The Boarding School Experiment (17 page)

Students groaned half on their behalf, half on ours.

“I know you will make the newcomers feel welcome. Please remember your nerves from the first day, and welcome your newest classmates.”

The first new student entered, a pasty guy our age. He looked at the crowd, paused a step then continued down the sloping aisle toward the stage without looking up again. He wore black sweatpants and an olive T-shirt. The students around us clapped. Other newcomers filtered in behind the first guy, all moving slowly in their uniforms, like a poorly dressed graduation processional.

I grabbed Thane’s wrist. “I can’t see Piper.”

Thane didn’t answer.

Rhys Zukowski crossed into view. He leaned one arm on the rail, his gaze under his overlong bangs assessed the crowd, the seating, and the dome. Despite his nonchalant posture, his expression said,
F.U. and which wall do I blow up first?

“Who’s that?” Kaitlin sounded a little nervous, a little excited.

I swallowed. “Rhys Zukowski.”

“
My
Rhys?” Her voice squeaked and her eyes widened.

“Uh, maybe you shouldn’t call him that.”

As if Rhys heard us, though he couldn’t have from that distance, his head turned and his eyes narrowed—on me. He pointed, and said, “You.” Rhys put one foot on the rail, climbed up and over, and was in front of us fast.

Thane tensed and let go of me, moving in front of me.

Rhys dodged Thane and his fingers gripped my arm: tight, pinching the skin, cutting off the blood flow. “Why did you pull me into your little game?”

Thane grabbed Rhys’s shoulder and wrenched him away.

I stumbled at the sudden release. The release from the fire in Rhys’s ocean green eyes and the loss of his grip.

Thane clenched his fist and swung, landing a punch on Rhys’s jaw. Rhys’s head snapped back.

I couldn’t believe Thane was defending me. I watched the two guys struggle and became worried. Rhys wouldn’t really hurt me, but he’d hurt Thane. Thane’s privileged upbringing and football training didn’t compare to Rhys’s trailer park fighting skills. “Stop,” I said.

Rhys rebounded, and in that moment, looking at the light in his green eyes, I became certain he’d driven out the meth lab.

“Guys,” I said, and they ignored me. Rhys kicked hard into Thane’s ankle, and Thane went down, landing in the aisle. Students jumped back, forming a circle, no one interfering, everyone watching.

Rhys crawled over to throw a punch into Thane’s cheek, and the back of a bench caught his arm, slowing the motion. Thane’s head snapped to the side and he used his larger weight to shove into Rhys.

Rhys fell back, his T-shirt untucked and tangled around his six-pack. Thane stumbled to his feet and stupidly waited for Rhys to gain his. He should have taken advantage of his position with Rhys on the floor. I would have, Rhys would have. Trailer park 101: life rarely sends you an advantage, so if you get one, jump on it without hesitation.

Kaitlin threw her body over Rhys, her arms straight out. “Don’t hit him.”

Rhys snaked an arm around Kaitlin’s waist, trying to pull her away. She turned and clung to him like a piece of taffy stuck to the wrapper the week after Halloween. “I’m Kaitlin.” Her hands griped his shoulders and her hair fell around their faces like a curtain.

Rhys pushed the strands away, gently, just enough so he could stare at Thane. “I owed you one. But you only get one.”

Oh. Thane hadn’t been defending me. The beat down had happened because Rhys had hooked up with Thane’s cheating ex.

“Here now, here now.” Coordinator Steele moved in. “None of that. What are you doing?”

“Just greeting my old friend here,” Thane said, and offered Rhys a hand up in one of those inexplicable guy gestures.

Kaitlin and Rhys came up together.

“That right?” Coordinator Steele asked.

Rhys nodded. His feral grin didn’t reassure me at all, and I doubt anyone else bought it either. “That’s right.”

“Okay then, up on the stage with you, young man,” Coordinator Steele said.

Kaitlin’s hand lingered on Rhys’s arm, and she trailed after him, talking about the matching, and percentages. Rhys glanced down at her a few times, not saying much.

Rhys wouldn’t tell on me, not with his subversive nature, but he would get revenge. Well, I would in his position. I listened with half an ear as the director thanked everyone and talked about room assignments.

I checked each row, each face twice. My stomach tightened each time I failed to see Piper.

The second the director dismissed us, I said, “I’ve got to talk to Rhys.”

“Let him cool off.”

“I have to.”

Thane walked to the exit. “Come with me.”

“I can’t.” I ran down the aisle, forcing my way through the crowd, the huddled groups who were greeting old classmates, and meeting the new people.

Cementing my new relationship with Thane was important, having Rhys not want to kill me was important, but most of all, I needed to find out what happened to Piper. I made it to Rhys and got right into the small circle surrounding him. “Where’s Piper?”

Rhys shook his head, further tousling his long bangs. “Houston, I guess.”

“What do you mean? She wasn’t on your plane?” My voice dwindled as he shook his head again.

