AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The third guy is the complete opposite of the first two. His black tie hangs loosely around his neck, the top button of his shirt undone. His blazer is nowhere to be seen, and where the first two guys don’t bother to pay attention to anyone around them, he constantly nods his head at guys as they call out ‘hellos’, sending flirty looks to the girls. He’s got a tall, lean, swimmer’s body, built for speed and agility, and short yet stylish blond hair.
He catches me staring at him as he lifts his hand, running his fingers through his short strands. His eyes drop down my body, a salacious grin spreading across his face as he lifts his eyes back up to my face, giving me a dirty wink that I’d love to say doesn't affect me, but damn, I’m as much of a sucker for that wink as every other girl around here seems to be.
Embarrassed by the sudden racing of my heart and the heat in my cheeks, I quickly move on to the final guy in the group. Again, he’s completely different from the first three. I can immediately tell he’s the shy, quiet, studious one. He’s got dark floppy hair that’s hiding his face from my view, but as he flicks it out of the way, I can see that he’s got a broad jaw and sharp features. He’s wearing thick black-rimmed glasses, giving him, combined with his meticulous uniform, the overall appearance of a nerd. But on his lean, slightly muscular frame, it looks super hot, like Superman before he puts on his cape.
His hand flattens over his shirt, ironing out invisible creases before his head snaps up, his intense gaze meeting mine, having apparently sensed me watching him. Unlike the flirty look the last guy gave me, his is filled with uninterest, his lips pinching together in what looks like disapproval.What an ass. We can’t all have perfectly ironed uniforms and look like gods.
The noise filters back in around me as the four of them disappear into the auditorium. With them no longer occupying my every thought, I realize I’ve been standing in the middle of the courtyard gaping at them.Talk about embarrassing.
Glancing out of the corner of my eye to see if Bianca, or anyone else, noticed my moment of distraction, I find her still drooling after the guys. At least I wasn’t the only one who lost some common sense in their presence.
“Who are they?”
Damn girl, get your inner slut under control,I mentally berate myself when my voice comes out all husky.
Bianca must pick up on it too as she spins toward me, her eyes narrowing. “Out of your league,” she snaps before storming off, following them into the auditorium.
I cast a quick glance around me and see that most of the students have also disappeared. Not knowing what else to do, I quickly scramble after Bianca, trying not to lose her in the sea of students.
Passing through the large double doors into the hall, it takes a second for my eyes to adjust after the brightness of the California sun outside, but after a few quick blinks, the room comes into focus. There's a large, empty stage at the front of the room, with a podium off to one side. The rest of the space is taken up with wooden pews that are slowly filling with students.You’d think such a fancy school could afford something comfier than wooden seats.
Spotting Bianca making her way toward a crowd of rich girls, I follow her. I don’t particularly want to sit with her and her friends, but it’s not like I know anyone else. I’m just about to slide inconspicuously into the last seat in the pew when Bianca glances up, noticing me.
“No. You don’t sit with us,” she snarks, her outburst garnering the attention of her friends, who all sneer at me.They don’t even fucking know me.“Scholarship students sit at the front,” she snootily states, pointing to the front of the hall.
Whatever. Like I said, I didn’t want to sit with them anyway. I guess our ‘tour’ is officially over.
“Oh, and Henry,” she calls after me, deliberately butchering my name. I turn around to glare at her, my teeth gritted. She’s wearing a sickly sweet smile, which morphs into a superior smirk when she sees she has my attention. “Welcome to Pac Prep.”
Rolling my eyes at her cattiness, I ignore the other students whispering around me as I storm down the aisle, slipping into an empty seat in the first pew as the headmaster steps up to the podium.
He casts his eyes over the room, taking his time to survey us, before leaning into the microphone. “Quiet down, students.” His booming voice echoes out across the large space, everyone quickly settling into a hush, focused on the front of the room. “For all of our new students, I am Mr. Phister, your headmaster.”
Mr. Phister? For real?Glancing around me, I notice a few other students holding back a laugh.
“Welcome to the start of a new school year! I’m sure all of our returning students will make our new pupils feel welcome and help them adjust to life here at Pacific Preparatory.”
Hmm, I somehow doubt that based on the less than stellar welcome I got this morning.
“You must be a new scholarship student,” the girl beside me leans over and whispers, pulling my attention from the drivel coming out of the headmaster's mouth.
“That obvious?” I ask rhetorically, taking in the girl beside me. She’s got short, black hair pulled back in a functional ponytail, and an innocent-looking face—or maybe it just looks that way because she doesn’t have layer upon layer of makeup caking her face, like every other teenage girl around here.
It suddenly makes sense how Bianca knew I was a scholarship student. We just don’t look like the other kids at Pacific Prep. Our hair doesn’t have that same glow, and our skin doesn't look like it’s been moisturized to within an inch of its life.
I guess that’s what happens when you don’t have unlimited money to spend on haircare and beauty products.
The girl smiles back at me, showing me her slightly crooked teeth. It’s a real, genuine smile, nothing like the fake, cosmetically enhanced ones Bianca’s friends wore.
“Are you a senior?” she whispers.
“Yeah.”
“I’m Emilia. Stick with me, girl. I’ll show you the ropes.”
