The Good Girls

Chapter 7

WEDNESDAY NIGHT, JANE STOOD IN front of her bedroom mirror, holding up a brand-new dress patterned with splashy vibrant peonies. Her mother had presumably bought it that afternoon, and she'd laid it on her bed with a note that said, Wear me tonight! Jane wrinkled her nose. With Jane's wild, untamed black hair, it made her look half librarian, half Little House on the Prairie—in other words, totally not cool. Why couldn't she just wear jeans? Was the Juilliard party that fancy?

But maybe it was. It was the official Juilliard welcome event for Auradon, after all. And she was excited about meeting some of her new classmates.

She was less excited about coming face-to-face with Lonnie.

Jane hadn't seen Lonnie all week. She'd been avoiding her at school, going down different hallways if she knew their paths would cross, opting for the library during lunch. She'd even considered ditching orchestra, but strangely, Lonnie hadn't been there at all. Normally it would have been a big deal, but practice was optional this week, since the orchestra was just learning a series of new pieces and not really rehearsing for anything in particular. Jane wondered if Lonnie was avoiding her, too.

And she'd been avoiding Carlos, as well—every time she saw him in the halls, she ducked into a classroom so they wouldn't have to see each other. As for that gummy-worm cupcake, she'd let the cat eat it, never telling her where it had come from. She'd watched numbly as the cat licked the icing off her finger, declining even the tiniest bite. And that card Carlos had given her? Jane had thrown it in the glove compartment of her car, along with expired insurance cards and a bunch of outdated road maps. She hoped she'd come upon it years later when she was cool and successful and Carlos really, really didn't matter.

She dropped the dress back to the bed, rolling her eyes. It probably didn't even fit. Maybe she should just stay home—she really wasn't up for this. But then she remembered the talk she and the other girls had had at Audrey's yesterday. They were off the hook for Jay's murder. It looked like they weren't suspects in Ben's case anymore, either. It was like she'd been given a whole new life, right? She might as well make the most of it.

And as for that talk about the list, the idea that someone else had overheard who they'd wanted dead and was acting on it? Well, that was crazy.
Okay, she decided—she was going. But she definitely wasn't wearing that peony dress. She walked over to the closet, pushed aside some hangers, and selected a dark teal bouclé-knit shift dress she'd bought in New York when they'd toured Juilliard last year. Her mother had objected—it was kind of short—but maybe that was a good thing. She picked out a pair of boots and a lot of beaded necklaces. Much better.

A few minutes later, she dabbed her lips with a bit of gloss, popped an orange Tic Tac in her mouth, and headed for the door. "Bye!" she called over her shoulder to her mother, who was sitting in the study, listening to a Wagner opera with her eyes closed.

Thirty minutes later, Jane handed her keys over to the valet outside a tiny Brazilian restaurant called Michaela in the downtown city. She took a deep breath and stepped inside. A bossa nova remix thumped through the speakers, and Edison bulbs in metal cages hung everywhere, shedding a flattering amber light on the scene. Bartenders were mixing up virgin mojitos behind the bar, and platters full of fried plantains and chicken-cheese coxinha were making the rounds. A long table outside the space held name stickers for all of the attendees. There, folded in half, was Jane's name. A thrill went through her as she picked it up. She'd done it—she was going to Juilliard. Her skin tingled with excitement and pride.

"Well, well, well. You came after all."

Jane blinked in the dim light and saw Lonnie's sneering, pixie-like face looming just inches away. She'd already pasted her sticker on her left boob: Hello, My Name Is Li Lonnie.