Elite & Tawdry ✔ [COMPLETE]

Chapter 42

Under the careful tutelage of Audrey, Tawny began to learn the ropes for life as a Dylantante.

It involved a lot of walking back and forth, and an exceptional amount of waiting.

When it came to Dylan Westinghouse. waiting around was the name of the game.

In the meantime, when all the morning daily tasks at Dylantante headquarters, the girls were shipped back into commuter vans and hauled to the Ivoree Gates campus.

It wasn't even 10 AM and already Tawny felt exhausted with moving to and fro and preparing everything for the day.

But Dylan was a late sleeper and needed time to wake up in the morning. On some days, the spoiled rich boy heir didn't stumble out of bed until close to noon.

But on this particular morning, Dylan was feeling downright punctual, perhaps due to the novelty of a shiny new semester.

A group of Dylantantes stood in two single-file lines in a deserted hall in the southwest corner of the school. Tawny and Audrey were among them, standing side by side.

"So, we do this EVERY morning?" Tawny whispered.

"Most mornings," explained Audrey. "At least if you're part of the Dylan entourage team for that week. He insists on having this grand entrance every time he walks down the hall. Kinda like Prince Akeem from Coming to America."

"Coming to America...?" Tawny repeated.

Audrey looked at Tawny, aghast. "You've never seen it?! Girl, remind me to give you an education. It's only the greatest comedy film of our generation."

Tawny braced herself for Audrey to regale her with the plot of the 30-year-old movie...

But she was saved by the bell - or rather by the boy - when a sunglasses-wearing Dylan emerged from the side door entrance and walked through the dual line of Dylantantes without so much as a "Good Morning".

He definitely didn't bother to glance Tawny's way. She swallowed down the lump in her throat. Why should he? As far as he was concerned, she was literally the help at this point.

Audrey nudged Tawny out of her thoughts. "Time to fall in line," she whispered.

Tawny turned and followed behind the rest of the Dylantantes. The two lines merged into one long line which trailed behind Dylan silently as he walked.

"Don't worry," whispered Audrey. "This next part gets easier as you do it."

Tawny was confused by Audrey's comment.

Until she turned the corner. Then she understood.

They were now in the main hallway, which was a bustle of activity from all the students chattering and retrieving their books from their lockers.

Tawny was horrified. It was bad enough that she had to debase herself to the whims and fancies of Dylan.

She had totally forgot that her humiliation would play out in front of the entire rich student body.

She kept her eyes downcast to the floor as she walked, and not merely as a demure gesture.

To her relief, most of the students didn't really react to the army of Dylantantes; they were so used to it at this point it seemed like a normal part of their day.

But then she heard Grady's voice over top the ambient din of student chatter. "Here come the new recruits!" Grady taunted. "New semester, fresh meat!"

Tawny felt her cheeks grow hot. Still, it wasn't as awful as she thought...

That is, until she heard a new voice ring out over the crowd.

"Oh. My. God."

Tawny dared to look up and then immediately wished she hadn't.

Standing at the lockers directly in her line of vision, Tawny spotted the Evil 3. Elaine, Violet, and a brand-new member to take the place of the disgraced Elizabeth. This girl had wavy black hair and wore glasses, from under which she looked at Tawny with haughty, contemptuous disdain. Almost as if they'd met before.

"My, how the not-so-mighty have fallen to the dregs," quipped the bespectacled girl.

"Good one, Prude," said Grady, sauntering over to the group and raising his hands in expectation for a high-five.

"Ew, as if," said Prudence rolling her eyes.

Now Tawny remembered her. Just last semester, Prudence (or Prude) was a Dylantante herself. She must have finally paid off her debt, just in time to fill the vacant spot in the Evil 3 lineup.

"Tawny?"

Tawny looked up one more time and her eyes locked with Maddie, who looked at her with a mix of confusion and hurt.

All other thoughts went out the window as she reluctantly walked past Maddie without so much of a word. When she cautioned one final glance, she saw that Maddie continued to stare at her, even as the other students were hastily making their way to first-period class.