My Date From Hell (The Blooming Goddess Trilogy, #2)

Cupid's Golden Arrow (Part 1)

Ego, much?

I pushed past Bethany, knocking her back. Of all my options—showering, eating, napping, talking to Theo and Hannah about how to proceed, obsessing over what was going to happen with Kai—none included listening to Ms. Self-Important spout off about her magically amped up, off-the charts popularity and hotness. Gifts received, I might add, from willingly serving that same dragon Delphyne in whose lair I'd almost died.

Delphyne had been killed. Sadly, Hannah had deemed Bethany off limits to exterminate.

The sacrifices I made in the name of friendship.

I glanced up at the banner again. Upon closer examination, ("closer" being a relative term, meaning you'd have to be blind to miss it), I realized that it was actually an enormous blow up of the cover of SHE magazine. SHE being comparable to a wildly popular bastard child of People and Vogue.

A glittery, gold, hand-painted sign attached to the top read "Way to go, Bethany! Hope Park's star and Winter Formal Queen!!!"

Ugh. Winter Formal. I never felt comfortable in the fancy clothes and hated sitting and watching those stupid slow dances where guys tried to cop a feel. Spare me.

Bethany wore the same outfit now that she did in the cover photo; a yoga ensemble in muted green that looked so soft, the bamboo fibers had probably been pre-sucked by baby pandas to give it the perfect texture.

"Taking gag photos now?" I asked, since she now strode beside me, gloating.

"Got a modeling gig," she tossed back. "And about to start filming my new show. So suck it."

Bethany snapped her fingers and her best minion friend, Veronica Chen, came running over.

I stopped at the foot of the stairs that would take me back up to my dorm on the second floor. The school was shaped like an "L" with the dorms housed in the short part of the letter. About half of the kids were day students only, but I had been a boarder at Hope Park since Felicia dumped me there in grade one.

"The universe blesses me with bounty," Bethany said.

"And you repay it with bullshit." I was sick to death of the new age "wisdoms" that she trotted out whenever others were around.

"Bethany navigates Gaia's children through the world," Veronica parroted, looping her high, sleek ponytail around her finger.

"Goody for you." I placed a foot on the bottom stair but was yanked back by Bethany.

She shot me a smug smile. "Shirt," she commanded in a bored tone. Veronica grabbed a passing eighth grader named Bella, who sported a purple T-shirt.

Bethany tapped it for clarification.

On it was silkscreened Bethany's silhouette in downward dog position and the text "Divine your inner power. Doggy Style with B. This fall."

I looked up from the shirt back to Bethany. "Wow. That's really impressive the way you combine self-empowerment and porn moves. Who are your gurus? The Kardashians?"

"Don't talk to Yogi B that way," Bella said hotly, her anger almost manifest.

"Ignore her," Bethany replied to her rabid fan. "She is of the unenlightened and does not have your dragon spirit. Now, go get the foot bath and nail polish basket from my room and prep for my pedi. Bring the pumice stone." She snapped her fingers. "Move."

Bella looked dismayed. "Foot massage?" She squirmed. "I don't really like feet."

Bethany smiled at her. "Your karma will be especially enhanced then when you help me look so fab."

"It will? Still ..." Bella gritted her teeth. "Feet."

I was done here. I started up the first few steps, my body heavy with fatigue. Man, was I sore.

"Think of how wonderful it would feel to bring me such joy."

I glanced over my shoulder, rolling my eyes in time to see Bethany place her hand on Bella's arm. Like some kind of blessing.

Bella radiated devotion. It wasn't even diminished when Bethany shoved her away abruptly.

"On it, B!" Bella trilled, racing up the stairs, two at a time.

I slowed. That was somewhat disconcerting.

No. I had bigger problems. I did not want to get involved.

But if Bethany was up to magically enhanced no good, it seemed I had no choice. With a sigh, I tromped back down the stairs.

Bethany peered at her hand in disgust. "Uck. I keep forgetting I don't have to touch them." She held out her hand and Veronica squirted a blob of hand sanitizer into it.

"Don't piss B off," Veronica said as I rejoined them.

Bethany swung her head and glared at Veronica haughtily. "Do I look like I need you to talk for me? Go do something useful and get me some coconut water."

Bethany's rudeness didn't even phase Veronica. She just sashayed off, commandeering some guy to do her bidding. If she couldn't be top dog, she was sure going to enjoy being second-in-command.

I was more concerned with what I'd just witnessed. "Did you just zombify Bella?"

"As if I'd hang with the undead."

Fair point. But still. I looked around and realized with growing horror that it wasn't just one banner and one T-shirt. Photos of Bethany were plastered everywhere, being fawned over by groups of rapt kids in "B" shirts.

"I don't understand ..." I stammered. "I was only gone two months. How is this possible? What did you do to them?"

"I didn't have to do anything," she shot back. "The people love me." She smoothed back a strand of her hair.

"You mean they're susceptible to the popularity hit Delphyne gave you."

Bethany shrugged. "Most of them already admired me. Now they feel good knowing I care about them, too."

"Which you don't," I retorted.

"Oh, but I do." She gestured widely with her hands, including all of her followers like some kind of demented Dalai Lama. " I love everyone who loves me."

I narrowed my eyes. "Everyone willing to do what you want."

Bethany waved a hand. "Same same. It's a win-win situation."

Uh-huh. "And for those smart enough not to love you?"

Her eyes glittered with a hard satisfaction. "Trust me. There are very few of those."