by Ali Novak
Gripping the material in my hands, I yanked with all my strength, but instead of ripping down what I wanted, I felt the entire pole above the shower topple onto my head.
“Dang it!” I cursed as it clattered against the floor. Even though my head was throbbing, I quickly scooped the pole up and slid the curtain off. Then I tore the plastic section away from the rings and used the remaining blue fabric to form a makeshift towel. Since it was in the little kids’ bathroom, a hideous pattern of monkeys and bananas covered the curtain, but it would have to do. Hopefully Katherine won’t be mad at me, I thought, looking down at the mess I’d made. I could always replace whatever I’d ruined.
Instead of peeking into the hall to make sure the coast was clear, I threw open the door and rushed toward the stairs.
“Isaac, the pigeon has flown the coop! Repeat, pigeon flown coop!” Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Jack with a walkie-talkie. Next to him was Jordan with the video camera in his hands, green light blinking.
“She was supposed to be naked,” Jack said as if I’d caused him some type of inconvenience.
Not bothering to stop or even yell at the twins, I started taking the stairs two at a time, wanting to get to my room before someone else spotted me wearing the shower curtain. Isaac appeared at the top of the landing, the second walkie-talkie in hand and a wicked grin on his face.
“I didn’t think she’d actually—” He stopped when he saw me. “Oh, aren’t you clever? I didn’t even think about the shower curtain.”
“Move,” I said and shoved past him.
“Jackie, wait!” Jordan called, chasing me with the camera. “Can you answer a few questions for our film? For starters, do girls ever play with their boobs?”
The twins followed me down the hall to my room, bombarding me with ridiculous questions until I slipped inside and locked the door. Leaning against the wood, I closed my eyes and slid to the floor.
“Can you explain girls’ obsession with shoes?” I heard Jack saying from the other side. “Why do you need so many?”
“Ask the bathroom question. That one’s good.”
“Yeah, it is. Jackie, why do girls always go to the bathroom in groups?”
I realized then that I was never going to have a moment of peace again.
***
“All right, people, listen up. I need you to partner with two friends,” said Mrs. Hanks.
I looked around the room, biting hard on my lip. We were starting a new group project in art class, and friends were a commodity I was currently lacking. Chairs scraped across the floor, and everyone moved toward someone they knew. Knowing that no one was going to want to partner with me, I stayed in my spot, wondering which unlucky group the teacher would stick me with. I noticed the redheaded girl from the day before as she stood and made her way across the room. When she waved, it took me a second to realize that she was waving at me. I lifted my hand in a small greeting as she came to a stop at my table.
“Howdy, Jackie. My name’s Riley,” she said in a thick Southern accent. “Would you like to join my group?”
“You know my name?” I asked in surprise.
She smiled. “Everyone knows your name. You’re the new girl who sat with Cole Walter on her first day here.” Riley pulled out the chair across from me and sat down. “So how about it? Partners?”
Thank you, Cole Walter! Apparently he was useful for something other than making me feel nervous. “Yes, please. I was thinking I might have to work alone.”
“Oh, don’t be silly. Heather and I never would’ve left you by your lonesome,” Riley said, mentioning a girl I had yet to see. “She’ll be joining us soon. Probably late because she’s flirting in the halls.”
On cue, a girl with long sandy hair twisted up in a bun hurried into the room and headed straight for Riley.
“You will never believe what I just found out,” she exclaimed, pulling out the chair next to her friend. “You know that new girl Jackie who was sitting with Cole the other day? Apparently her dad was some New York businessman worth billions and her mother was a famous fashion designer. Her whole family just died in a car accident—”
“Heather?” Riley hissed, trying to cut her off.
“—and there was a whole article about it on that one gossip website I like. You know, the one that posted nude pictures of that hot British actor I was telling you about? Anyway, can you imagine being that rich?”
“Heather!” Riley said again, this time with more force. She pointed in my direction.
