First Day (01)

I understand why Belle doesn't remember me - she was introduced to me and Leo, who was at the party before heading off to college, at the same time. And she was clearly more interested in Leo than me. Pretty sure she didn't even really see me.

"Hey," I tell her. Then, acting like I'm just remembering it, I add, "Oh, I think I saw you at that party, right? The last one of the summer?"

I give Hannah a smile. "Well, I'm glad you're here too. At least it means you get a break." I wink at her like her whole...arrangement is some lighthearted thing to joke about. What else is there to do, really?

I try not to look too annoyed or surprised about the party tonight, but I wonder why I didn't know about it before.

I nod calmly. "Yeah. I mean, I was going to show up for a little while, but like you said, it's a school night, so I can't really let loose like I could on the weekend." I touch my tongue to the roof of my mouth, still processing this, then ask, "Are you going solo, or...with a date?" I don't know how much Belle knows about Hannah, so I try not to give her away.

I return Hannah's forced smile with a brief sympathetic one of my own. So if Dionysus is throwing the party, with Menoetius on the guest list, I'm guessing it's not somewhere Belle should be too. Or Izzy, even though the thought had crossed my mind. How much would she lose her mind if I invited her to something the same day she asked about it. But no, I know how crazy god-parties can get.

"I'm pretty sure they've maxed the guest list," I tell Belle. "But I can ask." I see if I can get her number so I can disappoint her later when I don't have to watch her face while I do it.

Belle does the "give me your number and I'll text you" trick, so now she has yours. You notice Melony has a little cadre of people and they're... paying attention to her? Yes, she seems to be a bit of a queen bee. Who among them do you recognize?

It looks like among the people listening to her, Melony somehow got Alice Olivia, Gabriel Corrin, and, by some miracle, the attention of Skylar Pascoe too? I don't know what that's about. He looks way too cool to be at all interested in anything remotely related to Melony Printsy.

I point to them with my chin. "That's new, right? What's that about?"

I look over at the group skeptically. "Did you hear what kind of dirt?" I find myself wondering if I need to send Melony back to the hospital again, which really isn't fair. She hasn't done anything to me since that day, but I just don't like the way she's got...followers. But she's only got them because she's apparently blackmailing them, so it doesn't really count, right?

I can only assume Melony saw Gabe with Melphomene. I'm tempted to ask Belle if she knows anything else - like what Melony is getting out of this arrangement, apart from attention at lunch - but I don't want to look too desperate myself.

"Hm," I answer her mildly before pulling out my phone and texting Knox:
Party at the club tonight??

It's part confirming, part asking if I should go, part asking why I wasn't going already, part...everything else.

Knox texts back:
Yes. Just found out twenty minutes ago. At the club now getting dren ready. You would NOT believe what he's bought for this.
Can you make it?

I wonder if Knox is astonished at the quantity Dionysus has bought for this, or if he bought something unique just for this that's out of this world. Frell, I wish it weren't a school night.

Still I text back:
I think so, for a little while anyway.

I put my phone face down on the table as Axel joins us. "I don't mind," I answer as I notice Belle's sudden chill. I look back and forth between them, then take a bite before asking, "Belle, do you know Axel?"

I look on in shock as Belle explains what happened and then storms off before I can recover.

"Dren," I say after a second. "Sorry, Axel. I didn't realize I was stepping on the cat's tail there. You guys do kinda look like you could be siblings, for whatever that's worth."