Mimah stood on top of the very last toilet in Tudor House’s second-floor bathroom, puffing on a cigarette and blowing smoke toward the air vent in the ceiling. There was a window on the other side of the stall door, out of which she was keeping watch. Streams of girls were flowing up to Quad and the dining hall to get their sustenance before another soporific Chapel address from Mrs. Traphorn. It was first thing Monday morning and the breakfast crush was on.
Hearing footsteps in the hallway, Mimah crouched on the toilet seat and frantically waved her hand to disperse the smoke. Getting nabbed might mean suspension, considering her previous offenses. But whoever it was passed by. Irritatedly, Mimah brushed her straight black fringe out of her eyes and stood up again. She should have been smoking in her room instead of balancing up here like an asshole. Her windows looked out onto the orchard, meaning it would have been easy to sneak a cig without being caught. The only thing stopping her was her roommate: Gabby fucking Bunter. Gabby was convinced she had asthma, and the last time Mimah had tried to light up in their room, she’d put on such an Oscar-worthy show of wheezing and gasping that Mimah had been afraid Sharko might hear. She’d decided not to risk it again.
Finally, down on the Great Lawn, a familiar figure appeared. It was Alice Rochester, swaying down the path in that imperious way of hers. Perfect. Mimah dropped her cig in the toilet, listened to its tiny sizzle, then watched as the water sucked it down.
“Sonia babe, you look fantastic,” Alice cried over in the dining hall, grabbing a tray from the stack and pushing past a group of freshman students to get to her friend. She and Tally had arrived back from Paris late last night, creeping into Tudor long after lights out, and hadn’t seen anyone yet.
“Thanks. Dr. Essex is a genius.” Sonia stroked her newly liberated nose. “He made sure there weren’t any bumps or scars. I trust him completely. If I ever get my boobs done, I’m definitely going to him.”
“Why just your boobs?” Alice sniffed, shoveling scrambled eggs and sausages onto her plate. “Why not get a total body makeover? By the time you’re twenty you could look like a waxwork.”
“I see nothing wrong with a bit of surgical enhancement,” Sonia said. “Everyone in Hollywood gets stuff tweaked all the time. It’s the key to success.”
“For actresses,” Alice said. “Not directors. Directors need to have talent. Think Dr. Essex can help with that?” She slid her tray along to the end and fished out a knife and fork from the racks.
“Wait, sweetie.” Sonia stopped her, as always ignoring Alice’s barb. “That one has food crusted on it. See? Let me get you another.”
She picked out a second, shiny utensil and checked it for dirt, hoping Alice was as thrilled to see her as Sonia was that Alice was finally back. It had been a dull, dull weekend at St. Cecilia’s without her.
Alice popped up two pieces of toast and added them to her pile of food.
“How can you eat that crap after gorging on foie gras and salade niçoise all weekend?” Sonia asked. Her tone may have been scornful, but her expression was envious. Alice shrugged. Sonia had always hated her for being able to scoff whatever she wanted without putting on weight. Sonia was obsessed with dieting “to maintain my waistline” as she put it. She ate the same thing every day. Breakfast: non-fat yogurt with a fistful of berries. Lunch: a pile of lettuce leaves, four cherry tomatoes, a spoonful of crumbled feta, and a tangle of grated carrots—or, as Tally had dubbed them, orange pubes.
“Right, tell us where we are with PTTR,” Alice said, setting her tray down next to Tally’s at their usual table, dead in the center of the hall.
“Here we go.” Sonia pulled a white file out of her tote and laid it on the table. “The rehearsals this weekend were smooth. Everyone came—except you two, of course—which is fine because you already know the routines and you’re obviously amazing dancers.” She smiled fawningly. “The Trap gave permission for a drinks reception for parents afterward. That means we can all get wasted without sneaking around. Oh, and we’re sold out of tickets already. Umm, yes?” she said, catching sight of someone behind Tally and Alice. “Can we help you?”
“Hi,” Mimah said.
Alice and Tally jerked their heads round.
“Mind if I sit?” Mimah eyed the empty spot next to Sonia.
“Whatever.” Sonia didn’t move her bag, so Mimah lifted it onto the table herself and took a seat.
All of a sudden, the cafeteria seemed to go quiet. Nearby, Flossy Norstrup-Fitzwilliam and Bella Scott stopped their conversation and stared.
“No way, are they actually friends again?” Flossy breathed.
“Shhh!” Bella Scott whipped out her phone.
“I was wondering,” Mimah said, looking at Sonia, “if you’ve worked out the final order for Pashminas to the Rescue.”
“Maybe I have. Maybe I haven’t.”
There was a silence.
“Okay…” Mimah rolled her eyes. “Mature. Would you mind sharing it with me?”
“That depends. Why do you want to know?”
Mimah glanced at Alice. Throw me a lifeline, her expression said.
“Just tell her, Sone,” Alice ordered.
Sonia’s jaw dropped.
“All I give a shit about is when my routine’s going on,” Mimah said. “The one I’m doing with Dylan. We both think we should perform it near the beginning. It’s fantastically original. It’ll give a kick-start to the show.”
Sonia raised her eyebrows. “Oh really. A kick-start? Well, I haven’t made my final decision yet but I’ll bear that in mind. Thanks for putting in the request,” she added coldly.
“No, thank you,” Mimah said, pushing back from the table. She strolled off slowly, straining to eavesdrop on Sonia’s reaction. The girl was so easy to manipulate that Mimah was certain her plan had worked—meaning that Stage One of her pashmina plot was in place.
Sure enough, Sonia snickered. “As if I’m going to let them go first,” she whispered loudly. “‘Ooh, our routine’s so impressive. The sun rises and sets out of our asses.’ Fuck that. I’m totally tacking them onto the end. Can you believe her nerve, Ali?”
But Alice had stopped listening. As she watched her ex-friend walk away, she noticed an unexpected bounce in her step. What was Mimah up to now?