Rival: A Feuds Novella (The Feuds Series) Read Online Free PDF Page A

You know how important it is to me. I just want to honor my mom’s memory. I want people to see that I can be as good as she was. If someone thinks there’s something going on, it would be a huge problem. The performance is … it’s my chance for a leg up. I don’t want to screw it up. I don’t care how cute he is.”
    “We’ll keep it low-key,” Vera assured her. “There’s no rule that says hanging out as friends is off-limits.”
    “I just don’t want to violate the code of ethics.”
    “And I understand that. I just also understand that you could build a foundation with this guy; then after you rock the Olympiads … who knows what could happen? That’s why we’re going as friends. Which I made very clear when I invited him.”
    “Okay.” Davis trusted her friend, despite her better judgment.
    Later, when she was lying on her bed after dropping Vera off, Davis could still feel the touch of Seth’s skin. She threw her arm over her eyes, groaning inwardly.
It was not a big deal. Just an almost kiss.
No matter how many times she repeated it, she couldn’t get that memory out of her head.
    Vera was right—who knew what could happen?

Chapter 6
    Vera showed up at 7:00 P.M . sharp the next day. Davis’s DirecTalk pinged to alert her. That day at practice hadn’t been as awkward as Davis had expected; she’d only run into Seth once, and Vera had already given him details. It had been easy enough to ask him to meet them there. Meeting there would diffuse the situation, setting boundaries. At least that’s what Davis had told herself.
    “I thought we were going for pizza,” Davis said when they pulled into Rocco Bucco, a trendy spot that was popular with people their age because of its floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the Slants, the part of Columbus designated for the Imps. Davis knew a lot of Priors who considered the Slants cool and edgy, but it was nothing their parents would ever approve of. And what was the point of segregation at all, if the Slants were being used as a type of tourist attraction? Davis wasn’t all that comfortable eating a fabulous meal while looking out over the Slants. Their hovels stretched for miles outside the window, and even though it was dark she could see kids splashing around in the toxic, unfiltered river water. It felt wrong that this was all set up to be a voyeuristic novelty, even though she knew the Imps were treated kindly overall by the Priors.
    “They have pizza here, too. Very exclusive pizza. You’ll love it. I had to pull some strings to get this res.”
    “I’m sure you did,” Davis told her.
    “Okay, I lied. Seth pulled some strings.” She lowered her voice. “This place is crazy. You need a password and everything to get in!”
    “I can’t believe you asked Seth to get us in when it was our plan in the first place.”
    “He clearly wants to impress you,” Vera explained. “It was a good move. I’d heard him talking about it the other day with the receptionist. Who is way not cute, by the way,” she mentioned.
    “Um, she’s gorgeous,” said Davis. All Priors were.
    “Okay, but not like you,” Vera said, slinging her arm over Davis’s shoulder. “Where’s Oscar? Ugh, he’s always late.”
    “We’re meeting friends,” Davis said to the hostess.
    “Two gentlemen?” the hostess asked. She was clad in a skimpy black dress, the kind normally worn to clubs, with a low-cut front and back.
    “Yes. One’s got messy blond hair. He’s skinny-cute. The other one is pretty built, with brown hair and—”
    “They’re both here,” interrupted the hostess. Davis could swear she’d seen the hostess’s eyes roll at Vera’s obvious bragging. “Right this way.”
    “Don’t tell Oscar I was complaining.”
    Davis stopped in her tracks when the hostess led them to their booth and she saw the view. Columbus spread in front of them like magic. The blinking windows illuminating the city’s skyscrapers left her breathless. The Slants