MORTALS

/13: Mean Girls

Asher walked me over to the kitchen area. He grabbed two plastic cups off the counter and opened a party bottle of Pepsi.

"You want some?" He asked, handing me the cup. I nodded.

We took a seat at the island and started chatting.

"Asher Colton. What's your name?"

"Everly Bell. So, what Coterie are you from?"

"Viper." Asher answered, taking a sip. "And you?"

"Gryffin."

"So, I take it you didn't get the formal invitation like the rest of us did?"

I shrugged. "Yeah, I was kidnapped off the rooftops of my neighbourhood." I paused and looked at him skeptically. "How'd you know?"

"I don't know, you just seem uncertain about all this."

"Yeah, I guess." I took another sip before I spoke up. "So, who're you hanging out with?"

"So far? Mostly just the people in my Coterie. About ten minutes ago I met some of the other guys. August Champson, Jasper Ogden, Ivan Hale, Daniel Allard. All pretty cool guys."

I raised an eyebrow. "You see Daniel Allard as cool?" I smirked.

Asher smiled. "What, you know him?"

"Only for a year longer than the rest of you have. I went to school with him."

Asher chuckled. "So, you guys must, like, hate each others' guts, then?"

"Yeah, sometimes." I said, looking at where he and Leo were hanging out. "But now, I'm starting to see him and Leo as... brothers, I guess? I don't know."

More silence.

"So, how'd you meet the Mean Girls?" Asher asked.

"Sorry?"

"The Mean Girls." Asher gestured to where Addy was sitting.

"Who, Addy?" I asked. "She's my roommate and my best friend."

"No, the other girls." Asher said. "You know, Paisley, Jenna, and Quinn."

Oh. So she's spoken to Asher before.

"Um, Addy met them and asked me to hang out with them." I responded evenly, trying to keep the contempt out of my voice.

"And you enjoy their company?" Asher probed.

I shrugged. "They're... okay?"

"Are you sure? 'Cause they really aren't."

"You don't like them?" I asked in surprise.

Asher laughed. "No way. Quinn? She's the worst. She sat next to me at orientation and the girl would not stop touching my hair."

A giggle slipped my lips and I smiled.

"Okay, they're awful." I admitted. "In fact, they're nauseatingly obnoxious. My head started pounding after two minutes of hearing Paisley talk."

"Yeah." Asher nodded. "But come on, Quinn's the worst. She's such a fake."

"I know, right?" I laughed, taking another sip. I felt... relaxed. Like I could be myself.

"So, how do you know the, uh... Mean Girls?" I asked, grinning.

"Well, you remember when Clauden said there were four to six member in each Coterie?"

I looked at Asher, my mouth gaping. "No way!"