Free Moving in Reverse by Katy Atlas Page A

evaporate. “Ok,” he said, smiling. “Fall
break.”
    “ I’ll put it in my
calendar,” I met Blake’s eyes. “Wouldn’t be so bad to have a few
days to ourselves.” I kept my voice light and flirtatious, hoping
he’d catch my meaning.
    He pulled me back onto the bed,
covering my body with his and pressing down with a long, slow kiss.
“Figure out the dates,” he said, his voice hoarse in my ear. “And
I’ll buy the plane tickets tomorrow.”
    His lips moved down to my neck. I
closed my eyes, sinking deeper into the pillow. In a week or two,
I’d be in California. Alone. With Blake.
    It was all going to be
okay.
     

Chapter Twelve
     
    Halloween was warm for October, and
Darby and I walked out to the Kappa party together on Saturday
night, trying to ignore the appreciative whistles as we walked in
our costumes down the New York sidewalk.
    Blake, who was in a much better mood
after booking us two first class tickets to LAX in six days, had
even agreed to meet us out later in the night.
    “ Casey,” Jen, the Kappa
president who I’d hardly seen since the first day of Rush, ran up
to us as soon as we walked in. “Darby, awesome. We’re so glad to
have you guys,” she handed us two glasses of a pink drink that I
guessed was about seventy percent sugar, thirty percent alcohol. I
looked around the party and noticed that just about every girl had
pink-stained lips from the punch.
    “ We’re so excited,” Darby
said, matching Jen’s enthusiasm. “Oh my gosh, I love your costume.”
Her voice was about an octave higher than it normally was, nearly
breaking into a squeak.
    Jen was dressed as a sixties airline
stewardess in a skintight blue minidress and cropped jacket,
complete with a pillbox hat and her hair set into old Hollywood
curls. Darby was right — it was actually really cute.
    “ You guys look great,” Jen
said, her eyes darting over my Madonna costume with a slightly
surprised expression. “Very rock and roll, Casey — I like
it.”
    “ I figured everyone would
do Kate Middleton,” I explained, and sure enough, I saw a dozen
lace wedding dresses cruising the room.
    “ It’s going to be a fun
night,” a male voice said, and I turned to see Jeff standing behind
us. “Glad to see you guys found the punch okay,” he winked at Darby
and me.
    Jen glanced back and forth from Jeff
to me. “Casey, I think you already know Jeff...” she said, her head
tilted a bit to the side.
    “ Right,” I smiled at him,
and then glanced over to Darby to introduce her, but stopped short.
Darby was gritting her teeth, forcing a smile that anyone within a
half mile could tell was completely and totally fake. “Let’s, um,
go find the other pledges,” I took Darby’s hand and walked deeper
into the party, leaving Jeff and Jen by the entrance.
    “ You want to tell me
what’s wrong?” I whispered to Darby the second we were out of
earshot.
    Darby didn’t even look at me, her lips
set in a thin, deliberate line.
    “ Wait—” I stopped walking,
remembering the conversation we’d had after one of the first rush
parties. “Is Jeff the guy? The one you liked?”
    Her eyes flashed at me, angry and
hurt. “So what if he was? Not like it mattered to you.”
    I looked at her, trying to figure out
what she was talking about.
    “ Darby, I don’t know what
you’re—”
    She didn’t let me finish. Turning on a
dime, she disappeared into the party, her blonde hair flashing
behind her.
    I stood there for a minute, confused,
when suddenly I felt a hand on my back. I turned around, relieved,
hoping that Blake had finally made it to the party.
    “ Are you avoiding me?”
Jeff leaned down close to my ear to say it, and I involuntarily
took a step back.
    “ Did you—” I wasn’t sure
how to say it. Do you like my roommate? It sounded like something a
twelve year old might ask. I didn’t want to make Darby any angrier
with me than she already was, even if it seemed more or less
inexplicable.
    I sighed.
    “