Heather followed Riley’s finger with her eyes. “Holy heck,” she said when she noticed me.
“What she means is, ‘Sorry,’” Riley said, giving her friend a look. When Heather said nothing, Riley elbowed her in the side.
“Oh, right! I’m super sorry. That was so tactless of me. I didn’t realize you were sitting there.” Heather didn’t look the least bit sorry. Her lips twitched as she tried to contain a smile that was threatening to break across her face. Instead of embarrassed, she looked thrilled to see me.
“It’s fine,” I responded, my shoulders stiffening.
A minute of uncomfortable silence passed as Heather danced on the edge of her seat. The girl looked like she was about to explode, and finally she couldn’t contain her questions any longer.
“So how do you know Cole? Are you related or something?” The words burst from her mouth, the last part sounding hopeful.
“No, we just met a few days ago.”
“And he just invited you to sit with him?” Heather’s forehead crinkled in disbelief.
“Yes.”
“Ugh, I’m so jealous.”
“Why would you be jealous?”
“Because,” Heather said, rolling her eyes, “Cole doesn’t let just any girl sit with him at lunch. Only girls he’s interested in.”
Cole was the furthest thing from being interested in me. In the parking lot this morning, he’d snatched Olivia by the waist and swirled her around before dipping down into a kiss. Nothing says “I want you” like being romantic with another girl, right? But then Nathan’s words came back to me in a rush, about how Cole liked to bounce from girl to girl. I laughed nervously. “You’re wrong. He’s just being nice.”
“Oh my lord, you are so toast,” Riley said, sounding sympathetic as she shook her head. “Cole Walter doesn’t do nice unless he’s getting something out of it. That’s boy’s gonna eat you alive, and you won’t see it coming.”
“I wouldn’t mind if he ate me alive,” Heather said, her eyebrows waggling.
“Would you keep your dirty thoughts to yourself?” Riley wrinkled her nose in disgust. She turned back to me. “Jackie, you should sit with us at lunch today. We’ll fill you in on everything you need to know ’bout that boy.”
I nodded eagerly. Riley was sweet, and I could use as much education as possible about Cole Water if I was going to figure him out. On top of that, it was the perfect excuse to avoid Erin and her hateful glares. “That sounds great.”
Heather squealed and clapped her hands. As brazen as she was, I decided I liked her. She reminded me a bit of Sammy and somehow that made me relax, even though I wasn’t completely comfortable.
“Perfect,” Riley said, leaning forward on the table. “I can’t wait.”
***
Just like the day before, Cole walked me to the cafeteria after math class. This time when we reached the front of the lunch line, I grabbed my own tray. After paying for my food, I stood on my tiptoes, scanning the tables for Riley, and finally spotted a flash of bright red hair.
I started off in her direction, but Cole reached out and grabbed my shoulder. “Hey, where you going, Jackie? The table is this way.” He pointed to where we sat yesterday, and I noticed Erin watching me.
“Sorry, Cole. I promised my new friend Riley that I would sit with her.”
Cole h
esitated, almost as if he was surprised. “Okay then, Miss Popular, but you have to promise you’ll join me tomorrow.”
“Maybe I can pencil you in,” I joked.
“Fine,” he said, laughing. “At least let me walk you to your table.”
“Sure.”
I led the way through the crowded room, Cole following me. The rows between the tables were so congested that sometimes Cole’s elbow bumped into mine as people shoved by us, sending goose bumps up my arm.
“Hey, girls,” I said and set down my tray. Riley and Heather both stared up at Cole without responding.
“See you after school, New York,” Cole told me. He nodded in Riley and Heather’s direction. “Ladies.” He flashed them a grin before walking away.
As soon as he was out of earshot, Riley began to babble. “Oh, my word! That boy just walked you to lunch. I can’t believe it.”
“Can’t believe what?” I asked.
The two girls looked at me like I was clueless, which I probably was, but it was only my second day. They needed to give me a break.
