by Kasi Blake
“There she is!”
The scream sliced through Starr’s tired brain. She winced behind designer sunglasses. It was too early in the morning to deal with random yelling. If she had it her way, no one would be allowed to do more than whisper until she was totally awake and in a good frame of mind. She parked her car in the lot across from the massive gray stone building. Baycott Academy, the finest private school on the east coast or so the brochure claimed. You wouldn’t know it by the way some of the students behaved.
She slammed the car door and almost lost a book off the tall stack in her arms. The one on the top, a thin library book she’d borrowed for research threatened to slide off. Leaning her entire body to the other side kept it from doing so. She balanced them on her hip long enough to tuck the keys into her purse. Her straight tawny-colored hair caught in the zipper. Wincing, she tugged it loose minus a few broken strands.
After she got her possessions under control, she glanced around.
Curiosity turned to cold dread. Several students with tight, angry faces charged her from the left, arms cocked, ready to launch some sort of artillery. They weaved around parked cars. She didn’t have time to wonder what they were going to throw at her. Somehow she didn’t think it would be flowers.
“Get her!”
Her head snapped around. Kids came at her from the right, too. They were trying to box her in. The books in her hands seemed to put on weight, and she almost dropped them in her haste to escape. Feeling numb from head to toe, she forced her legs to move.
She took off as fast as she could, heart thundering, grateful she’d worn sneakers instead of flip-flops today. Holding her school books tight to her chest, she ran. Her purse bounced at the end of a long strap dangling off one shoulder. At the edge of the parking lot something struck the side of her head. A frightened cry burst through parted lips. Her hand went to the injured area and found it wet.
Multi-colored balls flew past her. A yellow orb exploded against the sidewalk near her feet. Water sprayed her ankles. The rich kids were throwing water balloons at her. She should have known this was going to happen, should have been prepared for it. Of course they hated her; she’d gotten their favorite teacher fired. Mr. Brighton had been selling test keys to the wealthy dorm students. She’d collected the evidence and handed it over to the headmaster yesterday, right before the school paper printed the story.
Frantic, she sprinted for the double glass doors at the top of the stairs. Her best friend poked her head out and yelled encouragement. A few more feet and she’d be safe.
Starr raced up the stairs milliseconds ahead of rapid balloon-fire. Flashbacks of the war documentary her father had made her watch last year sprang to mind. Balloons hit the ground behind and beside her like bullets from a machine gun. One exploded against the concrete partition leading up the stairs. Water sprayed her again. Part of her wanted to spin around and confront her attackers. It was their fault Brighton had been fired, not hers. They shouldn’t have been cheating.
During the past two years working on the school paper she had been the recipient of dirty looks, vague threats, and an occasional well-placed kick, but she’d never had half the school out to get her.
Lily reached out, grabbed her arm, and yanked her inside. Tall and willowy in a snug floral print sundress, she looked like she’d stepped off a magazine cover. Even her fingernails were perfect, just the right length, rounded on the ends and painted blush pink. Hands on hips, the pretty brunette shook her head and said, “I told you not to write that story on Brighton. Didn’t I? Are you happy now? Everybody hates you.”
“I’m fine,” Starr said, gasping for breath. “Thanks for asking.
The adrenaline rush left her feeling shaky. Safely inside the school, she stopped to take inventory. The plaid mini-skirt had been spared, but her black peasant blouse was completely soaked on one side. In an effort to see better, she raised the dark sunglasses until they held her hair back like an expensive headband.
She turned to look out the transparent doors. The angry students headed back to the parking lot. At least they weren’t mad enough to bring it inside and risk getting expelled.
A smattering of applause caught her off guard. Eyes wide, she turned to find students crowding around her. The rich kids might want her dead, but the locals seemed to appreciate her efforts. One boy said, “Good job, Hughes. I hated Brighton.”
“Yeah,” a boy named Seth put in. “He failed me last year, but every single stupid rich kid passed his class. Now we know why.”
Lily stood beside her, beaming from ear to ear. With a smug smile she lifted her chin high and announced, “I’m the one that told her to get Brighton fired... and I helped her write the story. It was my idea.”
