The Dolls(54)

Indeed, I spot him grinding on a leggy blonde whose toga has ridden up almost to her crotch. A tall black girl with perfect features and close-cropped hair is pressed up against his back. “Well, he definitely looks appeased,” I say, and Peregrine laughs.

She leads me into a huge, sprawling bathroom. “Change in there,” she orders.

I slip inside and quickly shrug into the tiny swatch of fabric Peregrine has shoved into my hands. I’m unsurprised to see that it hits above mid-thigh, but at least I’m not flashing anyone. I tug it down uncomfortably and, clutching my own clothes in my hands, open the door.

“You look hot,” Peregrine says. She snatches my clothes and adds, “I’ll put these away. On second thought, perhaps I should burn them, since bootcut jeans are totally passé.”

“They’re comfortable,” I protest, but she just snorts. “Why are we wearing togas, anyhow?”

“Parties are so much more fun when they’re themed,” she says. “And since Chloe and I went through the whole Greek system at LSU and chose only the hottest people, we figured Hot Greek would be a great theme for our little soiree. Try to keep up.”

Back in the ballroom, Peregrine drifts away and I stand against the wall awkwardly until Chloe walks up wearing a toga even shorter than mine.

“Have you seen Justin?” she asks over the music. The dance floor is full of hot guys ogling Arelia and Margaux and casting looks at Chloe and me in the corner. I feel conspicuous, and I tug on the too-short hem of my toga again.

“No,” I say. “Isn’t he with you?”

She shakes her head. “He keeps disappearing with this group of frat guys,” she says miserably. “Do you think he’s doing drugs?”

“Doesn’t seem like the type,” I tell her.

“At least he’s not trying to get with the sorority girls,” she says.

“Yeah, I think Pascal seems to have the monopoly on that.” We look back to the dance floor, where Pascal’s gyrating sandwich seems to have grown. There’s a girl with long brown hair giving him a come-hither look and a girl with the biggest fake breasts I’ve ever seen jiggling pointedly in his direction. He looks delighted. “Is Caleb here?” I ask uneasily.

“Maybe he’s with Peregrine,” she suggests. My stomach swims.

Chloe snaps to attention as soon as Justin strolls in from the direction of the front hallway. “I have to go,” she says quickly. “Have fun.”

She’s already making a beeline across the dance floor before I can reply. I’m about to turn and go look for Caleb when I feel a hand brush against my arm. “What are you doing standing over here all alone?” says a male voice in my ear.

I turn to see a blond guy with brown eyes and glasses smiling at me.

“Just hanging out,” I tell him.

“Well, you want to just hang out with me?” he asks. He doesn’t wait for an answer before introducing himself. “Blake Montoire, Lambda Delta Epsilon.”

“I’m Eveny,” I reply.

“Which sorority are you in?”

“I’m not. I live here in Carrefour.”

“Wow, cool,” he says. “Pretty amazing town you’ve got. I’ve never seen houses this gorgeous. Built around the turn of the last century, right? Maybe 1904 or so?”

“How’d you know that?”

“I’m majoring in architecture. Although I have no desire to talk about school tonight. I’d rather talk about you.”

He looks down at me flirtatiously, and I can feel my cheeks heating up. I’m flattered by the attention, but there are fifty guys here and only a dozen girls; maybe he’s just run out of other options.

“I’m going to go get a drink,” I tell him.

His expression falters. “I’ll come with you. Protect you from all those other guys who’ll want to hit on you.”

“Thanks, but I’m good,” I tell him, already inching away. “I’ll be back in a little while.”

Instead of returning, I circulate around the party for the next hour, feeling a bit like a character from The Great Gatsby. Champagne’s flowing from a big fountain out back, people are getting drunker and wilder, and the dance floor heaves with more frat boys every few minutes. I would have thought that a bunch of partygoers in togas would look sort of dorky, but because Peregrine and Chloe only invited the hottest people, the backyard is filled with Adonis look-alikes. I’m scanning the party for a glimpse of Caleb when I spot Arelia and Blake disappearing upstairs together. So much for his interest in me.

By one in the morning, I’m ready to go. I find Peregrine to thank her for the party and ask where my clothes are, but she’s too busy making out with a tall, muscular guy with a tattoo of a tiger on his arm to say anything other than, “Just wear the toga home, for goodness’ sake, Eveny.”