THE REST OF the week carried out in a much similar fashion. It seemed that Eli and his friends had inserted themselves into almost all of Sophie's classes, the only exclusion being her first period. Sophie wasn't entirely sure what to think of the whole situation. 

Eli followed her around like a lost puppy. He even tried to carry her books for her at some point, but she quickly shot that down. Sophie didn't like to be doted on. She'd had to be independent for most of her life. 

He almost irritated her. Almost. 

The moment he realized that Sophie was starting to get annoyed, Eli would back off and turn up the charm. It frustrated her because it made him impossible to dislike. 

The whole jealous ordeal with her fellow female classmates didn't get better, either. 

When Friday drew closer, more nominations began to appear on the screen at dinner. Sophie's name was always first; she'd been the first to have been nominated. She didn't know the other girls who'd gotten lucky, but she quickly learned to recognize them. Each was just as determined to win as Eli seemed to be about Sophie. But while they seemed dangerous up front, Sophie realized soon that they were just as abused as she had been. 

Everyone was jealous of the nominations. 

It was a wonder that anybody got nominated, period. 

"I am offended, Sophie," a familiar voice teased at her side. "Are you even listening to me?"

She glanced to her right. Alex matched her pace, his hands shoved leisurely into his pockets. He grinned widely at her when her gaze met his. 

She cracked a thin smile. "Of course I am." 

The only good thing that came out of Eli's intrusion into her life was Alex. Somehow, he had weaseled his way closer to her; his laid back, calm, and romantically uninterested ways made him easy to get along with. Conversations with him proved to be a nice break to the whirl-winded roller-coasters Sophie suffered through with Eli.  

Alex harrumphed. "Then what did I say, Miss Liar-Liar?" 

"You said that you really valued my friendship and that you wanted to remain best friends forever, and ever." Sophie scratched at her head sheepishly. Alex opened the door to the dining hall and stepped aside, holding it open for Sophie. She stepped inside and glanced around. It was dinner time for the Day Class, but because today was the last day for nominations, the Night Class had entered early. The dining hall was pretty crowded. Sophie immediately spotted Tabatha and the twins at their usual table. 

"Close," Alex said, and pinched her arm to gain her attention. "But not quite. I said that you have to sit with the Night Class tonight for dinner." 

Sophie glanced at him, startled. The small hour of dinner time (and the time she spent asleep) was all the alone time that Eli had given her. It was then that she could talk to Tabatha freely about what was going on. 

Alex smiled with understanding. "Come on, Princess." 

Sophie scowled at the nickname. It was something that Eli had adopted after Sophie tried to get him to quit calling her names like gorgeous and beautiful. 

Alex led her toward the Night Class tables. Sophie glanced back over her shoulder and sent a wounded look toward her friends. Tabatha smiled encouragingly. The twins seemed shell-shocked; they just sort of stared at Sophie blankly. Kitty hovered around behind them. She held two thumbs up. 

"Princess!" Eli called, and wiggled his fingers in a wave as Sophie approached the separated group of tables. She spotted him immediately. He'd changed into something slightly more appropriate for a funeral. His tux was a stark black and white. His other two friends, whose names Sophie hadn't bothered to learn, sat beside him at a table. Aubrey was no where to be seen. 

"I brought her here like you asked, boss," Alex said as they approached. Sarcasm dripped from each word. He bowed slightly at the waist and asked, "Would you like me to do anything else, sir?" 

Eli stuck his tongue out at him. 

Sophie stood beside Alex. Her gaze flickered around the table. The only two open chairs were directly across from each other; meaning she'd either be forced to sit beside Eli, or across from both him and Alex. 

"Come sit next to me," Eli purred, regaining Sophie's attention. He patted the seat beside him. 

Sophie frowned at him and started toward the other chair but Alex caught her arm. 

"Not tonight," he muttered under his breath. 

She scowled. "Why do I have to sit up here again?" 

Eli beamed at her. "Because," he explained, resting his elbows on the edge of the table. "We are officially announcing the nominations tonight, and the start of the voting week. Starting next week, technically, all nominees will be sitting up here with Evangeline and I." 

