Initiation by Jessica Burkhart Read Free Book Online Page B

having the heart to tell her people called me “LT” all the time.
    Lexa laughed, too. She had an awesome laugh, one of those super infectious laughs, even when no one knows why she’s laughing.
    â€œI think,” Lexa said. “that you’ve been Khloe’d in general.”
    â€œIs that a good thing, being ‘Khloe’d’?” Khloe asked amid all of our laughter. “Or a bad thing?”
    â€œDefinitely good,” Lexa said. She squeezed Khloe’s hand with hers. “We all need a little Khloe in our lives.”
    â€œAgreed,” I said, raising my hand to vote.
    Khloe grinned. She looked very proud of herself. “Oooh! Is the tea ready?” she asked.
    I nodded, handing her a mug.
    â€œWant any?” I offered Lexa.
    â€œThanks! I’d love some,” Lexa said, accepting the mug. “My roommate, Jill, is still unpacking. I could use a break.”
    â€œWe really should have a tea party!” Khloe said. She held out her mug, extra daintily. “I’ve never practiced sipping tea like a lady. Who knows? It might come up in an audition.”
    Lexa’s eyes met mine. She gave me a she really is like this all the time look.
    â€œA tea party sounds fabulous,” I said.
    â€œFeel free to choose a tea,” I said, offering Lexa a box filled with an array of my favorite white teas, plus, a couple of black ones.
    â€œKhloe, I made you honey vanilla chamomile and sweetened it with clove honey, like mine. Next time, I’ll make you Earl Grey and serve it with Hobnobs so you can practice for your lead in a period drama.”
    Lexa’s eyes widened. “Hobnobs? You really know your stuff!”
    â€œSeriously?” I asked. “You know what Hobnobs are?”
    I’d never met anyone else who knew about the yummy chocolate-coated cookies that were popular in the UK.
    â€œI lived in London for a long time with my family— Hobnobs were my fave!”
    Khloe looked at the two of us as though we were aliens. “Why are you guys speaking a weird language?” she asked, taking a tentative sip of her tea. “Oooh! Yum!”
    â€œYou look shocked,” I said, holding my hand to my chest in mock offense. “And Hobnobs are these amazing cookies—”
    â€œCovered in chocolate!” Lexa cut in.
    â€œExactly.” I nodded. “British people serve them with tea.”
    â€œSounds delish,” Khloe said, sipping her tea again. “And for the record, I’m impressed , not shocked.”
    Lexa turned to me. “So, I used to live in London, but how did you find out about Hobnobs?”
    â€œWeird language,” Khloe repeated. “But to answeryour question, LT knows about the weird cookies because she knows absolutely everything and anything about all things tea.”
    I felt my cheeks warm and buried my face in my tea. “Well,” I said between sips, “not everything. I mean—”
    â€œShe’s cute because she’s humble,” Khloe teased.
    I rolled my eyes at myself and offered the box of tea to Lexa again. Lexa picked up a packet of spearmint tea. “This sounds refreshing. It’s so hot outside.”
    â€œThat really will cool you down,” I said. “And it’s good with ice, too. But I only brought two mugs.”
    Khloe opened a cabinet above the microwave and motioned to the shelves as though she were modeling on a game show.
    The cabinet was filled top to bottom with mugs. Dragon flies, horses, funny sayings. Green mugs adorned with yellow-gold Canterwood logos.
    Lexa took a go Canterwood! mug and opened a drawer next to the stove. It was filled with sugar packets, Sweet’N Low, Sugar In The Raw, and my fave—Splenda. Lexa plucked out two banana-yellow packets of Splenda and shut the drawer with her hip. I unwrapped her bag of spearmint tea and placed it in her mug. She ripped open the two Splendas and poured the contents in.