Welcome to Bridgeport Academy, an elite boarding school in New York where glamorous rich kids don't let rules get in the way of a good time.
[ Based on the It Girl series by Cecily Von Ziegesar ]
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The girls walked in a tight pack in the cool evening, bumping into each other as their delicate heels picked their way down the cobbled sidewalks of Rhinecliff. Robyn was about to slow down a bit and wait for Jasmine to come up beside her and sling her arm through hers, but just then her tiny satin clutch began to vibrate. She thought for a brief, wonderful second that maybe it was Chris calling, but then she recognized the number as Aubrey's. He was probably calling to check on her, make sure she wasn't too drunk, and while she didn't exactly want to hear it, she was drunk enough to crave a boy's voice.
"What's up, Aubrey?" Her tongue felt slightly heavy in her mouth.
"Nothing." Aubrey had a surprisingly deep phone voice, making him sound much older and more mysterious than he really was. "Just thought you might want to get coffee or something."
"We're on our way back from dinner. I don't know if I'm in the mood for coffee." Robyn glanced over at Jasmine and noticed that she was texting someone. Turning her head slightly, she could see that Teyana and Kekewere too. What the fuck? Everyone else's lives suddenly seemed so much more interesting and love-filled than hers. In a wave of self-pity, she wondered if hanging out with Aubrey might boost her completely smashed ego. "Well, maybe."
"I'm just leaving Berk." Berkman-Meier was the music center, an enormous complex of concrete slab buildings that housed a large lecture hall where Bridgeport's various music groups performed, music classrooms, and dozens of small soundproof rooms for individual practice. Aubrey's mother had been a violinist and he played to be close to her. She'd died when he was only four, and it was the first thing she'd taught him to do, even before reading. It was sexy that Aubrey was so good at something without even really trying. "Want me to meet you at the front gate?"
Aubrey was waiting for her at the gate when the pack of girls approached. Jasmine noticed him first and shot Robyn a pointed look. "Looks like your boyfriend is waiting for you."
"I can't help it if I have admirers." Robyn noticed Kae looking away uncomfortably. It pissed her off to have a younger girl pitying her, especially one who had become so friendly with Chris. At least Kae had assured them that nothing was going on there. Robyn was humiliated enough at being dumped, but being dumped because of someone else was ten times worse.
Alex winked at Robyn over her shoulder as the rest of them continued on toward campus, shooting Aubrey knowing looks and giggling as they passed.
"What was that all about?" Aubrey demanded. He was wearing a neatly ironed pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. Robyn was grateful he wasn't carrying his violin.
"They're just being stupid," Robyn replied a little crankily, feeling her buzz drain away. Then she noticed him staring at her. No matter how irritated she could get with Aubrey, she had to admit it felt nice to have someone look at her like that, as if he couldn't tear his eyes away.
"I just wanted to see how you were doing," he faltered, with a tender smile.
"Don't give me that fake sympathy. I know you're thrilled Chris dumped me." Robyn pulled her almost-empty pack of Newports—she'd been smoking like a fiend lately—from the pocket of her True Religion jean jacket that used to fit her perfectly but now felt loose and annoying.
