Paradise Lost (Private 9)

"Yeah, I kind of do," I said, raising my voice so she could hear me over the water. I stepped out of my bathing suit and slung it over the door, then added my towel and T-shirt dress cover-up so they'd be out of reach of the shower's spray. "Is that pathetic?"

"Why would it be pathetic?" she asked.

I turned on the water and leapt back as the cold jets hit my bare skin. Huddling against the far wall, I waited until I felt the stream start to warm up on my feet, and then inched my way in.

"Because you all like him, and he's such a major flirt," I replied. I lathered up my hair with shampoo, and then left it piled atop my head as I started to wash my skin. "Besides, he clearly has something going with Poppy."

"I wouldn't take the Poppy thing too seriously. When it comes to guys, she has the attention span of a gnat. And as for everyone else, they're just playing the game. Which, by the way, you are clearly winning," Tiffany said.

I blushed happily. "You think?"

"It's so obvious." The pipes squealed as she turned off the water. "I say, if you really like him, go for it."

"Are you done already?" I asked, surprised.

Tiffany laughed. "I am the queen of the thirty-second shower. Something I learned from traveling with my dad--you can never count on a foreign water heater," she joked. I could hear her moving around,

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getting dried off and dressed. "I'm gonna grab a snack. Want to meet at the restaurant? " Sure.

Her door creaked open and slammed, and I dove under the still-warm water, quickly rinsing my hair. I finished cleaning up and rinsing off and felt as if I'd actually accomplished something. Beaten the hot-water clock. And learned my first lesson of international travel. Smiling, I turned around to grab my towel.

My hand caught air. I blinked, my eyes adjusting to the relative darkness. There was nothing hanging on the door. No towel. No clothes. No bathing suit. Nothing.

"What-"

I heard a giggle and my heart dropped.

"Who's out there?" I asked.

More snickering. It had to be Paige, Amberly, and Sienna. Noelle, Kiran, and Taylor weren't about to steal my clothes. In fact, the immaturity of the stunt had Amberly Carmichael written all over it.

"Very funny, you guys. You just won the award for cleverest fifth-grade prank. Can I have my stuff back now?" I asked as the last of my shower water gurgled down the drain.

"You wish," Amberly replied, giggling.

"You are so going to wish you hadn't done this," I said through my teeth.

"Feeling kind of cocky for someone who's standing there in her birthday suit, Reed," Paige teased.

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"And a piece of friendly advice," Poppy added, her voice firm. "Back off Upton."

"Poppy?" I said, surprised. "Where the hell did you come from?"

"I live here, remember?" she replied. "Wow. You blokes weren't kidding. She really is a stupid cow."

They all laughed and my face burned. I narrowed my eyes.

"We haven't officially met," I said loudly, talking over their giggles. "I'm Reed Brennan. Do you always treat the guests at your parents' hotel this way?"

"Only the daft ones," she replied. "Just because I've been playing nice up till now doesn't mean I haven't noticed what's been going on."

No. It just means that you're totally two-faced, putting up a good carefree, sweetie-pie show for your friends, when you're actually a complete bitch.

"Last time I checked, you and Upton were just friends," I said. "Wanting him to be your boyfriend doesn't make it true."