Then he closed his eye in a wink. "But because you're my favorite, I've decided to pull you up early." 

Sophie remained unimpressed. She folded her arms across her chest and regarded him with a placid look. "Thanks, but I'll pass." 

Eli frowned. 

Alex walked over to his seat and gingerly sat down. He smiled at Sophie warmly and said, "Why not give it a shot? You don't have to tomorrow if you don't like it." 

"Eli isn't a pile of cauliflower," Sophie pointed out. "I get enough during the day." 

She made the mistake of glancing at Eli as she spoke. He'd turned up the charm. His palm cupped his cheek, elbow still propped against the table, and he wore a disappointed expression. It was so cute it hurt. She swallowed thickly when he said, "I'd really hoped you'd join us tonight. But I won't force you." 

Darn him and his stupid guilt-trips. 

With a heavy sigh, Sophie walked over to the open chair and plopped down into it. She didn't have to. But she found it hard to say no to him, as he was one of the few friends she'd gained in her time so far at the Academy. She didn't want to make him upset. Not to mention the fan-girls would rampage if they saw Eli upset. 

Eli's lips stretched back into a wide smile and he removed his elbow from the table. His fingers knotted together in his lap and he glanced down at Sophie. "Thank you for staying," he said sweetly. 

Sophie grumbled incoherently under her breath. 

A red-faced waitress fumbled around the table and took everyone's order. Sophie watched her flush as Alex ordered; the girl acted like she'd never talked to anyone attractive before. She realized how quickly she'd gotten used to being surrounded by members of the Night Class in the duration of a week. Sophie folded her arms across her chest and leaned back in her seat. The poor waitress almost tripped when Alex flashed his charming smile and Eli closed one eye in a flirty wink. 

Would she have been like this, had she been given the time to really immerse herself into the school like the other students? Sophie couldn't help but wonder.

The food was brought to the table about ten minutes later. Sophie immediately scarfed her pasta down, despite the warmth of the noodles. The faster she finished, the faster she could escape to her room. 

Somehow, Eli finished before her. Sophie had just gotten about three-fourths of the way finished with her meal when the soft, yet deliberate clink of a glass caught her attention. She glanced over and realized that Eli had stood, and the entire student body had their gaze focused intently on their table. She swallowed her mouthful and tried not to choke. 

"Thank you all for allowing us to join you tonight," Eli said, his voice warm like honey. He gestured to the rest of the Night Class behind them and then pressed a hand flat against his chest. "We truly love this time of the year, when we are given this chance to dine together and mingle. You are all quite lovely." 

Cue a bunch of breathy sighs from hormonal teenagers here. 

Sophie fought the urge to roll her eyes and wiped absently at her mouth. The last thing that she needed was another nickname; the fan-girls could run very far with names like 'sauce-face' or 'noodle-mouth'.  Eli continued his speech. It was stupid really. He basically officially announced what the student body already knew, just the names of the nominees. He invited them to join the Night Class at a special table the next night, and then concluded with wishing them all the best of luck. 

When he finished, Sophie sighed with relief and pushed her plate away. Light chatter resumed, filling the air, and it was finally safe to leave.

"I will see you guys later," she announced as she stood. 

Eli frowned and grabbed her arm. "Wait!" 

She fought the urge to scowl at him, and paused. 

"What are you doing tomorrow?" 

Her stomach twisted with knots. She glanced at Alex hesitantly, and then toward Tabatha. Alex looked genuinely interested. Tabatha's eyebrows were puckered with confusion, gaze glued to Sophie. "Why?" she asked. 

"We have weekends free, like normal public school students," Eli explained with a sweet smile. His hopeful, mismatched eyes were glued to her face. "I wanted to take you out into town." 

Sophie blanched. "I'm not so sure." 

Eli's gaze turned pleading. Sophie shifted around on her feet and sighed. "Alright, fine." 

His smile became so bright, it could have kept New York City shining for weeks. 

"Then it's a date!" 

A date, Sophie echoed silently. Not even her first week in this school and she already had a date. Not to mention she'd been nominated for the silliest, but most important social, event of the year. 

She sighed and joined Tabatha at the door. Life sure had a funny way of doing things.