Free Pieces of Lies by Angela Richardson

about it by running away. In any sense, if I saw Clint tonight, I assured myself that I was going to ignore him, and look good doing it.
    This time I fastened my black hair up in a high sleek bun. Pinning my hair up always brought out my cheek bones and eyes. I emphasized my eyelashes with numerous coats of mascara and put on a dark cherry-red stain to my lips with some gloss.
    “You look stunning,” Josh complimented as he held the limo door open for me as I climbed in again. I shivered with the sense of déjàvu.
    “Thank you,” I smiled. This time I didn’t lean in towards Josh in the limo, but sat opposite him, discussing what was expected with the new test for the night. Since the conversation at this party was supposed to give you some kind of hint to solving a mystery, Josh explained that I would have to pay more attention to what was said by the senior members if I wanted to help. It sounded like an adult game of Clue , a concept which I loved. Maybe this would be fun after all.
    Arriving at the Weston mansion once again, I felt I was more prepared for the atmosphere and the people. As we walked in, Josh didn’t take my hand as we entered the ballroom. Instead he held out his arm, allowing me to link with his. It felt formal, as if he was officially introducing me to the club as a friend rather than a ‘virgin conquest’. This time I felt I could really be a part of Josh’s new world and would not allow it to become any kind of wedge in our friendship.
    The ballroom was set up similar to the previous party but this time the servants wore brightly colored vests as they carried the trays with hors d’oeuvres and champagne. They looked paint-stained and very festive. I wasn’t sure if this was part of the whole theme of the evening, but it was fun to look at nonetheless.
    The room went from whispers to being hushed as the new recruits were broken into four teams spread out around the ballroom. They were told that each group had to figure out a clue word amongst the conversation with the senior members. Josh and I were with two other couples who I was introduced to as Beth and Easton, Justine and Marcus, as well as some older members of the society, Denis, Robert and Glen.
    We sipped champagne and the conversation flowed, mainly about politics from the older members. Trying to figure out a ‘key’ word was going to be a lot harder than I thought. 
    I scanned the room to see if I could spot Clint anywhere. He was standing with the fourth group near a corridor. He was already staring at me when our eyes found each other from across the room. I didn’t want him to see that I was searching for him, so I instantly turned back around when I realized he was looking for me too. I really wanted to walk over to him and ask him why he ran off after our gun range date and two of the most intensely filled kisses I ever had in my life, but then, I got distracted by the names of the three politicians that Denis was boring the group with.
    “Wait a minute, I know those names. They went to jail for ballot fixing, money laundering and tax evasion.” Denis raised his eyebrows and glanced over to Robert and Glen, who seemed impressed at my knowledge of all three criminals.
    “That’s right, I’ve seen their stories in the news,” Easton backed me up, “but that doesn’t mean anything. They all went to jail for different reasons.” There was silence again in the group as our minds worked furiously trying to decipher the hidden meaning.
    “Oh, I know how those names correspond.  They are all getting out on parole next week,” I announced and everyone stilled and stared at me with the most curious glances. I guess they were wondering how I could possibly know that kind of information, given I was merely an art student and a guest for the evening. It was no one’s business that I followed nearly all the criminal cases in the media. I had my reasons . Josh was the only person who didn’t look surprised and just patted