Playing Perfect

03. Pourri

03. Pourri

Rotten

"You have to convince your parents to have another party like that!" Emily squealed into Alice's ear, her blonde curls bouncing as she walked. "My parents just don't host them as good as yours."

Alice chuckled politely, her classic Travers smile stretching across her lips. "I'll do my best."

"Oh, yes!" Grace smiled, tugging on Emily's arm. "I'm so upset I missed this one, but my parents just wouldn't let me miss Aunt Ellen's birthday."

Alice turned to her with a laugh. Grace was a mousy girl with dark brown hair and a short, freckled nose. Her parents were not quite as well-connected as Alice's, or even Emily's, so she knew it was a rare occasion to attend a party like her parents' famous soirées.

Despite that, she was still the most popular kid in Year Nine. After all, how many other Year Nine students got to hang out with the seniors, much less the Alice Travers?

"There's always the next one," Alice said, and Grace's eyes lit up. She turned to Jason, a short yet muscular boy the year beneath Alice, and he nodded in agreement—as if he'd been to any of Alice's parents' parties, not that little Grace would know.

"You'd have to be invited first." Heather, another senior, rolled her eyes, flicking her brown waves over her shoulder as she spoke. Grace's eyes snapped to her, her smile slipping, and Alice quickly stepped in.

"Of course, you'd be invited, Grace," she said, not bothering to acknowledge Heather's presence. She was just bitter after missing the party too. It wasn't Grace's fault that Heather was caught smoking on her balcony and grounded for a month.

Grace's lips twitched in a ghost of a smile and Alice continued walking, listening as Emily took control of the conversation.

They'd been friends for years now, their little group getting bigger and bigger as Emily made new friends, always the ready socialiser.

Sometimes she wondered what Emily had in common with all of them—an uptight senior, a shy ninth grader, a junior athlete—but they all seemed to get along well enough. Alice had been too busy to meet new people herself, but she had to admit it was nice having people around to make her laugh.

Most of her friends had been decided for her when she was still in nappies. It was inevitable that she'd lose touch with at least one of them.

Cauley. She didn't want to think about him, but listening to her friends chatter around her, she couldn't help but remember Finn's words.

You really think they're your friends, Travers?

She shook her head, trying to ignore the queasy feeling in her gut. He was only trying to rile her up, get a reaction out of her. It was what he was good at. His favourite form of entertainment.

She had to ignore him. She had to push his words from her mind and stop letting it get to her.

And then there was that second problem—he'd seen her dishevelled, crying, eyes blood shot and hair out of place. A part of her wanted to believe he wouldn't tell anyone about it, but that was what he was good at, wasn't it? Spreading rumours.

"Alice?"

"Huh?" Alice's eyes widened as she snapped out of her thoughts. Emily was staring at her with a furrowed brow.

"I was asking why Cauley showed up that night."

Alice blinked at the mention of Cauley, and she felt her smile waver. "I don't know. I suppose his parents made him."