Private (Private 1)

P R I V A T E

13

with my next step. He slipped the sleek cell he’d been texting on

“I’ll take that back now,” I said, reaching for it.

into his pocket, unfolded his long legs, and stood up, picking up my He turned away from my grasp, holding the schedule up with

schedule along the way. His dark hair fell over his forehead in a both hands. I racked my brain trying to recall if there was anything messy yet somehow totally deliberate way, one lock landing right embarrassing or overly personal on there. Did it say I was on

over one of his strikingly deep blue eyes. He wore a gray heather scholarship? Did it say where I was from?

T-shirt that hugged a perfectly lithe frame. His features were angu-

“Hmmmm. . . tough schedule. We have a smarty on our hands.”

lar, his lightly tanned skin flaw-free.

The way he said it, I wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or a bad

“New girl,” he said, looking me up and down.

thing. “Not really,” I replied.

I flushed. “That obvious?”

“And modest, too,” he said, sliding a glance in my direction.

“I know everyone that goes to this school,” he said.

“You’re one of those girls, aren’t you?”

“Everyone?” I said. Hardly possible.

I was flaming red by this point. “What girls?”

“It’s a small school,” he said, studying me.

“Those girls who are smart but pretend they’re not. Those girls Didn’t feel that way to me. In fact, it felt pretty damn huge. But who are absolutely model-level gorgeous but are always saying

then, it was my first day.

they’re ugly,” he said.

“Pearson! Quit flirting and throw the ball back!”

Gorgeous? Gorgeous? I hated compliments. Never had any idea Before I had only felt the guys hovering. Now “Pearson” held his what to do with them. Especially ones I suspected were backhanded.

hand out for the ball and I looked up at his friends, six of them, all

“Those girls whose very existence tortures all the other self-

sweating and heaving for breath about twenty yards away. Rather esteem-lacking girls around her.”

than handing it over, I turned, took a few steps, and punted the ball I snatched my schedule out of his hands and stuffed it into my

to the guy farthest from me. It fell right into his hands. One of the back pocket.