Page 53 of Foes & Cons
“Gainz with a zed. It’s gym-speak, bro.”
“Is that what it is? He puts that on Insta, but I just thought he couldn’t spell.”
“You still follow his Insta?” asks Roxy,raising her eyebrow.
“No,” I say, notsure why I lied and making a mental note to unfollow him.
The queue movesagain until we’re face to face with the King of Gainz himself. I realise with horror that Orlando Wilde has requested a toilet break, so we’ll have to wait in this unpleasant arrangement for a bit longer. The steward escorts him out, and I try to work out if he needs a number one or number two from the way he’s walking. Orlando Wilde, I mean, not the steward. I can’t speculate about his bowel movements right now.
“Hi, Eliza,” says Sadie, her vampire fangs skimming her wide smile.
“Hi, Sadie,” I say, relieved she seems to be over theNever Leavedrama. “Orlando’s going to love your make-up.”
“Do you think?” she says, touching her vampire features. “I’m singing ‘Silence if it’s Ending’at the karaoke party. The one Bud and Lila sing. I’m singing it with Charlie.”
“That’s cool, Sadie,” says Roxy. “We can’t wait to hear Charlie sing.”
Charlie rolls his eyes and Vivian flips her hair over her shoulder (she does that a lot, right? Pick a side of your shoulders and just commit to it) and smiles at me. But not a nice smile. A viper smile, like if they had perfect, Invisalign teeth.
“So. . .” she starts, “the quiz was an eye-opener, don’t we think?”
Roxy stands firm next to me and jumps in before I can respond.
“The question was unfair, Vivian. Not cool. Half the audience thought so.”
“But the other half didn’t, Roxanne.”
Vivian looks at me, her insanely long eyelashes almost hypnotising me into agreeing with her.
“It wasn’t a straightforward question,” I say, immune to thoseeyelashes.
“Well, I thought it was. But we already knew that because I got it right,” she says, raising her eyebrows. “Anyone who’s watched the show properly would know the answer.”
“I have watched the show properly, thank you,” I say through clenched teeth.
Vivian smirks and glances at Charlie Chamberlain who is looking right at me, his arms folded and shaking his head.
“What?” I say, although I do prefer him quiet. “You can’t tell me you thought that question was fair?”
“Would you even listen if I did?” he says.
“Not if you’re not on my side,” I say, putting my hands on my hips.
“Exactly,” he says, shaking his head.
“What doesthatmean?” I say, incredulous.
He opens his mouth to answer just as Orlando Wilde returns, and the queue moves again. Charlie Chamberlain and co head off, but he looks over his shoulder then turns away and shakes his head.
“Why isheshaking his head?” I say, shaking my own head because if anyone should be shaking heads around here, it’s me. “What doesthatmean?”
“I’m sure he just—” starts Roxy.
“Can you please move your girlfriend along,” says Cat-eye Glasses, fixing Roxy with a look.
“She’s not my girlfriend, but OK,” Roxy says, nodding.
“No, doesn’t quite work, does it? You,” says the steward, nodding at Roxy. She looks down her nose at me, starting with my messy ponytail right down to my scuffed DMs, “and her.”
