The Original Crowd (A Whole New Crowd 0.50)

“You may go, Miss Matthews, but if I find you sitting across from me again, you won’t like the ramifications. You can quote me on that one, Miss Matthews.”

Mandy was waiting for me in the hallway and pounced on me as I walked by. “What did you do?!” she hissed.

“It won’t happen again, okay?”

Mandy latched onto my arm and pulled me into the bathroom. Checking it, making sure it was empty, she asked, “Are you doing this on purpose?”

“What are you talking about?” I gingerly retracted her hand from my arm.

“All of this. For like attention or something? Are you doing it on purpose? You know, taking attention away from me and Devon?”

“This last incident? No.”

“What about you and Tray on Tuesday?”

“No.”

“Oh.” She was appeased, slightly, but I saw the wheels turning in her head. She’d put two and two together eventually. I hadn’t actually answered her question, but it was an evade that I was quite proud of. And she knew it wasn’t out of my character to do something.

“Has Jasmine left you alone?” I asked softly, stepping closer as a few girls trailed inside.

“Yeah, but Carter said you threatened her.”

“Oh God. Carter again.” I moaned, moving to leave.

Mandy followed me. “Are you really coming to the party?”

“I thought Justin Travers was having a party? Why aren’t you going to his?”

“Because Jasmine and Devon will be there.”

“So your crowd is just going to split, huh?” I noted, walking to my locker as more student filed out of their classes. The bell had rung when I was in the principal’s office and I hadn’t even noticed. I didn’t even think I’d been gone that long.

Mandy trailed behind me. “Well…I guess. Until me and Devon are okay, I guess. Jasmine and I will—breathe each other’s air if we have to, eventually. Jasmine and Amber had to do it after the whole fiasco over Tray.”

“What fiasco?”

“He dumped Jasmine for Amber. Or…well…I think he just dumped Jasmine and Amber happened to be there, you know.”

“So who else is going to be at this party?”

“Pretty much everyone else. A lot will go to Justin’s party because Carter’s is more exclusive, you know. A lot of people will want to go to Carter’s and they’ll probably crash, but the only people who I know won’t come are Jas and Dev.”

“If they do, then what?”

She shrugged. “Then Carter’ll kick ‘em out.”

I shook my head.

“What?”

“You. You’re so sneaky, I almost have to give you credit for it.”

“What are you talking about?” Mandy asked, her eyes wide in an attempt to look innocent.

“I threatened Jasmine and now Carter’s making sure they don’t come to his party. Your back is covered no matter where you go. How’d you work that out?”

She grinned and bumped me with her hip. “Got myself a cool adopted sister, that’s what.”