Room 508, Friday Afternoon

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After classes got out, Kathy returned to her dorm to make sure it--and she--were ready for her parents' arrival. She'd been obsessively cleaning it all week; Raven had caught her dusting the walls and the ceiling fixtures once, but every time Kathy turned around, she spotted something that wouldn't meet her parents' high standards. Her blanket wasn

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[the_family_li]

"Hey nerd," Sarah said from the doorway. "Guess who owes me, like, a million for covering for them with our parents? I'll give you a hint: she's nerdy and still dresses like an American Girl doll."

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"Sarah!" Kathy said, wheeling around and throwing her arms open for a hug. "Hey brat. How many people did you flirt with on your way to my room, huh?"

[the_family_li]

"At least three," Sarah said smugly. "And some of them even knew you! I, of course, was shocked to hear my sister had learned to talk to hot guys without blushing herself to death."

She still didn't think Kathy knew how to do anything more than talk, but hey! It was a start!

Looking around the room, she let out a long sigh. "So, Flick left? Shame. He was hot, too."

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"He says hi, by the way," Kathy said, laughing. "But yes. He graduated and moved off with his girlfriend. But I have a new roommate and she's awesome. One of my very best friends, in fact. Her name is Raven and maybe if you promise not to embarrass me too much, I'll think about introducing you to her."

[the_family_li]

"Raven?" Sarah asked. "Is she goth or were her parents, like, hippies or something."

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Silly Sarah. Goth Raven was the older one, and this Raven had been born long before hippies were a thing.

"Neither," she said, because that was the easiest answer. "That's just her name, is all. And little girls named after a baking conglomerate can't throw stones."

[the_family_li]

"Look, Puffy Dragon or whatever you were named for," Sarah said, rolling her eyes, "I'm not so little anymore. I'm not the one still wearing training bras."

Buuuuuuuuuuurn!

"Besides, like, everyone on this island has a weird name. Raven, Flick, Anders, Dante. Who names these people?"

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"Dante?" Kathy asked, eyes getting big. "You met Dante? When? Where? What did he say to you? Oh god, am I gonna have to kill him?"

She didn't want to kill him, Sarah! They had plans for Monday! Very important plans!

[the_family_li]

"Some guy I met at the picnic," Sarah said smugly. "He told me about some guy named Ezra. Why didn't you tell me about this Ezra, Kathy?"

TODAY WAS THE BEST DAY EVER!

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NO IT WAS NOT.

"What makes you think there's a lot to tell?" Kathy asked, hedging for the moment. "What did Dante tell you?"

[the_family_li]

"Like, so much," Sarah said, too canny to let Kathy know exactly how much she knew. "It sounds like you're having a really good time here at school, doesn't it?"

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Kathy opened and closed her mouth a few times, but no words came out. Sure Sarah was insinuating what she thought Sarah was insinuating. Right? Dante wouldn't have said that much, right?

"Ezra and I are just friends," she croaked. "Just like Dante and I are. Just friends. Who do friend things. You know. Hanging out. Argue about music." Have sex. Spar with powers. Steal motorcycles. "That kind of thing."

[the_family_li]

"Oooh, you got defensive real fast," Sarah noted, eyes sparkling. "And, funny, cause, like, I didn't say anything about you and Dante."

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"You know I can dangle you out the window and nobody would even notice," Kathy threatened. "And I'm five floors up."

[the_family_li]

"But you can't drop me because Mom and Dad would totally notice," Sarah pointed out. "So dangle away, nerd!"