Read Homecoming Masquerade, The for Free Online Page A

night and her presence had changed everything.
     “This new girl is here to
defeat me,” Kim said. “Someone powerful is behind this. Someone who wants to
take me down. But who?”
    “Yeah, who?” Andrea echoed.
    Who? was a silly
question, practically rhetorical. Everybody in Washington wanted to take down
the Renwicks. It came with the territory. They were the top of the pyramid, at
least among the humans. That position made them a target, but it was nothing
the family couldn’t handle. On the contrary, the reason the Renwicks were on
top was because everyone knew not to mess with them.
    Kim’s parents began scouting out
potential competitors fifteen years ago, when Kim and the other girls now
standing in this ballroom attended the high-end preschools of the world. By the
time Kim was in fifth grade, her parents had the names of twenty girls on a
list. The prettiest, wealthiest little girls in the world, girls who might land
a spot at Thorndike and think they were worthy of wearing black to Homecoming.
They were girls who fit the profile. The Renwicks went down the list, one by
one, and made sure anyone who had a real shot at beating Kim chose not to
enter. They arranged ambassadorships, cabinet posts, and golden parachutes for
the parents who agreed. For those who didn’t, they arranged for a knock on their
door from the IRS, or a few pictures of naked children on their hard drive.
    “Word is there’s something going
on with Nicky and Ryan,” said Amy.
    “Ryan Jenson?” said Kim.
    Amy nodded.
    “How come I didn’t know this?”
said Kim.
    “Because until just now Nicky
was the new girl who wore cotton slacks and denim shirts and nobody cared,”
said Amy.
    “And Ryan ceased being somebody
a long time ago,” Pauline added.
    Of course. Of course Ryan
Jenson was involved. If anyone at the school had an axe to grind with Kim it
was Ryan. Fortunately, he was a problem easily resolved. Kim had been holding
the goods over Ryan’s head since freshman year. She’d have to make sure she got
a dance with Ryan tonight so they could have a little chat.
    “What time is it?” Kim said,
having neither a watch nor a cell phone to check. Dangling gold earrings and a
matching pendant were the only accessories her stylist had allowed.
    Rosalyn’s outfit included a
watch precisely so she could answer this question for Kim. “Eight fifty eight,”
she said. “Dancing begins in two minutes,” she added, as if any of them needed
a reminder of the night’s agenda.
    Kim’s mind was spinning now.
Nicky Bloom, Ryan Jenson, the dance, the year ahead – she would have her dad
get to work on Nicky’s whole family the minute the dance was over, but even
that wasn’t soon enough. Nicky Bloom was already here. The Homecoming
Masquerade had started. Sergio would come out later to dance with the girls
wearing black. Somehow, she needed to ensure that Sergio’s first impression of
Nicky Bloom was a poor one.
    “Rosalyn, you’re done drinking
for awhile,” Kim said. “Your next glass of wine won’t be until ten o’clock.”
    “How come?” Rosalyn asked, or
rather, whined.
    “I’ll explain later,” Kim said,
now looking around the room at all the guys. The scheme brewing in her mind
required help from a boy. It was too obvious a ploy to have Rosalyn act alone.
Somehow, the incident she now imagined needed to look like it was Nicky’s
fault.
    Who among the guys would be most
eager to help?
    Her eyes stopped at Art
Tremblay, the former pipsqueak who had turned into quite the little he-man. Art
Tremblay, with his protein shakes and three-a-day workouts....the loser had
always been desperate to break into the most popular tier at school. He would
love the opportunity to do Kim a favor.
     “We don’t want to act too soon,
but we’ll need to get moving before ten thirty to make sure we nail her before
Sergio comes out,” Kim said.
    “What are we going to do?”
Rosalyn asked.
    “We’re going to watch as Nicky
Bloom