both cute—Justin was about my height, blond and wearing a very well-fitted shiny blue suit, and Bryan was short and dark and kind of uncomfortable in his suit, but in a charming way. Alex hung out with a good-looking crowd.
“That dress . . . ,” Bryan said.
“Too much?” Alex did her little twirl again.
“Not at all,” Raj said. “Just the right amount, actually.”
Alex didn’t react to Raj’s compliment, though; she was still waiting for Bryan. Perhaps I’d been wrong about who the Prospect was.
“Just tell her she looks good,” Justin said. “It’s not that hard. I’ll show you.” He turned to Alex and gave a little bow. “You look ravishing tonight, my dear.” He held out a hand, and Alex spun into him as if they were dancing, and then he dipped her just a little. It was a cute bit—it kind of reminded me of Alex and her dad.
“I feel like I should applaud,” Bryan said.
“No need,” Alex said. “You can just go refill my drink.” She handed him her champagne glass and watched him walk off.
“So you’ll be lavishing your charms on Bryan tonight, then?” Raj asked. “Poor fellow. He won’t know what hit him.”
“I’m mostly here for Kara,” Alex said. “Consider this her social debut.”
“Well, it was lovely to meet you, Kara,” Justin said. “Sorry to rush off, but I’d been planning to send Bryan to get me a drink before Alex so rudely coopted him for her own nefarious purposes.”
Nefarious purposes? Who talked like that?
“You’re leaving already?” Alex asked, but Justin was already gone. “He’s such a performer.”
Performer . . . that’s why he looked familiar. He was one of the theater kids. Even though Isabel and I weren’t friends anymore, I never missed a show—she’d gotten the lead every time since we’d started high school, just like she wanted, and she was fabulous. I looked around and sure enough, there she was, telling a story to a fawning group of theater kids. Always the center of attention. It had been helpful when we were friends; Becca and I could go out with her and be shy if we wanted to, secure in the knowledge that eventually we’d be surrounded by people no matter what. And she liked playing that role, liked being the one to find out who was interesting and introduce us to them. Maybe that’s why I hadn’t really known how to make friends myself, once she and Becca were gone.
I wasn’t going to let her presence here bother me, though. I was here to hang out with Alex, to test my ability to make it through a social situation without disaster striking. So far so good.
“So, Kara,” Raj said. “How is it that we’ve never met? Where has Alex been hiding you?”
“We just started hanging out,” I said. “I wasn’t hiding.”