The Elite Read Online Free PDF Page B

distractedly. All she could think about was choosing the perfect outfit for lying out at the park.
    “I’m so glad you’re here, honey!” Nanna exclaimed, leaning down for a hug. Casey wrapped her arms around her grand-3 0

    T H E E L I T E
    mother’s comforting body for a moment before she stepped out of the room, her ancient Chanel flats tapping lightly on the wood floors. “I’ll be back around seven!” Nanna’s voice called out from the living room, and Casey heard the tinkling sound of keys being gathered, and then the door being shut tight, the locks tumbling in their cylinders.
    Casey wasn’t brave enough to wear an actual bathing suit, and, besides, it would take her all day to find it in this mess anyway. She pulled out a navy tank she’d bought at Express and held it up to her chest. The thin fabric was encrusted with little silver beads around the neckline that sparkled in the light from the open window. Perfect , she thought, digging further and retrieving her well-worn, distressed jean skirt from Abercrombie. She’d wear her pink ballet flats, too—for a little more color. Blue and pink could look sort of cool together, couldn’t they? And, besides, she really didn’t have the patience to dig through her suitcase to try to find anything else.
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    casey
    strikes out
    Casey s tepped out into the sunlight on Fifth Avenue, the humidity clinging to her skin like plastic wrap. Even from where she stood—just outside The Bramford on the sun- baked sidewalk—she could see couples lying out on blankets on the largest, greenest stretch of grass she’d ever seen. The buildings towered above her head, framing the cloudless blue sky in a blur of cement, steel, and glass that stood in sharp contrast to the lushness of the park across the street. “I guess we’re not in Kansas anymore,” she mumbled under her breath to an invisible Toto snapping at her heels, the corners of her lips turning up in a smile. “Or Normal.”
    She walked to the corner, and waited for the light to change before she ventured out into the street. Even so, a bright yellow T H E E L I T E
    taxi came close to mowing her down, the cab’s brakes screeching on the pavement, the driver leaning out the window screaming,
    “Get out of the freakin’ way, honey!” the horn blaring in her ears as she scrambled across the street, heart pounding.
    Even the act of simply taking a cab was new—and slightly terrifying. At the airport, she’d waited at the taxi stand in the longest line she’d ever seen for what felt like forever. The driver, a thin, East Indian man with a thick accent, had thrown her suitcases in the trunk without saying a word, and took off through the hazy New York streets like someone was chasing them. Casey had bounced all over the cracked, black leather seats, and rolled down the windows so she could see the skyline she’d been dreaming about for weeks, her blood racing through her veins like electricity.
    The park was packed with people throwing Frisbees, lying out on the grass, drinking large bottles of Evian. A small, white dog ran in front of her feet, furiously chasing a red ball.
    A group of cute guys in brightly colored board shorts—and not much else—passed a football back and forth. The sound of Nelly Furtado and Timbaland blared from someone’s CD
    player. Casey walked around, following the cement path until she saw Madison, Phoebe, and Sophie lying on their towels in the middle of the grass, near a large oak tree, huge sunglasses shading their eyes. Their bikini- clad bodies glistened in the sunlight, the silver thermos resting in the shade. Half- empty cocktail glasses filled with clear liquid and bright green wedges of lime sat on the grass, waiting patiently. Madison lay in the middle, of course, flanked by Phoebe and Sophie.
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    Casey took a deep breath and pushed her hair back as she approached. She could almost feel her hair reacting to the heat and light,