Read Online The Rules by Nancy Holder - Free Book Online

greener. She had a cute nose. And a great body. He liked girls with athletic builds. She didn’t do sports at school, but he knew she was a runner, like him. He wasn’t sure if she was more into speed or endurance. This hunt location was so spread out that he would probably get to find out.
    “And my last,” she said, munching on a chip. “The grand finale.”
    “Or the bitter end. Do you want a beer? Or something stronger?”
    She made a little face. “I think I’d better stick to soda. My teammates are out for blood, and I’m not a very good drinker. Plus we’re getting a penalty because we’re a team of three, so I need to maintain every advantage.”
    He handed her a can of Diet Coke and got himself a water bottle. “I don’t drink, either,” he said, unscrewing the cap. “August designs these hunts himself. Usually Beth helps. Why didn’t he just pair you with Thea? It’s not fair to clump you up and then penalize you for it.”
    She jerked her plate away playfully when he reached for another chip. “He didn’t know I was coming. Beth invited me and I guess she forgot to tell him. Which is weird, considering…” She trailed off. “Anyway, I’m glad I’m the odd girl out because there is no way I’d take the test answers, and Thea and Beth are over there dancing a jig at the very thought.”
    “So you’re not a rule-breaker,” he said.
    “Not usually, no. But I
will
help Beth and Thea win.” She looked dubious. “It’s not up to me which prize they pick.”
    “But you girls won’t win,” he said very seriously. “You know that.” She lifted her brows and he reminded himself not to underestimate her.
    “I already said I’d kick your ass.” She grinned at him.
    “Hah. I could beat you
all
without the penalty. Me and my partner,” he added. If it was Heather, she’d probably wander off somewhere and hook up. That would be fine with him. Give him room to maneuver. Otherwise she’d be a total boat anchor.
    “Wow, lacrosse captain, are you ever so competitive.”
    “You got that right.” He feinted to the left as if to steal a chip, and as she batted her hand at him, he snatched away the plate, and held it above her head. He scooped up the last of the chips. “I’m a winner.”
    She was all flushed as she huffed and lightly gave his shoulder a bat. He was stunned. She liked him.
Liked
liked him. He had never guessed.
    “Want to make it interesting?” she said.
    He halted, the chips halfway to his mouth. “Sure.”
    “Loser buys the winner coffee.”
    He smiled. Another surprise. She was pretty much asking him on a date.
    “You’re on.”
    He held the chips out to her. He always had an image of what these hunts would be like, and it hadn’t accounted for the presence of an innocent like Robin Brissett.
    I guess we all started out innocent,
he thought, and figured he should warn her.
    “These people,” he said, then hesitated. He had to be careful. For years and years, he had kept his low opinions of these friends to himself. There was absolutely no point in dissing them now, when they were all so close to the end. “They feel entitled. They get bored easily, and if something’s too hard, they’ll cheat. Cage has been known to hire smart kids to do his homework. Larson just screws—”
    He broke off. Larson’s typical solution for raising his GPA was to hook up with some smart nerd, get her to do his homework, and then break it off with her.
    “Look at how much August has to bribe them to play his game,” he said. “They’ll never have to work a day in their lives, not really. They’ll just coast along and get everything while you and I will have to work our butts off just to make it.”
    Her eyes widened, and Kyle wondered if he had said too much. No one knew he was this bitter. He was suddenly nervous.
    “Anyway,” he began, and she smiled gently at him.
    “Actually, I agree with you,” she murmured. “Sometimes it pisses me off, too.”
    He blinked.