Moby Clique by Cara Lockwood

night at Bard a year ago. I got lost in the woods and then ended up circling right back to campus like I’d never left. The woods were definitely a spooky place, and nearly impossible to find your way in or out of.
    “Maybe they’re not trying to prevent them from running away,” Blade says. “Maybe they’re trying to protect them from what’s in the forest.”
    Samir looks at me, and I look back. We’re both remembering that last year William Blake’s tiger was on the loose in the forest. That was not a good semester.
    “What do you know that you’re not telling us?” Samir demands, turning to Blade. He looks worried. He is not the bravest of our little circle of friends. “If that tiger is back, I’m transferring, I swear to God.”
    “No tiger,” Blade says. “Some of my friends said they saw some dudes hanging out in the forest.”
    “Dudes?”
    “Yeah, dudes, with long hair. I dunno. They didn’t get a good look at ’em.” Blade shrugs. Very little scares Blade.
    “I guess that’s slightly better than a tiger,” Samir says. “So I guess I’m not transferring.” He pauses. “Yet,” he adds.
    “Well, maybe we should investigate,” Blade says. “This sounds like a case for the LITs.”
    “Man, you are really pushing the LITs this semester,” Samir says, shaking his head.
    “What? I’m just waiting for it to catch on.”
    “Well, keep waiting,” Samir says. “I don’t understand why everything that happens on this campus is always our problem. Why can’t someone else battle whatever crazy fictional disaster is on the loose this time?”
    “You’re overlooking the fact that not everything at this school happens for a supernatural reason,” I say, watching as Parker enters the library, followed by two of her clones, and my sister. Parker orders my sister off to get some books for her. Lindsay happily trots off to the research section. She’s already writing Parker’s papers, no doubt. The thought makes me want to break something.
    “Sometimes there’s a reasonable explanation,” Samir adds.
    “Yes, like Parker Rodham,” I say, a sinking feeling in my stomach. Parker is planning something evil for Lindsay. I just don’t know what.

    For the next several days, I see plenty of Lindsay. I see her fetching Parker’s books. I see her cleaning off Parker’s tray in the cafeteria. I see her scrambling to pick up anything Parker accidentally drops. And Parker always manages to send me a nice, smug smile, to be sure that I know that she knows this is driving me crazy.
    Of course, Lindsay won’t listen to reason. In fact, she won’t listen to me at all. I catch her as she’s heading out of homeroom one morning. We’re standing in Austen Hall, between rows of lockers, as students mill past us.
    I decide to get right to the point.
    “Lindsay, you have to be careful with Parker. She’s a backstabber and can’t be trusted.”
    “Whatever. You’re just jealous.” I notice she’s not lisping. I wonder if Parker told her to lose the retainer.
    “Of what?”
    “Maybe the fact that I’m more popular at this school than you and I’ve only been here five minutes but you’ve been here forever. I mean, it’s so obvious,” Lindsay says.
    I sigh. “Parker is evil, Lindsay. She’s probably just befriending you to get to me somehow.”
    “Oh, and you don’t think she could just like me for me ?” Lindsay’s eyes are flashing now. She’s seriously ticked.
    “No, I mean, of course she would,” I lie. There’s no way in hell Parker would go for Lindsay. She doesn’t befriend people in general as a rule. She ruins their lives. Stomps on them like ants. While I’m thinking of how to explain this so Lindsay will get it, I happen to glance down and look at the books in Lindsay’s arms. Her spiral notebook is sitting on top, and there’s a giant doodle on it in marker. It’s a heart and in it is “L.T. + R.K. 4eva.” My heart starts to race. R.K.? Ryan Kent?
    I grab the