Starr gaped at Lily, speechless. Lily had given her non-stop grief over the story. Now she wanted to take credit for it?
Someone said, “The headmaster fired him last night.”
Another said, “They should have put him in jail.”
A few more students congratulated her before moving on.
And that was the problem with Baycott.
There were three main groups at school. The locals hated the rich kids currently living in the dorms. The rich kids hated the locals even though most of their parents had money. Okay, maybe the locals weren’t rolling in the green stuff, but they weren’t poor either. When the two groups weren’t avoiding each other, they were fighting.
And the third group hated them all.
The It-Squad. Since most of their members had graduated last year, there were only three of them left. They were the minority, but somehow they continued to rule the school. Kids respected, feared, and envied them. Teachers wouldn’t say a word against them. It was weird. For years she’d tried to find a logical reason for their untouchable status. That particular story somehow eluded her.
Calling them the Squad and dropping the stupid ‘It’ from their group’s name while talking about them behind their backs always gave her a tiny thrill, like twisting an invisible knife when no one knew she even had it.
Lily checked her face in the mirror inside the locker door while Starr tried to put her books away. They shared the metal storage box. Sometimes it got crowded.
A hard body bumped into Starr’s back, almost knocking her face-first into the locker. She spun around, cutting remark on her lips. Then she saw who it was and froze. Dylan Winchester. He was one of the Squad members, the one she most wanted to get to know.
Those incredible blue eyes enveloped her.
Her heart beat faster.
“Did you shower in your clothes this morning?” he asked.
What? She saw his lips moving, heard the deep timbre of his voice, but couldn’t understand a word. For a moment she lost the ability to process the English language. She blinked at him. Lily insinuated herself between Starr and Dylan. Twirling dark hair around two fingers, the girl said, “Some of the rich kids threw water balloons at her.”
“Want me to take care of them?” he asked Starr, neutral expression so she couldn’t tell if he was joking. “Break their legs? No? Well, you let me know if you change your mind.”
“O-okay,” she mumbled.
To say Dylan was totally gorgeous was an understatement. The guy was so hot he could set off the inside sprinklers if he stood too close to them. His brown hair was always a mess, looking like he’d just rolled out of bed. Sometimes the urge to dive into that hair with her fingers was near-impossible to resist. Then there were his eyes, eyes so blue they made her forget her own name.
And if all that wasn’t enough to make a girl’s knees weak, he was the perfect height for her, lean with a surfer’s body, well-toned and muscular. She’d seen him without a shirt a few times while he was at the beach. He had a clearly defined six-pack that…
Fingers snapped in front of her face. Huh?
Startled, she did a double-take at her best friend.
“Earth to Starr,” Lily said with a roll of her eyes. “Hello? I’m supposed to be the boy-crazy one. Remember?”
Dylan was halfway down the hallway. Starr’s gaze followed. He looked almost as good from the back as he did from the front. Sigh. If she had it her way, the two of them would be a couple by Christmas.
It drove her nuts, wanting to talk to him and not being able to form simple sentences. She could go up to anyone, get in their face and ask personal questions or make threats if the situation called for it. However, every time she got within five feet of Dylan Winchester her throat closed and her tongue got tied in knots. Why couldn’t she be more like Lily?
“I don’t get it.” Lily leaned back against their neighbor’s locker and tore the wrapper off a red sucker. “You like him, so why don’t you get all up in his business like you do with everyone else? Find out what makes him tick. Snoop around.”
“Don’t you think I’ve tried? His school records are practically blank. Someone scribbled over the most interesting parts with a black marker.”
Lily gasped. “Oh my gosh! I’ve seen that done in a movie. The guy was a secret agent and they didn’t want anyone to know.”
“I don’t think Dylan Winchester is a secret agent.”
“No, but he could be related to one. Or maybe he’s in the Witness Protection Program.” Lily’s mouth and eyes grew wider by the second. Excited, she bounced on the balls of her feet. “No, no, no, no, no, wait. I think he’s a narc. That’s why he’s so mysterious. He’s undercover. That is so cool. I wonder who he’s after. It couldn’t be me. Could it? You don’t think he’s here for me, do you?”
