The Elite (25 page)

Madison flinched visibly, her face hardening like a mask, and for one split second, he wanted to take it all back and pull her to him—anything to stop her face from looking so totally disappointed and lifeless. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked away, blinking rapidly.

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J E N N I F E R B A N A S H

“If that’s how you feel, then fine,” she said, her voice wa-vering.

“It . . . is,” Drew said tentatively. “And I’m sorry.” Madison shook her head and turned around to face the street, her hair blowing gently in the breeze.

“Whatever,” she said coolly, her tone level and steady now, as if by magic. “I’m over it—
and
you.”

Drew flinched slightly at the ice coating her voice and reached out, his hand hovering above her shoulder for a few agonizing seconds before he came to his senses and pulled back. There was nothing he could do or say that would make her feel better right now—and Drew knew that if he touched her, or tried to give her a hug, she’d take it the wrong way.

Hell, as pissed-off and hurt as she was, she might even punch him, and he knew from experience that Madison had a mean left hook. If she wanted to put him out, well, she could probably do it. Public humiliation was one thing, but he drew the line at getting slapped by a girl in front of two hundred of his closest friends. The only thing he could really do at this point was to walk away. He’d had enough practice at it, and this was one time where his skills would really come in handy. For the first time, he knew without a doubt, that there was really nothing left to say.

And with that, Drew turned to face the still- silent crowd, and walked slowly and deliberately inside to find Casey, turning his back on his past, and making his way, step by step, toward the future.

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seven

minutes

in heaven

Casey sat on the edge of the Kohler frees tanding white soaking tub in the middle of the Van Allens’ guest bathroom, staring down at her freckled, skinned knee, and wishing she could just disappear. Who had she been kidding to think that she could ever really fit in here? She looked around at the gleaming black- and- white tiles, at the Swarovski crystal chandelier overhead that sprayed across the ceiling in the shape of a branch dripping with crystal cherry blossoms, and sighed, brushing away the hot tears falling from her gray eyes with the back of her hand, not caring if she smeared her mascara everywhere. She’d only been in New York less than a month, and already she’d ruined everything. The only thing that made her feel even slightly better about the whole screwed- up situation J E N N I F E R B A N A S H

was the fact that she’d managed to tell Madison exactly what she thought—even if it hadn’t made any real difference . . .

Casey looked down at the dress she’d loved so much a few hours ago, running her hands over the hopelessly wrinkled fabric, and sighed deeply as she grabbed a piece of toilet paper from the stainless steel dispenser and blew her nose, the sound echoing noisily off of the white walls. The dress that had made her feel like a princess a few short hours ago now hung loosely around her body like an old rag, like somebody’s cast- off—

which, of course, it was. Casey sighed, wondering how she was ever going to find the courage to leave the bathroom or face Madison ever again. And speaking of Madison, Casey was beginning to wonder if her whole life in Manhattan—assuming she even still had one after tonight—was going to consist of scooping up Madison’s hand- me- downs. Would she always be second best, and in second place?

Casey jumped at the sound of a soft knock on the door. The knob began to turn, and the door opened, revealing Drew’s tense, worried face.
Oh crap
, she thought, running her fingers under her eyes to try to reduce the racoonlike effect of her undoubtedly smeared mascara that probably made her look a hot mess.
Great. I’m in the bathroom crying, wearing his girlfriend’s
goddamn dress, and now he’s probably going to tell me that he’s getting back together with her
. She wondered just how much more humiliation she was going to have to endure this eve ning before she could sneak back to The Bram in shame and consume an entire pint of Haägen- Dazs chocolate- chocolate chip while watching bad reality TV until she passed out. Drew closed the 2 3 4

T H E E L I T E

door behind him with a sharp click, turning the lock. He walked over and sat down beside her on the side of the tub.

“Hey,” he said, looking over at her. “I’m really sorry for what went down out there. Is your knee okay?”

“Yeah,” she said quietly, wondering if it was completely obvious that she’d been bawling like an infant less than five minutes ago. Probably. “I’m okay. Its not your fault, anyway.”

