"Look," Emma cuts off my staring. "As your most convenient ally, I think I should let you know. That girl is Alexandra Delacroix. She's Xi's girlfriend, and I highly doubt Nate is hitting on her. My guess is he's manipulating her, and probably politely threatening her, because he wants Xi back in the game."
"That's Xi's girlfriend? And what, she finds threats hilarious?"
"Well, he probably hasn't gotten to the threat part yet. Point is, she is not interested in Nate, believe me. She attends these balls because of her mom." She looks around us. "Who I'm sure is around here somewhere. And Alex is probably just playing the nice Stoneview girl until she gets to go back to Xi."
"Why does Nate want Xi back in the game so desperately?"
