Chapter 11 #2
That was probably another reason why he went to fetch the nurse. I must not have adequately fed his ego this morning. Maybe he was hoping this extra good deed would make me chase after him in grateful thanks. I could guarantee that would not be happening.
“Perhaps we can just keep this between the three of us then?” I asked. “I really don’t want anyone else thinking there’s more to this than there is, and I’d hate for anyone to go out into the woods to try to fake an injury.”
“Of course,” Cress agreed.
Anna looked disappointed. “But this is such good gossip …”
Cress folded her arms over her chest. “Anna …”
“Okay. Okay. I won’t tell anyone.”
I let out a breath in relief. “Thanks, guys. I really appreciate it.”
They gave me warm smiles in return, and I knew they’d keep their word.
Once the girls had recovered from the shock of hearing what had happened with Noah and me in the woods, we headed to the dining hall for breakfast. It was lucky we left the dorm early because I was still struggling to walk properly, and it took us a while to make it over to the other building.
I was glad Cress had suggested I bring my schoolbag with me because I would have struggled to get to the dorm and back before classes started.
Thankfully, I didn’t need to carry much, just the laptop and tablet I’d found in my suitcase when I unpacked.
They were both so shiny and new I was nervous to carry them around with me.
I’d never owned a tablet before, and my laptop at home was ancient.
It was a hand-me-down from one of my mom’s old boyfriends.
It was so old it took about ten minutes just to start up.
It was a miracle it was still working, and I had to save my schoolwork every few minutes because it was known to shut down without warning.
The dining hall was far emptier this morning than it had been last night, and the echoing sounds of conversation were much quieter. I still got a few curious glances as I walked through the room, but people seemed far less interested than they had been at dinner.
“Half the school is probably hungover,” Cress said as she looked around the room.
“Yeah, I bet they’re all still in bed, waiting for the last possible second to get to class,” Anna agreed.
I wasn’t sure how anyone could choose sleep over a good breakfast. Especially when the food here looked so amazing. The buffet had whole sections dedicated to baked goods, fresh fruits, cereals, and yogurts. There were even chefs standing by to cook fresh eggs, pancakes, and waffles. It was insane.
I was tempted to try a bit of everything but eventually settled on some fruit, cereal, and yogurt. My stomach grumbled with hunger, but I was starting to get nervous about my first day of school, and I didn’t think I could handle much more than a light breakfast.
“You two seem fine this morning,” I said as we sat down at the same table as last night. It had looked as though Cress and Anna were only just getting started when I left the party, and given how late it was when Cress returned, I was surprised she didn’t seem more tired.
“We both tend to dance the booze off,” Cress said with a laugh.
“Or we’re too busy dancing to get more drinks,” Anna added with a smile.
“Or making out with hot boys …” Cress gave Anna a knowing nudge with her elbow.
“You kissed someone last night?” I gasped.
Anna’s cheeks turned the slightest shade of pink. “Maybe.”
“She means definitely,” Cress said with a laugh. “Angus Whitmore was all over her.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me.” Anna’s head fell into her hands.
“Is he that bad?” I asked, confused as to why she was so embarrassed.
“Yes,” Cress replied. “He might be hot, but he’s a pompous ass.”
Anna groaned in agreement before lifting her head out of her hands. “I always swear I’m not going to kiss him when I go to these things, but somehow, we always end up in a corner making out. It’s terrible.”
A laugh slipped out of me at the dismayed expression on her face. “Why do you do it then?”
“Because he’s a really, really good kisser.”
Cress glanced over her shoulder before pointing at a guy on the other side of the room. “That’s him over there.”
I followed the direction she was nodding in. “The guy drinking out of a tea cup?”
Cress snorted out a laugh. “That’s the one.”
I could see why they thought he was hot.
His school shirt clung to his muscles, and he had a nice tan.
His light hair was perfectly slicked back, probably the result of a painstaking morning routine.
He was definitely a good-looking guy but far too put together for my liking.
He even sat a little too straight, and I could see why he might be too uptight for Anna.
As I was watching Angus, my attention strayed, and I caught sight of Noah sitting at the table behind him. He’d changed out of his sports clothes, which was probably a good thing. The girls at breakfast would have caused a riot if he was sitting there with his chest and abs out.