Without comment Starr’s gaze returned to Dylan. At the other end of the hallway now, he joked around with his two friends. The boys pushed each other the way that boys do when they are showing off. The only female member of the Squad stood aside and watched her male counterparts. Her laughter hit Starr’s ears like a yowling cat that had just been stepped on.
“He’s not a cop, Lily, and he’s not after you. But they are up to something, and I’m going to find out what. If it’s something bad, hence illegal, I am going to expose them.”
Lily shook her head vehemently. “No. Don’t do that. He could be related to a mobster. Maybe that’s why his school records are blacked out. They’ll kill you or they’ll have someone else kill you, whatever it is they do, and even if they don’t do anything, everyone will hate you. So do us both a favor and leave them alone. If you go down, you’ll take me with you, and I like being popular.”
“Sorry. I can’t sit on a story, not even for you.”
“Yes you can.”
“I already have a lead,” Starr said. She moved closer to Lily and lowered her voice to a soft whisper. “They were in the headmaster’s office yesterday, and they were talking about playing a game here at school. The headmaster gave them permission. It sounded… wrong, bad, sneaky. I don’t know what kind of game they were talking about, but I’m going to find out.”
Lily frowned, dark brows drawing close over blue eyes. “How do you know what they were talking about? Were you hiding in his office again?”
“Nope.” A smug smile stretched Starr’s lips. “I have the headmaster’s office bugged.”
“What!” Lily slapped a hand over her mouth. The red sucker almost hit her in the eye. A few strands of hair clung to the sticky thing. Making a face, she pulled them loose.
Several curious stares turned in their direction.
Starr glared at her best friend. “Do you mind? If I wanted the whole school to know, I’d make an announcement over the PA system.”
“When I loaned you some of my dad’s spy equipment, I didn’t expect you to use it to eavesdrop on the headmaster. If you get caught, I’ll get in trouble.” Lily whined, “Why did you bug the headmaster’s office?”
“I wanted to hear the exchange between the headmaster and Mr. Brighton. I’m the one who caught Brighton selling test answers, but the headmaster refused to let me be a part of it, so I slipped in when no one was around and planted a bug. I wanted to make sure the headmaster wasn’t in on the deal with Brighton.”
Starr paused long enough to make sure no one was listening in on their conversation. She added, “After Brighton was dismissed, the Squad showed up and told the headmaster they were about to play this game. They called it Witch Hunt.”
“Creepy.”
“You got that right.”
Lily made a face. “Why do you like Dylan so much anyway? He’s cute, yeah, but this school has tons of cute guys. Dylan’s as dumb as a rock, and he’s always broke. Most of the cute boys have cash to burn. Why pick one of the broke guys to fall for?”
It wasn’t a matter of choosing him. She couldn’t help how she felt. Her heart beat faster every time she saw him. It was chemistry, pure and simple. “Even if I explain, you won’t get it.”
“Try me.”
With a shrug, Starr admitted, “He’s not as dumb as you think.” Slamming her locker shut, she faced Lily. “He dropped his notebook a few years ago. I happened to be walking behind him, so I picked it up and a read a few pages. He writes poetry.”
Lily snorted.
Daydreaming about it with a wide smile on her face, she said, “It was beautiful, really dark stuff but beautiful. He’s a good writer, and he doesn’t use a little ‘i’ instead of a capital one. You know how I hate that. Most boys in this school don’t know what punctuation is, and they couldn’t spell if their lives depended on it. Dylan’s different.”
Starr held her books against her chest and continued to stare into space while considering the possibilities. She could picture it now, a life with Dylan. They’d attend the same college. Maybe he would write poetry for her and read it to her under the stars. His secrets would always be safe with her... if she could trust him with her heart.
“I have to find out what they’re up to.”
Other Books by Kasi Blake
Vampires Rule
Werewolves Rule
Shifters Rule
Wizards Rule
Mortals Rule
Crushed
Witch Hunt
Hunter
Warrior
