I eyed her up and down and noted how her hands were in small fists, how her jaw was stiff, and how her shoulders were bunched together. A massive knot was going to form between them.

I spoke softly, "You're a bit pissed with them, huh?"

"What?" She looked taken aback.

"Nothing." I grabbed my fifth period book. "So no dinner tonight?"

"Oh no. I'm having a dinner and you're invited. You don't have to come; no offense will be taken if you don't. We all know you're probably tired." She lingered on my bruise. "But if you do, Adam will pick you up."

I grinned now. "He's not picking up Cassandra?"

Miranda grimaced. "Between you and me, I hope those two don't do more than their flirting. He doesn't care enough about her, and she deserves someone who's going to be there for her. Adam cares like that about you."

Oh no…

She laughed and waved at me. "Don't worry. I'm not going to play matchmaker. Everyone can tell that Sallaway did a number on you, but I do hope you'll come to dinner tonight."

"Can Becky come?"

Her eyes held mine steady. She didn't blink. "No."

So that's how it was going to be. I should've known.

Miranda looked over my shoulder and she chuckled to herself. "Look at that, I did you another favor."

Another one? I looked over and saw Jessica, Jill, Lydia, and Ashley at some lockers. All four of them stared at us with different emotions. Jessica was livid, as was Jill. Lydia was trying to fight off a smile at me and Ashley surprised me when she grinned.

Miranda added, "They wanted to confront you about why you wouldn't let them come on the trip, but now that I've deemed you one of my friends," she laid a hand on my shoulder. "They wouldn't dare." Her laugh was confident, it bordered on the verge of being cocky. "Welcome to the Elite, Samantha. I hope to see you at dinner tonight."

As she strolled down the hallway and linked elbows with Emily Connsway, the only female in their group who hadn't gone on the trip, Miranda stopped and lifted her head for a kiss from Peter Glasburg. He hadn't gone on the trip either. When both of them looked over and gave me a grin, I was jolted enough to jerk my hand up in a wave.

"What'd she want?"

I turned around. Becky was frowning at them with something else in her eyes. I narrowed mine, was she hurt that I had talked to her?

"She was giving me a heads up that Jessica and Jill wanted to confront me about the trip."

Becky's eyes narrowed and I knew there was suspicion in them, but then she yawned suddenly and her shoulders sagged down. "I'm so tired. I can't handle any more fights."

"You can't?" I touched the side of my face. It was still tender and the pain started to throb again. "I don't remember you helping out from your version of the story."

She grinned and linked her hands together in front of her. It was a self-conscious movement. "I would've, but you were so funny to watch. And you kept telling you could handle it. You were taunting her, actually."

"Was I?" An old comfort settled between my shoulders. That sounded like something I'd do. "Did it piss her off?"

"Oh yeah. She started to swing at you more and more. She got sloppier after that and you kept dodging her, then you'd give her an uppercut from nowhere."

I gave her a sloppy grin. That had made me happy. "Want to go for burgers tonight? I think I need some protein."

"Can we do pizza instead? There's an air hockey table at Gino's." As we passed a group of football players, she looked up, but quickly looked back down.

Adam was in the center of the group. He leaned against the lockers with his feet crossed beneath him. Cassandra Sullivan was pressed against him, as close as she could be without his arm around her. She had a hand splayed over his chest and was smiling up at him. When he met my gaze, his grew cold and he straightened.

A few of the guys looked over and said hello to me.

My feet tripped over themselves, but I stumbled down the hallway with a frown. When did football players say hello to me? Even when I had dated Jeff, and some of them were his friends, they'd never spoken to me.

Then I looked up as Becky and I were about to head into the classroom. Miranda met my gaze down the hallway. Her eyes seemed to be laughing at me, but I had an odd sense that she knew exactly what happened and she knew why it happened. Then she pretended to tip an imaginary hat to me.

Was that her first favor?

'Welcome to the Elite, Samantha.'

Her words came back to haunt me. Had I joined their ranks without realizing it? And if I had, what did that mean?

And then something else happened that took my breath away.

Jessica and Jill sat at a table behind Becky and me. I was tense, ready for whatever they were going to say to me, but they each gave me a bright smile. "Hi, Sam! How was the party?"

My mouth dropped.

Hell froze over.

Becky's head dropped to her lap and she couldn't silence her giggles. Her shoulders shook.

"What?" I said to them.

Jill's smile widened and Jessica's stayed, but the ends of her mouth seemed strained. Lydia plopped between them and clasped my hands. She nearly smacked her forehead against mine. "I didn't know you were friends with Miranda Stewart! That's awesome, Sam. Why didn't you tell me?"

The teacher started roll call, but I couldn't shake a chill when I turned back around. That had been the favor Miranda had referenced. She cast me as her friend, no one would touch me now…except the Academy Elite.

I clasped my eyes shut.

I didn't want to deal with them. They were on a whole other league.

The rest of the day followed the same pattern. Amelia White asked me to sit with her in sixth period. She offered her notes from the morning classes I missed and Emily Connsway saved a seat beside her in our last period. Mark Decraw gave me a few wary looks, but he extended his fingers in a wave once. And then Miranda passed me in the hallway after school. She called out, "See you later, Samantha!" before she bent her head and laughed at something Emily said to her.

I shook my head as I pulled out the two books I would need for homework and turned around. I bumped back against my locker when I saw Jeff behind me. His dark hair was gelled up in a haphazard nest and his eyes were fierce. He frowned at me. "What are you doing?"