“The god of all guys is flirting with you,” interjected a boy who appeared out of nowhere and dropped his tray on the table. “And not just casual flirting. More like I want you in my pants flirting.”
The new boy was wearing a crisp blue shirt with a red bow tie. His flawless blond hair was combed to the side, and by flawless I mean like Fabio, Baywatch, or Ford models. “You must be Jackie,” he said. “I’m Skylar, Valley View High’s fashion expert. I run the style blog for the school newspaper. If you’re interested in an editing position, I’d love to work with you. Your East Coast look is so chic.”
“What? No business card?” Riley said, laughing.
Skylar rolled his eyes and turned to me. “She loves making fun of me, but at least I don’t look like a hick,” he mocked in a terrible Southern accent.
“Would you two stop?” Heather said as she flipped the page of the People magazine in front of her. “I wanna hear juicy details about Cole.”
Everyone turned to me.
“What?” I asked, looking back at them. I hadn’t realized they were expecting something from me. I barely knew the guy.
“So?” asked Skylar. “What happened?”
Why did everyone care so much about Cole? He was just one guy.
“He’s in my class before lunch, so he walked me to the cafeteria,” I responded, not knowing what else to tell them. I wasn’t good with all this boy gossip, and I could tell right away that Heather wasn’t happy with my answer.
“But what did you guys talk about?” she demanded. To show she was dedicated to the conversation, she pushed her magazine off to the side. “Did he compliment you? Maybe he touched your arm?”
“Are you talking about Walter again?” asked another girl who plopped down onto the bench next to Skylar. “Sorry I’m late. I got caught up in the computer lab.”
“This is our pet nerd, Kim,” Riley said, introducing her to me. Kim was a slender girl whose long, flowing hair and flawless skin reminded me of an elf. “As long as you don’t make fun of her little computer game or whatnot where she battles mythical creatures, she won’t bite.”
“It’s called a massively multiplayer online role-playing game, Riley.” Kim flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Besides, I don’t battle mythical creatures. I am a mythical creature. My avatar is a dwarf.”
“Avatar?” I couldn’t follow anything Kim was saying.
“It’s a graphic representation of my character, a reflection of my personal self,” she explained for me, even though I didn’t understand a word. I wasn’t quite sure how a three-foot-tall creature could symbolize her tall, willowy frame, but I nodded my head like it made sense.
“Hi, you must be Jackie.” Kim extended a hand to me across the table.
“Wow, does everyone already know my name just because of Cole?” I asked.
She shook her head. “Actually, I’m a friend of Alex Walter. He mentioned you just moved in.”
Heather’s spoon fell from her hand. “What did you just say?”
“That Alex and I are friends? You already knew that,” Kim said, frowning at Heather.
“No, the other part,” Heather said. Her spoon was back in her hand, and she was waving it wildly. “About moving in.”
“Oh,” Kim said, pulling a soda out of her paper-bag lunch. “Jackie just moved in with the Walters. Right, Jackie?”
Three heads whipped around to look at me.
“Um, yes. I live with them,” I said uneasily, afraid of how the group would react.
“How in heaven’s name did you forget to mention something like that?” Riley gasped, her mouth hanging open in surprise.
“Oh my God!” Heather squealed. “You are like the luckiest girl in this whole school.”
“Debatable,” I mumbled to myself. What was so cool about living with a bunch of wild, crazy, childlike boys? Besides, it’s not like I wanted to be living in Colorado. Had Heather already forgotten the gossip she told Riley about my family’s accident?
“She did not just say that!” Heather cried, turning to Kim.
“Jackie, Jackie, Jackie,” Riley said, shaking her head. “Haven’t you noticed that the Walter boys are just perfect?”
“No, they’re better than perfect. They’re gods,” Heather said, dreamily staring off into space.
“That did not just come out of your mouth,” Kim scoffed. “That’s so creepy.”
