fixed the anklet above her right foot. There. She glanced once more in the mirror.
Now
her outfit was perfect.
The noise from the pool house was growing louder, voices multiplying,laughter amplifying. It was time, Tenley decided. Nerves jostled in her stomach, but she swallowed hard, willing them away. She was no longer the Tenley of Troye, Nevada. She was Echo Bay Tenley now.
Tenley headed out back, across the stone veranda and vast, misty lawns. Outside the pool house, she paused, listening to the voices swell inside. This was her favorite moment of any party, when the night stretched before her like a sandbar, smooth and untouched. But tonight it was more than that. It was her whole senior year that stretched before her—and she definitely planned to make an impression.
Carefully, she smoothed down her dress. Here went nothing. But just as her hand closed around the doorknob, something caught her eye. A flicker of a shadow, slipping behind a tree. Her chest tightened. Was somebody out there? She dropped her hand, keeping her eyes on the thick greenery lining the property.
Where it was touched by the light from the pool house, the lawn looked lush and green. But in the shadows, the whole world dissolved into oily darkness. No matter how much she strained her eyes, she couldn’t make out a thing. Tenley shook her head. Of course there wasn’t anyone there.
Throwing back her shoulders, she stepped inside. “Tenley Greer!” Hunter Bailey called out as she walked into the central room of the pool house, with its all-glass walls and modern white furniture and the vases filled with purple hydrangeas, Tenley’s favorite flower. The place was packed already—clearly her pass-the-word invites had gotten the job done—and just as she’d hoped, everyone in the room swiveled around to look at her.
“It’s Tenley
Reed
now,” she said smoothly. She refused to acknowledge the nerves that kept trying to rear their ugly heads.
“Tenley Reed,” Hunter amended. He looked just like he had in middle school: dark brown hair, chiseled cheekbones, sky-blue eyes she would have traded for in a heartbeat. He was taller now, obviously, and broader, too, with the kind of defined muscles that only came from playing a lot of sports.
“Better,” Tenley said, grinning at him.
“Tenley!” A trio of girls quickly gathered around her. One of them, a small, curly-haired brunette named Jessie, used to take gymnastics with her when they were younger. She’d never been as serious about it as Tenley, but apparently (according to Facebook, at least), she’d parlayed her ability to cartwheel into a role as Winslow Academy’s head cheerleader. Jessie gave Tenley a quick hug. “Welcome home!” she squealed.
“I can’t believe how long it’s been,” the girl next to her said. She had long red hair and the kind of curves Tenley used to envy. Tenley recognized her right away: Marta Lazarus. Once upon a time, they’d been pretty good friends.
“I know,” Tenley said, giving Marta a quick hug. “Four whole years.”
“Well, you definitely returned with a bang,” said the other girl, a pretty blond wearing a string bikini and not much else. “Not that I should be surprised, right? Considering how wild even your sleepovers used to get. Same old Tenley.” She glanced at one of the vases of purple hydrangeas. “Your taste hasn’t changed, either!”
The girl laughed and Tenley joined in, but she kept watching the girl, studying her. She had clear blue eyes, an even tan, and short blond hair cut into a sleek bob. She looked like the kind of girl Tenley would have been friends with. But Tenley couldn’t place her.
“What can I say?” Tenley smiled at the girl as if they were old friends. Maybe they were. She couldn’t be expected to remember
everybody
.“It’s in my genes.” And it was true. The one thing her mom knew how to do, other than land a husband, was throw a party.
“Trish!” A cute guy with blond hair and a
Rebecca Hamilton, Conner Kressley