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Why the hell did she think he was familiar?
“Okay, everyone, listen up.” He turned, his breath fogging in the air. “You all know the drill, except for Shay, so someone buddy up with her. You, Ethan, show her the ropes.” He pointed to a dark-haired boy who, without a word, walked over and put his hand on her shoulder.
“Ethan Slade,” he said, though she recalled his name from the embarrassing introduction ceremony that had happened earlier this morning. She remembered Ethan Slade because he was just so damned hot. With near-black hair and a quick grin, he was friendly enough, though he probably wouldn’t give up many secrets about the place. His skin appeared permanently bronzed, as if he had some Hispanic blood in him, and Shay was drawn to the whole dark-side vibe to the guy. Add to that the interlocking tattoos on his left arm. Very cool.
A few of the students turned to look at her. Most seemed curious, but two of the girls pissed her off. Tiny Maeve with her perpetual pout, and her BFF Nell, the athletic one. Those two threw her glares that could cut through steel, as if she’d dissed them.
Get a life, she thought before turning away from their harsh gazes and completely ignoring them.
Which was likely to piss them off even more.
Exactly the point.
Shay wasn’t looking for a new set of friends anyway. If these girls in her pod didn’t like her, fine. They’d made that perfectly clear the moment Reverend Lynch had introduced Shay to the campus.
Directly after the first prayer in the predawn hours at the chapel, Lynch had announced, “Everyone, we have a new student with us. Shaylee, come on up here.” To her utter mortification, she’d been escorted by Dr. Williams to a spot in front of the podium, where she’d faced the congregation of staff members and students. “This is Shaylee Stillman, from Seattle. I expect you all to introduce yourselves at breakfast and do everything you can to make her feel at home.” Reverend Lynch had placed a fatherly hand on her shoulder, then led them in a final prayer that included thanking God for sending Shaylee to Blue Rock Academy. As the group had whispered “Amen” in unison, Reverend Lynch had squeezed her shoulder a bit, and she’d looked at him sharply, only to see him smile benevolently at her.
Now, though, it was Ethan who had his hand on her shoulder. A nice feeling.
“I’m Shaylee,” she said to Ethan, and was a little mesmerized by the gleam of his white teeth.
He was muscular and compact, like a wrestler. “I guess I should say ‘welcome.’”
“Don’t. I’ve heard it enough.”
“I bet.” He stifled a grin, and his dark gaze glinted, as if he understood. Maybe things wouldn’t be so bad around here after all.
From the corner of her eye, she noticed Maeve, Nell, and Nona whispering and sending her dark looks.
Shay was used to it.
She’d been the “new girl” before. She knew the drill. They’d eventually warm up, or not. But if she was buddied up with Ethan, she’d become public enemy number one, the new bitch in town. That might not be so smart.
“Okay, grab your equipment inside the door, and let’s make this stable shine,” Mr. Trent said. “Last week, Dr. Burdette’s team got special mention for how clean it was after her team cleaned it. I think we should show them up.”
Shay stepped closer to Ethan, murmuring, “Oh, don’t tell me they give out gold stars for shoveling horse poop.”
Ethan didn’t bother hiding his smile, that heart-stopping flash of white against his dark skin. “Better than that. Credits. Toward using the Internet or phones.”
“They allow you to communicate with the outside world? Wow.” She widened her eyes as if awestruck. “Finally. A reason to live.”
Is that how Nona had her cell phone? If so, then why was she hiding it?
“Sure,” he said as they walked inside the building that smelled of horses, dung, and oiled leather. He grabbed a pitchfork from the wall and tossed it to her, tines pointed upward. She caught the fork on the fly.
He added, “You just have to play by the rules.”
“I have a little trouble with that.”
“You won’t,” he predicted, and there was an edge to his voice that she hadn’t noticed before. And the glint in his eyes hardened a bit.
Yeah, sure. The guy talks nice for a second and you think he’s into you?
Stabbing the pitchfork into a clump of hay, Shay wondered if there was a reason their team leader had picked Ethan to show her around. Maybe it was Ethan’s job to watch her a little more closely. He would probably report back to the pod leader or maybe Reverend Lynch.
He was probably a spy, faking that he liked her.
Shaylee shivered inside and didn’t let it show. But she suddenly felt more alone than she ever had in her life.