“Is not! It’s the truth. Jackie has crash-landed in boy heaven. I mean, think about it. It doesn’t matter what type of boy she’s into because there’s one of everything. First there’s Danny, who has the whole mysterious brooding thing going on. Isaac is the classic, sexy bad boy. Next is Alex, your typical geeky, shy guy.” Heather was ticking off the boys on her fingers. “Nathan is the laid-back musician. Lee’s the edgy skater, and then there’s Cole—the golden boy.”
Everyone sighed and nodded in agreement when she said his name.
“I don’t get it,” I said, looking across the cafeteria to the table where Cole was eating his lunch. Erin was sitting in his lap and playing with his hair. “There are plenty of guys who are good looking. What makes him so special?”
“If he isn’t so special, then why can’t you take your eyes off him?” Skylar asked, his eyebrow arching up in question.
“I can too,” I said, quickly looking away. “Besides, I’m not looking for a boyfriend. I need to concentrate on my schoolwork.”
The entire table started to laugh at me, and when they finally started to calm down, Skylar said, “Sure, whatever.”
“Look, I’m just trying to understand it,” I said, frustrated. If I could figure out what made Cole so special, then maybe I could eliminate the twisting in my stomach every time I saw him. “I mean, look at her. What makes her do that?” I said and shook my head at Erin. She was diligently hand-feeding Cole grapes.
“There’s just something about him,” Heather said with a shrug, as if that explained everything. “Some extra aspect that no sane girl can ignore.”
“What is it?”
“You can’t define it, Jackie.” She leaned across the table toward me, hair spilling out in front of her as if she were revealing a trade secret. “It’s what I like to call the Cole effect.”
“But if everyone likes him, there has to be some common variable,” I said, trying to think logically.
“That’s my point—there isn’t! The fact that you can’t put your finger on it, whatever it is, is what makes him so swoon-worthy.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“And yet you feel it, don’t you?” Heather said with a knowing smile.
“Don’t feel embarrassed, Jackie,” Riley said, and when I glanced at her a little too sharply, she added, “We’ve all been swept away by a Cole Walter crush
.”
“I don’t like him,” I said firmly, as everyone rolled their eyes. “I’ll admit he’s attractive, but that’s it. I hardly know him.”
“Deny it all you want, girl,” Riley said, putting a hand on my shoulder. “But I know a lovesick puppy when I see one.”
I wanted to argue again, to let Riley know that she was wrong. I knew I wasn’t lovesick, and yet I kept my mouth closed. The nausea burning inside my stomach held me back. Heather and Riley made it sound as if no girl had the ability to resist Cole, which made my lack of experience with boys that much more disconcerting.
How would I stand a chance? I couldn’t fall for him. Not after what Nathan told me, and especially not after what had happened to my family. It wouldn’t be right. It was too soon. I needed to do well in school so I could follow in my dad’s footsteps.
I couldn’t do that with a boy like Cole Walter distracting me.
Chapter 5
After school, I locked myself in my room and set to work unpacking, determined to keep my promise to Sammy. I would settle in and make the most of my situation. On my bed was a checklist so that as I unpacked, I could make sure all my belongings were here and organized.
Even though it was only spring, the house was hot. The Walters didn’t seem to understand the benefits of air-conditioning, so I had my window shoved up all the way to let what little breeze there was inside. I’d been at it for almost an hour, moving my clothes from boxes to the dresser that Katherine had managed to squeeze into the room, when I heard voices drifting up from the backyard. There was a splash of water, then another. Wiping the sweat from the back of my neck, I peered out the window and spotted two people in the pool.
“You look so sexy when you’re dripping wet. I just want to run my hands all over you.”
It was Erin speaking. She was treading water, her long auburn locks swirling out behind her like mermaid hair. Her fingers worked back and forth as she rubbed someone’s shoulders. He wasn’t facing me, but I recognized his red swim trunks immediately.