Read Online I See London 1 by Chanel Cleeton - Free Book Online Page B

been late September, but London was starting to get cold. I sat in the quiet for an hour, lost in my thoughts.
    “Hey, Maggie.”
    My head jerked up at the sound of my name. George waved at me, jogging over to the bench. I hadn’t seen much of him since the first day, when he helped me move in to my room. Most of my classes were full of freshmen; we had only passed each other in the halls a few times. Despite the small size of the school, London was a big enough city that everyone seemed to have their own thing going on.
    I waved back at him.
    He stopped in front of the bench, his hands on his hips. He seemed a little out of breath.
    “How are you settling in?”
    “I’m adjusting little by little.”
    “How’s Fleur?”
    I pulled a face.
    He grinned. “Don’t take it personally. She’s like that with pretty much everyone. No one lives up to her standards.” He shook his head. “How is everything else? How are your classes?”
    I talked to George for a few more minutes, making plans to go for a run in the park later in the week as we walked back to campus together. We parted ways in the hall.
    Brunch on the weekends was served until one; luckily I had just caught the tail end of the meal. The cafeteria was mostly empty. I made my way through the line, frowning at the meager food offerings. Somehow, unbelievably, the weekend food selection was even worse than normal. I grabbed some cucumbers and white rice, the only appetizing options. I scanned the room for a seat.
    Fleur sat by herself at one of the tables. I hesitated, shifting the tray in my hands. What the hell.
    “Can I join you?”
    Fleur’s head jerked up from the fashion magazine she had been reading. She paused for a moment before gesturing toward the empty chair. “Go ahead.”
    The tone of her voice gave a good indication of where the Ice Queen nickname had come from.
    I sat down across from her, already reevaluating my decision. Fleur continued reading her magazine, her fingers flipping the pages. Voices sounded behind us. Costa walked by with a group of his friends. He didn’t spare a look for Fleur, but her head jerked up at the sound of his voice. The stricken expression on her face said it all.
    “I’m sorry.” The words escaped my mouth before I even thought about what I was saying or who I was saying it to.
    Fleur’s eyes narrowed, her gaze jerking away from Costa and focusing on me. “I don’t need you feeling sorry for me. I’m fine.” Her tone was like ice. “I don’t want to talk about Costa.” She focused back on me. “How about you? What are you going to do about that guy? The one from last night?”
    The topic change surprised me. “Hugh?”
    She nodded.
    I shook my head. “I have no idea.” I hesitated for a moment. “Mya thought I should actually talk to you. She seems to think you’re some sort of guy whisperer.”
    She laughed at that—the sound bitter and somehow incongruous with her beauty. “I’m not sure I’m the example you should hope to emulate.”
    I shrugged. “I’m massively out of my league here.”
    “Aren’t we all?”
    It was weird talking to a girl who looked and dressed like a model but seemed this thrown by a guy.
    “Fair enough.”
    We ate the rest of the meal in silence before we went our separate ways. But I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d seen the beginning chinks in the Ice Queen’s armor.
    Or maybe it was just wishful thinking.

Chapter 10
    Little by little I began settling into life at the International School. I enjoyed classes with my professors, loved getting into debates with my classmates. Here students from all over the world mingled together, forming friendships transcending ethnic or cultural background. There was something incredible about listening to an Israeli and a Palestinian student discuss the current conflict. Wars might be raging throughout the world, but the International School was a neutral zone. It was an amazing thing to see. The school wasn’t Harvard,