The Bride Wore Size 12 Read Online Free PDF

demands. “Were her lips blue?”
    “Of course she was breathing,” says Kaileigh’s suite mate Chantelle. “I mean, why wouldn’t she be breathing? She’s just, like, hungover.”
    “We didn’t check the color of her lips, though. She had the covers pulled up over her head. We just shook her and she wouldn’t wake up.” Nishi’s squatted down in front of the dog and is scratching his ears, to his delight. “Oh my God, he’s so cute. What’s his name?”
    “Tricky.” I hang up the handset. To Lisa, I say, “Voice mail. Jasmine’s not answering.”
    Lisa looks worried, and not only about Ameera. Jasmine isn’t the RA on duty, but all student employees are supposed to be “available” during orientation week. The fact that Jasmine isn’t answering her phone (especially since it’s the hall director’s office calling) is troubling.
    Then again, it’s only the first week of school. Jasmine will learn . . . especially after Lisa Wu gets through with her at the next staff meeting.
    “I told you,” Mrs. Harris says, looking triumphant. “She’s not there.”
    “I’ll phone the front desk to have the RA on duty go check on Ameera,” I say, ignoring Mrs. Harris as I dial, “and also Jasmine.”
    “No need,” Sarah says quickly. “I’ll go.” She turns to face Kaileigh, who seems to be the only one who’s concerned about her roommate . . . or maybe she’s still freaked out about Lisa’s apparent mind-reading abilities. “I’m the graduate housing assistant for this building. It’s my job, along with Ms. Wu and Ms. Wells, to help assist in matters like this.”
    One might assume Sarah’s superciliousness stems from an anxiety to make up for her earlier faux pas with Kaileigh’s mother—and possibly for the attitude she pulled with Prince Rashid—but the truth is, she basically lives for moments like this, since she’s studying for her master’s degree in psychology.
    On her way out the door, Sarah says over her shoulder, “Lisa, why don’t you go upstairs and get back in bed? Heather and I have things under control.”
    Like Sarah’s, the hall director’s position is live-in. Lisa receives free room and board—a one-bedroom apartment on the sixteenth floor that she shares with her husband, Cory, and of course, Tricky—in addition to a salary that isn’t much more than mine, but I have to pay my own rent.
    Or I would if I didn’t live rent-free on a floor of my landlord’s brownstone in exchange for doing his bookkeeping . . . or at least I did until we became romantically involved. I still do his bookkeeping, but now I live rent-free in the entire brownstone.
    “Ms. Wu.” Mrs. Harris sees her opportunity for an impromptu meeting with someone in charge—even though the person in charge looks like death warmed over—and jumps in before Lisa can disappear on her. “Perhaps you and I should speak privately—”
    Lisa shakes her head as if everyone’s voices sound like irritating flies buzzing around her ears.
    “Not now,” she says.
    Mrs. Harris looks taken aback. “But—”
    “I said not now .”
    Rolex Watch has taken a step forward to speak with me, but hearing Lisa’s tone, he takes a quick step back again.
    “Gavin, it’s me,” I say when the student worker manning the reception desk in the lobby picks up. “Can you please grab the master key for the fourteenth floor? Sarah’s going to be up in a minute to borrow it. And have you seen Jasmine anywhere?”
    “Who’s Jasmine?”
    Gavin’s one of my most reliable work-study employees, but only for showing up when he says he’s going to—and sometimes even when he’s least expected, but also most needed.
    Unfortunately, he’s not necessarily the best at paying attention when he’s actually doing his work-study job, which is working at Fischer Hall’s hub, the front desk where residents go to receive their mail and packages, report problems, and borrow keys if they’ve locked themselves out of their