Macey

Saturday, March 1

5: 41 PM

Preston, I decided, was a rat bastard I was better off without. My friends agreed wholeheartedly with this statement and had taken it upon themselves to make sure it stuck. Liz had woken my up at 2 AM by whispering "Preston is a rat bastard!" in my ear, "Because," she claimed "I read somewhere that what you hear in your sleep becomes long term memory faster then what you hear when you are awake."

Which really explained why she had audio textbooks playing when she went to sleep. I was really glad that come September, she was going to be living with Jonas, and not with me.

At least, that's what I tried to make myself believe. I wondered if Liz would whisper that in my ear; maybe it would stick more then the whole we-hate-Preston thing. Honestly, I didn't know what I was going to do without Liz, or any of my friends, after graduation; Liz was marrying Jonas and they were both going to MIT in the fall, Bex and Cammie were becoming agents. But me? I was attending a school in DC and nothing else. I supposed my parents would expect me to get back in the political arena with my father.

I supposed I would too.

I glanced back at my homework, and slammed my textbook shut. Liz jumped and knocked the towering stack of her own books over, burying her completely. "Whoopsie daisy!"

'Liz!" I gasped, leaping off my bed to help dig her out of her homework. Her head emerged from a pile of books, eyes blinking at me owlishly.

I began to crack up, only Liz could literally bury herself alive with homework. Liz began to laugh too, until we were both rolling on the floor together laughing until our sides ached.

"The hell is going on in here?" Bex demanded, poking her head around the bathroom door. "Oh, Liz fell. I'm hungry, you guys want to get food with me?"

"We just ate thirty minutes ago," I pointed out, even as I snagged a pair of shoes, when Bex wanted food, she got food.

"I'm a growing girl," Bex explained, patting her flat stomach.

I snorted at that ridiculous notion as Liz asked if Cammie was coming. "No," Bex replied to Liz and ignored me, "She's talking to Zach." The three of us rolled our eyes in unison, we weren't seeing Cam for hours.

The two of them made as if to leave the room until I politely cleared my throat, they turned around in confusion. I gestured to their clothing, "you aren't really going to go outside the rooms dressed like that are you?" they both glanced down in confusion. I was the only one wearing actual clothes in an Asian silk dress that fell strapless to my feet. Say what you would about my mother, she always did buy the best gifts when she left me to go on vacation.

Liz anxiously fingered her long red skirt, "What's wrong with this?"

"Liz, Darling, the skirt is fabulous, but that ugly yellow shirt is making me gag." I reached into her closet and threw her a short white strapless dress dotted with flowers. "Put this on."

"I'm not changing," Bex said, and I winced, because even though they looked good on her, sweatpants were still sweatpants.

The three of us trooped downstairs to the kitchens where Bex charmed the cook in French to give her a fresh baguette and strawberries and soft cheese. It was incredible how good she was at getting exactly what she wanted, poor Grant never stood a chance. Even in sweatpants.

I snagged a bag of carrots on the way out when Bex was distracting the cook. He would never let me take them had he seen.

Liz and I followed behind her. "Preston is a loser!" she whispered in my ear as we climbed the stairs. I shoved her playfully, even though thinking about him ruined the good mood my friends had put me in.

Bex stopped abruptly at the top of the stairwell, causing Liz to careen into her with a loud "Whoopsie Daisy!"

"Grant?" Bex gasped, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Grant?" Liz questioned me in a whisper, peering around Bex's frozen body. "Jonas!" she cried happily, bouncing over the food Bex had dropped and into her fiancés arms.

"Liz!" he breathed, spinning her around in such happiness it made me ache all over again for Preston. Douchebag. I thought at him viciously in retaliation for taking over my mind after abandoning me to his bitch mother for a girl she swore he loved. I wouldn't know if that was true, he never came back to the party.

I had waited there until everyone had left, sitting in an empty ballroom all night in tears. Not one of my best moments.

My phone, deep in my pocket began to buzz, I glanced at the caller ID and then back at my friends. Liz and Jonas were talking and intermittedly kissing, I quickly averted my eyes.

It was much more interesting to watch Bex and Grant, who were circling each other like they didn't know whether to make out or attack. I wished I had more time to watch their fledgling relationship take form.

My phone stopped buzzing, an icon popped up telling me I had a message.

I glanced around the entry hall again, knowing I would have to wait till later to find out why the boys were here.

No one noticed me leaving the room.

I climbed a dozen more staircases before I found myself in one of the secret passages Cammie was so fond of disappearing into. She had showed us this one years ago because its round window was the perfect size to curl up in and read a good book. Or listen to a message.

I hated that my hand was shaking as I pressed the button, I looked outside, enjoying the stars that were beginning to emerge. A tinny version of Preston's voice began speaking to me over the crappy speakers.

"Macey, where are you? I've looked all over DC, did you go home early? Why didn't you tell me? Why haven't I heard from you? I'm getting worried, call me back. I lov-"

I snapped the phone closed before he could finish that particular thought. He really was clueless, he had no idea how angry and more than that, how hurt I was by his actions. What was it about me that made everyone take me for granted all the time?

Maybe he had a good reason for what he did, Reasonable Macey tried to point out. Too bad I wanted to punch Reasonable Macey in the fucking throat.

Just this once I wanted someone to put me first and come after me. I was done trying to be the perfect daughter and girlfriend. What was so wrong about me my publicist and family made me pretend to be someone entirely different?