“Yeah, actually it kind of
is
,” Drew said forcefully, and Casey turned to face him, completely confused. Drew exhaled heavily, turning and taking her hand in his.
Oh my God
, Casey thought, her heart beating crazily in her chest,
Drew Van Allen
is holding my hand!
The sensation of his skin on hers was so warm and heady that she could barely concentrate on what he was saying.
Don’t blow it this time
, her inner dating Nazi said coolly.
He probably just feels sorry for you.

“I didn’t know what I wanted for a while,” Drew said quietly, running his fingers over hers with a light, delicate touch that made her want to jump out of her skin with excitement.

Or hurl herself onto the white Flokati rug strewn across the tile floor at their feet and declare her undying love—either or.

“What about now?” Casey couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of her mouth. Was she insane? Why was she in a hurry for him to tell her what she already knew—that he’d always been in love with Madison, that he still loved her.

“I know what I want now,” Drew said, sinking to his knees on the white rug. “And it’s you.” Drew reached up, wiping away the tearstains from her face, and Casey threw her hands up in the air, blocking his touch.

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J E N N I F E R B A N A S H

“Why would you want
me
?” she asked. “I’m a total mess.”

What are you
doing
?
her inner dating Nazi shrieked.
Are you
trying to get rid of him?
Drew smiled, pushing her hands down and holding on to both of them with his own as he gazed up into her face, his lips turning up at the corners as he tried not to laugh.

“Then we’re perfect for each other,” Drew said, looking into her eyes. “I’m a mess, too. Besides,” he added with a wink,

“I think you’re completely beautiful.” He let go of her hands and gestured at her dress. “You could wear a paper
bag
and you’d still be beautiful.” At those words, Casey’s heart leapt in her chest, the word
beautiful
still ringing in her ears, and when Drew pulled her down off of the tub and into his arms, she wondered if her heart might actually stop altogether.
If I died
right now,
Casey thought, closing her eyes,
it would be just fine
with me.

Drew leaned in, his lips grazing hers before they touched completely, his mouth opening under her own, electricity racing through her. The memory of every other boy she’d ever crushed on vanished in that one moment, until there was only Drew—his kisses both magical and perfect. The last time she’d made out with a guy was at a stupid kegger back home, where everyone was nostalgic for sixth grade. The night had deterio-rated into rounds of Spin the Bottle, and an extended version of Seven Minutes in Heaven, where you macked on the cute guy of your choice for seven minutes in the nearest available closet. After a few lukewarm cups of beer, which made her feel slightly nauseous, she was pulled into a coat closet by Bobby 2 3 6

T H E E L I T E

McFarlane for some face time, and he stuck his tongue down her throat like he was mining for gold. It was decidedly unpleasant—not to mention wet. But if kissing Bobby was seven minutes in hell, kissing Drew was more like seven minutes in
ecstasy
. When Drew finally pulled back, breathing quickly and pushing her curls out of her face with his fingers, Casey felt totally dazed, like she was sleeping deeply in a dream—the most wonderful, yummy dream she’d ever experienced. And if it really was only a dream, then she didn’t ever want to wake up. Drew looked at her and smiled, his blue eyes shining, his dimple winking ecstatically.

“How about that tour of the city I promised you?” He took her hand in his own as he pulled her up, helping her off the floor. “Sometime this weekend, maybe?”

Casey stood up, nodding happily. Her butt was totally sore, her legs asleep, and there was a pack of vultures dressed head to toe in designer labels right outside the bathroom door.

But despite all that, she was the happiest she’d ever been. She hadn’t blown it after all—at least not with
Drew.
But she couldn’t think about Madison now—not when Drew was staring into her eyes with that adorkably kissable expression on his chiseled, gorgeous face. So she moved closer and did just that, twining her arms around his neck until Madison, Meadowlark, and the rest of the world fell away as he softly pulled her to him and leaned in for another kiss.

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