Still, he looked far more appealing in his uniform than he probably should.
His tie was slightly loose, and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows showing off his strong forearms. I didn’t know forearms could be an attractive feature on a guy, but Noah made them look hot.
He was sitting with Luther and Kaden but none of the crowd he’d been surrounded by last night.
His expression was reserved as he sat and talked quietly with his friends.
“He’s hot, right?” Cress said.
“Very,” I murmured before realizing she was still talking about Angus and obviously not her cousin. I blushed and glanced away. The last thing I needed was for the girls to catch me staring at Noah.
“So, how are you feeling about your first day?” Anna asked. She was desperate to get the conversation away from Angus, and I was happy to oblige. There was nothing worse than having to relive something you were embarrassed about.
“A bit nervous,” I said. “I still have no idea how to work my tablet. I can’t even find my class schedule on it.”
“Oh, that’s easy,” Cress said. “Pass your tablet here, and I’ll show you.”
I fished the tablet out of my bag and handed it to her.
“This is the school app,” she explained, pointing to one of the squares on the screen. “Once you log in with your student details, it gives you everything you need. The school gives you a generic password to begin with, and you can change it straightaway.”
As I watched her fingers fly across the tablet screen, I felt grateful for her help. There was no way I would have figured it out on my own. I wasn’t a complete tech Neanderthal, but I’d also never even had a smartphone of my own.
“So, I’ve changed your password to Cressisthebest, which shouldn’t be too hard to forget,” she said with a wink. “And I’ll just bring up your class schedule …”
“Oh, what’s she got?” Anna asked, scooting closer. “I wonder if we’re in any classes together …” She peered at the screen over Cress’s shoulder, and her face scrunched up like there was a bad smell under her nose.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“You’re taking such boring classes!” Anna said it like I’d done something to personally offend her.
“I am? Let me take a look.”
Cress handed the tablet back to me, and I scanned the screen.
She was right. My first day was filled with English, math, and a business management class.
I let out a breath of relief when I saw biology and chemistry were on my schedule later in the week.
I also appeared to be taking an economics class.
It was obvious Matthew had picked my schedule for me because I had absolutely no interest in any sort of business classes. I was also guessing he’d consulted my mom because biology and chemistry were by far my best subjects.
I’d always had a natural affinity for the sciences, and I often imagined I’d pursue them in some way at college.
I’d completely given up on that dream over the summer, but seeing the subjects on my schedule now reignited a little of the excited spark I’d felt so many times before when imagining myself at college.
If Mom could handle things back home without me this year, maybe she’d be okay if I was away for college too.
Matthew had offered to pay for my studies, after all.
That’s if I could bring myself to stomach more of his help.
“We’re not going to have any classes together all year,” Anna complained.
Cress shuffled closer so she too could study my schedule. “Well, we have English and bio together,” she said, smiling at me. “Oh, and all three of us share the same PE class.”
“I guess that’s something,” Anna mumbled, struggling to hide her disappointment.
“Anna takes mostly arts subjects,” Cress explained. “I wasn’t in any of her classes last year either.”
“Yeah, and it sucked. Looks like this year’s going to be just as dull.”
We were interrupted by the sound of chairs scraping across the floor, and I looked up to find two identical boys taking a seat at our table.
They were both handsome with dark blond hair and warm brown eyes.
They weren’t overly muscular but tall with athletic builds.
The fact they were wearing the same school uniform only added to the feeling I was seeing double.
“Anna, are you eating those hash browns?” one of them asked. “Because they just ran out, and you know they’re my favorite.”
The twins might have had all the same features, but their expressions couldn’t have been more different. The guy who’d spoken had a cheeky smile on his face while his brother was rolling his eyes and shaking his head.
“Don’t even think about it, Sawyer,” Anna said, slapping his hand away as he reached for her plate.
He pouted in reply. “Think of it as a gift to welcome me back to school.”
“I wouldn’t share these with you even if it was your birthday,” she replied before taking a big mouthful of her hash brown patty and groaning with delight. “Damn, this is good.”