Moby Clique by Cara Lockwood

have feelings for Ryan.
    “Oh, and another thing,” Parker adds. “I saw you and Heathcliff on the commons tonight. You seemed awfully cozy for a couple that isn’t supposed to exist. It would be a shame if Ms. P had to hear about it.” She pauses a delicious second and then adds, “Or Ryan.”
    My heart drops in my stomach. I’m not sure which is worse, the faculty sending Heathcliff off because he overstepped his bounds, or Ryan knowing that I’m making out with Heathcliff.
    “You’d better not,” I sputter before I can stop myself.
    Parker grins. She’s got something on me and she knows it.
    “So it’s Heathcliff you’re gagging for?” Parker’s lips curl into a slow, evil smile. “Or is it Ryan? Which boy are you going to tease with your virginity? I’m guessing neither one will be interested, once they realize you’re not giving it up.”
    “Shut up, Parker.” This goes even deeper than she knows, since I suspect Ryan broke up with me because he couldn’t handle the Virginity Thing.
    “Who’s going to make me?”
    “How about me, Barbie Doll?” We both look up to see Blade standing at the end of the hall. “I thought I smelled overpriced perfume,” she says, clomping toward us in her Doc Martens.
    Instinctively, the clones shrink back from Blade. She is a bit intimidating, what with the nose ring, the black-and-red spiky hair, and her heavy kohl eyeliner. Besides, Parker’s clones act like Goth might be contagious. As if letting Blade touch them would instantly turn their fingernails black.
    “Anyone want to see a dead rat?” Blade asks, holding up a paper bag. She pretends to toss it at one of the clones, who flinches. “You scared of rat blood? I caught it in the cafeteria. It was eating off our old plates.”
    The clones look a bit pale. Even Parker seems a tad grossed out.
    “It might have rabies, wouldn’t that be cool?” Blade asks, swinging the bag closer to the clones. They shrink back and one lets out a little girly squeal.
    “Whatever. I’m so done here,” Parker says, as if leaving was her idea. She turns and heads back to her own room. Her clones follow, as if on a string.
    “Thanks,” I tell Blade after they’ve gone. “I owe you one.” Blade just shrugs.
    “Bunch of Barbie Doll wimps,” she says, smiling.
    “Do you really have a rat in there?” I ask her.
    “Are you kidding? I wish,” Blade says, opening the bag for me to see. It’s full of red Gummi Worms.
    “My cousin from home sent a care package,” she explains. “She hid candy in hollowed-out books and shipped them off. I have tons of Sour Patch Kids, too, if you like them.”
    “Thanks,” I say. “Maybe later.”
    “Anytime, my LIT sister,” she says, patting me on the back.
    Just then, Hana comes out of the bathroom wearing her PJs, with her hair wet. She looks surprised to see us. I guess my confrontation with Parker didn’t carry over the shower.
    “You’re a little late for the action, missy,” Blade says.
    “What did I miss?” she asks, cocking her head to one side as she swipes her hair with a towel.
    “Just about everything,” I say.

Twelve
    “So who do you think those guys were last night?” Hana asks me, for the hundredth time as we settle in for morning assembly. Ever since I told her about the pirate kidnappers, she’s been peppering me with questions. I have the same questions, just no answers.
    “I really don’t know,” I say. “They looked like cast-aways. Some of them didn’t have shoes.”
    “Great, now we’ve got shoeless pirate ghosts,” Samir says, and sighs. “I swear, I’ve had it with this school. I’m going to transfer this year. I promise.”
    “We’ll believe it when we see it,” Hana says.
    “Ditto,” Blade agrees. “And you’re sure the kidnapped guy is the one from the bulletin board?”
    “Positive.”
    “But what would they want with a Bard student?”
    “I have no idea,” I say. I glance over a few rows and see Parker sitting