Read Online Starbound: A Starstruck Novel by Brenda Hiatt - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Brenda Hiatt
Ads: Link
or any other time we were together.
As a result, it didn’t take me long to figure out that jealousy worked nearly as well as desire to distract Rigel, since of course he noticed how Sean and other boys were responding.
So, unfortunately, did Trina.
“Wow, Marsha, love the new trailer trash look,” she sniped at me in the lunch line Friday. “Guess you can’t afford clothes that fit anymore?”
I glanced back, then down at her super low-cut, clingy blue top. “What, you don’t like the competition, Trina?”
“Comp—? Don’t make me laugh! As if!”
I turned away from her ice-blue glare with a little smile and continued through the line, though I knew she was adding this to the list of things she intended to make me pay for. Like I didn’t have enough to worry about.
All week I’d had to exert both diplomacy and Royal “push” to keep Rigel and Sean from fighting anytime we were all together. Ironic that now I could finally shield my thoughts from Rigel, I never had a chance to think about the Grentl anyway, I was so busy defusing the other results of my new strategy.
Meanwhile, our training took up nearly every moment we weren’t in school. Rigel was getting most of his instruction at home while I studied at the O’Garas’ every afternoon and most evenings. Sean and Molly at least got to go to basketball and cheerleading practice, since neither of them were the stupid Princess. Besides which, having grown up on Mars, they already knew the language.
Saturday I had my last taekwondo class, then went to watch Sean in the State 2-A basketball championship game in Indianapolis. We lost, since Sean was our only really good player while the other team had three or four, but everyone was still super pumped about it, except maybe Rigel. I was careful not to give Sean another opportunity to kiss me.
Sunday, just three days before we were to leave for Ireland, the Council summoned us all to the Stuarts’ house so they could evaluate our progress.
“We’ll start with the Bodyguard certification,” Kyna informed us briskly when the O’Garas and I arrived. “We thought you should observe that, Excellency, so that you will know what our decision is based upon.”
“Decision?” I exchanged a worried glance with Rigel. “I thought the Council agreed—”
“We agreed that if he could be trained in time, he could accompany you as Bodyguard, yes. This test will determine whether he was able to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills over the past two weeks. If you’ll follow me to the back yard?”
You have, right? I thought to Rigel, trying to hide my sudden panic.
Hope so . The main emotion I caught from him was grim determination, costing me another pang for what I’d put him through this week.
Not caring whether anyone noticed or not, I moved to his side as we walked and gave his hand a quick squeeze. “Good luck.”
He shot me a smile, the first genuine one I’d seen on him in days, and squeezed back. With you here I’ll do fine.
And he did. More than fine.
First, he scored perfectly on the target practice with both Martian energy weapons and Earth firearms. It was obvious now why the testing had to be here instead of at the O’Garas’—the Stuarts’ restored farmhouse was out of sight and sound of any neighbors.
Next, he fought two trained security men, the biggest Echtrans I’d ever seen, in hand-to-hand combat. One was on the ground in under two seconds. The other grunted his surrender before the first could even get to his knees, when Rigel pinned the man’s arm behind his back. It was all I could do not to laugh at the Council members’ reactions.
“Oh, well done!” Nara clapped her hands. The others wore expressions ranging from grudging respect to outright shock. Molly was clearly awestruck, her eyes huge, while Sean looked both impressed and irritated, though he was obviously trying to hide both.
“Looks like you’ve been holding out
As a result, it didn’t take me long to figure out that jealousy worked nearly as well as desire to distract Rigel, since of course he noticed how Sean and other boys were responding.
So, unfortunately, did Trina.
“Wow, Marsha, love the new trailer trash look,” she sniped at me in the lunch line Friday. “Guess you can’t afford clothes that fit anymore?”
I glanced back, then down at her super low-cut, clingy blue top. “What, you don’t like the competition, Trina?”
“Comp—? Don’t make me laugh! As if!”
I turned away from her ice-blue glare with a little smile and continued through the line, though I knew she was adding this to the list of things she intended to make me pay for. Like I didn’t have enough to worry about.
All week I’d had to exert both diplomacy and Royal “push” to keep Rigel and Sean from fighting anytime we were all together. Ironic that now I could finally shield my thoughts from Rigel, I never had a chance to think about the Grentl anyway, I was so busy defusing the other results of my new strategy.
Meanwhile, our training took up nearly every moment we weren’t in school. Rigel was getting most of his instruction at home while I studied at the O’Garas’ every afternoon and most evenings. Sean and Molly at least got to go to basketball and cheerleading practice, since neither of them were the stupid Princess. Besides which, having grown up on Mars, they already knew the language.
Saturday I had my last taekwondo class, then went to watch Sean in the State 2-A basketball championship game in Indianapolis. We lost, since Sean was our only really good player while the other team had three or four, but everyone was still super pumped about it, except maybe Rigel. I was careful not to give Sean another opportunity to kiss me.
Sunday, just three days before we were to leave for Ireland, the Council summoned us all to the Stuarts’ house so they could evaluate our progress.
“We’ll start with the Bodyguard certification,” Kyna informed us briskly when the O’Garas and I arrived. “We thought you should observe that, Excellency, so that you will know what our decision is based upon.”
“Decision?” I exchanged a worried glance with Rigel. “I thought the Council agreed—”
“We agreed that if he could be trained in time, he could accompany you as Bodyguard, yes. This test will determine whether he was able to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills over the past two weeks. If you’ll follow me to the back yard?”
You have, right? I thought to Rigel, trying to hide my sudden panic.
Hope so . The main emotion I caught from him was grim determination, costing me another pang for what I’d put him through this week.
Not caring whether anyone noticed or not, I moved to his side as we walked and gave his hand a quick squeeze. “Good luck.”
He shot me a smile, the first genuine one I’d seen on him in days, and squeezed back. With you here I’ll do fine.
And he did. More than fine.
First, he scored perfectly on the target practice with both Martian energy weapons and Earth firearms. It was obvious now why the testing had to be here instead of at the O’Garas’—the Stuarts’ restored farmhouse was out of sight and sound of any neighbors.
Next, he fought two trained security men, the biggest Echtrans I’d ever seen, in hand-to-hand combat. One was on the ground in under two seconds. The other grunted his surrender before the first could even get to his knees, when Rigel pinned the man’s arm behind his back. It was all I could do not to laugh at the Council members’ reactions.
“Oh, well done!” Nara clapped her hands. The others wore expressions ranging from grudging respect to outright shock. Molly was clearly awestruck, her eyes huge, while Sean looked both impressed and irritated, though he was obviously trying to hide both.
“Looks like you’ve been holding out
Similar Books
