even, like the nerves you get from a first kiss, but I pulled away, scared, and looked up. His mouth was agape, and he seemed just as curious asI.
“What are you doing here?” I demanded.
He recovered with a gorgeous grin and swiped his hand through his dark hair. “I go to schoolhere.”
My body pounded for answers. “Did you get me and my friend out of the car thatnight?”
His arms folded, and he stared as if I were mad. “What are you talkingabout?”
“You’re the anonymous ‘young gentleman’everyone was talking about in the hospital. Aren’tyou?”
He dropped his gaze and put his hands in his pockets, shifting from foot to foot. “Look, I don’t know what you saw, but I wasn’tthere.”
“I sawyou.”
He straightened up, cupped his hands behind his neck, and stretched, looking annoyed. His voice was harsh as he stared at the sky. “I’ve got to go. See you inclass.”
Then he crossed the parking lot and disappeared. I stared for a moment, baffled, then went on with myday.
As I walked to the cafeteria for lunch, the harsh afternoon breeze chilled me to the bone. I pulled my cardigan tight around me as I entered. I noticed that everyone had turned to stare out the window. Ashley, Hayden, Tana, Tyson, and Tommy all stood in a circle, eyes glued to the far corner of the parkinglot.
Bri came up next to me, Jett close behind her. “That’s Gabriella Castillo. She’s our new English TA,” she said, her eyes on the three cats putting books in a car with a Lexus emblem on the back. It was white and, judging by the sportiness, very expensive. “When I’m her age, I want to look thatgood.”
“Bri, she looks the same age as us,” I remarked.
“Who buys their freshman kids Porsches and LFAs?” Jett huffed jealously.
“Theirs do,” Brisaid.
Though I remembered how pretty they all were from Lucky Pin, it was hard not to notice their exotic beauty in the mix of us fresh-out-of-high-school college kids. In the daylight, their faces were even more enchanting, to a degree I knew neither I, nor anyone I knew, would ever achieve. Even their posture was perfect; they were like models posing at a photo shoot for tanningoil.
Gabriella’s face was pure loveliness—when it wasn’t upset. She had a small nose, and I actually admired her large, accentuating eyebrows when they weren’t furrowing at me. The long eyelashes complemented them well. Her collection of gold bracelets reflected the sun’s brightness in a shower of light. I was wondering how heavy all that jewelry was, or if it was even real, when I realized that the blond boy and Lucas wore bracelets too. Theirs were finer and made with dark threads or leather.
Out of nowhere they started arguing, as they had at Lucky Pin. Lucas was spitting words at them while the other two stood there and tookit.
“What are they fighting about?” Tana looked concerned through the pound of makeup caking herface.
Tommy, Bri’s crush, snorted. “Look at all of you—it’s pathetic.” He slid a trucker hat over his short hair, letting the light brown curls stickout.
I felt a light touch on my arm and flinched slightly.
“You okay?” Jettasked.
“Yeah, why?”
“I don’t know. You seem different.”
Bri slid to my side and swung her arm around me. “She’s perfect; look ather.”
He looked me up and down. “That’s my point.” Bri skipped off to see some other friends, but Jett leaned in so only I could hear. “Shouldn’t you still have bruises on your skin, or scabs at least? How did they all go away sofast?”
“Jett!” Tommy yelled. “Let’s go. The boat’s ready. I want to get as much wakeboarding in as possible before the sun goesdown.”
“We’ll talk later,” Jett said. He ran to catch up withTommy.
Jett was right, but I couldn’t let him know that. I flipped back around to watch Lucas, a thousand questions running through mymind.
It was strange how swiftly their composure changed. They were now leaning against
“What are you doing here?” I demanded.
He recovered with a gorgeous grin and swiped his hand through his dark hair. “I go to schoolhere.”
My body pounded for answers. “Did you get me and my friend out of the car thatnight?”
His arms folded, and he stared as if I were mad. “What are you talkingabout?”
“You’re the anonymous ‘young gentleman’everyone was talking about in the hospital. Aren’tyou?”
He dropped his gaze and put his hands in his pockets, shifting from foot to foot. “Look, I don’t know what you saw, but I wasn’tthere.”
“I sawyou.”
He straightened up, cupped his hands behind his neck, and stretched, looking annoyed. His voice was harsh as he stared at the sky. “I’ve got to go. See you inclass.”
Then he crossed the parking lot and disappeared. I stared for a moment, baffled, then went on with myday.
As I walked to the cafeteria for lunch, the harsh afternoon breeze chilled me to the bone. I pulled my cardigan tight around me as I entered. I noticed that everyone had turned to stare out the window. Ashley, Hayden, Tana, Tyson, and Tommy all stood in a circle, eyes glued to the far corner of the parkinglot.
Bri came up next to me, Jett close behind her. “That’s Gabriella Castillo. She’s our new English TA,” she said, her eyes on the three cats putting books in a car with a Lexus emblem on the back. It was white and, judging by the sportiness, very expensive. “When I’m her age, I want to look thatgood.”
“Bri, she looks the same age as us,” I remarked.
“Who buys their freshman kids Porsches and LFAs?” Jett huffed jealously.
“Theirs do,” Brisaid.
Though I remembered how pretty they all were from Lucky Pin, it was hard not to notice their exotic beauty in the mix of us fresh-out-of-high-school college kids. In the daylight, their faces were even more enchanting, to a degree I knew neither I, nor anyone I knew, would ever achieve. Even their posture was perfect; they were like models posing at a photo shoot for tanningoil.
Gabriella’s face was pure loveliness—when it wasn’t upset. She had a small nose, and I actually admired her large, accentuating eyebrows when they weren’t furrowing at me. The long eyelashes complemented them well. Her collection of gold bracelets reflected the sun’s brightness in a shower of light. I was wondering how heavy all that jewelry was, or if it was even real, when I realized that the blond boy and Lucas wore bracelets too. Theirs were finer and made with dark threads or leather.
Out of nowhere they started arguing, as they had at Lucky Pin. Lucas was spitting words at them while the other two stood there and tookit.
“What are they fighting about?” Tana looked concerned through the pound of makeup caking herface.
Tommy, Bri’s crush, snorted. “Look at all of you—it’s pathetic.” He slid a trucker hat over his short hair, letting the light brown curls stickout.
I felt a light touch on my arm and flinched slightly.
“You okay?” Jettasked.
“Yeah, why?”
“I don’t know. You seem different.”
Bri slid to my side and swung her arm around me. “She’s perfect; look ather.”
He looked me up and down. “That’s my point.” Bri skipped off to see some other friends, but Jett leaned in so only I could hear. “Shouldn’t you still have bruises on your skin, or scabs at least? How did they all go away sofast?”
“Jett!” Tommy yelled. “Let’s go. The boat’s ready. I want to get as much wakeboarding in as possible before the sun goesdown.”
“We’ll talk later,” Jett said. He ran to catch up withTommy.
Jett was right, but I couldn’t let him know that. I flipped back around to watch Lucas, a thousand questions running through mymind.
It was strange how swiftly their composure changed. They were now leaning against
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