Rhys didn’t seem inclined to expound at first, but my desperation made him relent. “I got a letter over the weekend, and I flew out on Monday. Your family said to call when the phones are fixed.”

“Thanks.” My shoulders sagged. “When I saw you, I thought Piper would be here.”

Rhys crossed his arms over his chest. “Piper said to tell you honeysuckle doesn’t bother her. And she’s dying for you to write.”

“What does that mean?”

“I don’t speak girl.”

“Please, Rhys.”

“She got her period, Elena. That clear enough for you?”

My shoulders relaxed. Thank you, God.

Kaitlin moved closer to Rhys and stared up at him. “So, you know. We should go out, no one else matched at 98%.”

That was incredibly brazen for Kaitlin. Good for her.

Rhys stared at her like she was confusing math problem. “I’m not really into assigned dating.”

“He’s really not, Kaitlin. He’s really not your type.”

Kaitlin frowned at me and shook her head, then turned to Rhys. “You let Elena take your opportunity. Are you going to let her take me from you too?”

“When you put it that way, I guess you could show me around.” Rhys threw an arm over Kaitlin’s shoulders. Trouble glinted in his eyes.

I said, “Rhys, she’s nice, really nice, don’t—”

Kaitlin’s face turned red, and her eyes pleaded with me to stop.

“Stay out of it, Elena.” Rhys drawled out my name with his Texas accent.

I loved the sound, but I had to defend my friend. “Don’t take out being pissed at me on Kaitlin.”

“I’m not the one with the misplaced rage.”

Ouch. “No, you’re all surface rage and action, and Kaitlin’s all heart and open. I’m saying don’t screw her over.”

Rhys’s gaze dropped to Kaitlin. “What can you show me?”

Chapter Eleven

Before they could take off, more students shoved into our circle, greeting Rhys the same way they’d welcome a new cell phone—eager fascination. Especially the girls, Rhys had that type of appeal. He took their fervor in stride and assessed the habitat. “What’s up with the phones here? Why aren’t they fixed?”

“They’re trying,” someone said. “It just hasn’t worked.”

Rhys looked dumbfounded by their response. “This is Alaska, not Canada.”

Kaitlin said, “The earthquake messed with the lines and the satellite tower.”

He made a derisive noise, but his rage had definitely left.

I said, “Yeah, it’s weird here.”

Rhys checked out the crowd. “What kind of weird? Flash mobs, plankers?”

Kaitlin’s eyes narrowed and her small frame tensed, looking just beyond me. “What do you want?” She threw an arm around Rhys’s waist as if to hold him back.

I followed her gaze to see Thane. The crowd surrounding Rhys retreated.

This was as hostile as I’d ever seen Kaitlin. Guess she didn’t like the welcome her match had received from Thane.

The weight of Thane’s arm curved around my waist. His face blocked my view for a moment and his lips pressed to mine in a quick warm kiss that jolted my insides. He straightened. “What are we talking about?”

Rhys’s mouth gaped then shut and his eyes widened with unholy glee. “You’re
not
dating him.”

I shook my head. “No.”

“Yes,” Thane said.

I rubbed a hand over my forehead, no clue how to explain.

“They’re not matched or anything. Elena’s match, oh, I guess that would have been Piper’s. Which makes so much more sense, because Elena and Declan don’t get along at all. But they were only 60% anyway.” Kaitlin shrugged and Rhys looked confused by her incomprehensible speech.

“Yeah, Declan’s a douche, and no way Piper would date him.” I turned to Kaitlin. “Did you explain about how you’re the most compatible pair here?” I completely kept the sarcasm out of my voice. I needed this distraction.

“Oh, yes.” Kaitlin said. “It’s a lot for him to take in.”

Rhys had been in my Calculus Three class. I’m sure he grasped the math, but I didn’t disillusion Kaitlin. If Rhys wasn’t jumping on the bandwagon, well, she was better off, way better off.

The director went to the microphone and announced a group meeting for the newcomers. Kaitlin left with reluctance, but I was happy to get Thane out of there.

***

A tap sounded on the door and someone I didn’t recognized handed Kaitlin and me official notes instructing us to go to the director’s office.

Kaitlin waved hers. “What do you think?”

I shrugged. “No clue.”

We climbed the ramps to the restricted area. Near the top, Thane caught up to us carrying his own note. We sped up. We had one major thing in common: Geneva.

Kaitlin knocked on the administrator’s door with sharp, impatient raps. The Scientist escorted us to the director’s office and left us there. Thane and I raced to the seats in front of the director’s desk, while Kaitlin paced by the bookshelves, scanning titles, twisting her hands. The doorknob clicked, and Kaitlin hurried over to the third chair.

The director sank behind his desk. Up close, he seemed smaller, probably my height: average for a woman, small for a man. “Thank you for coming.” His hand surfed the air as he gestured at us while his gaze rested on some papers. “We have a delicate situation, so I thought I’d bring you up here to discuss it privately. You’re going to need a replacement team member.” He slid a piece of paper to the edge of the desk. “You need to replace Geneva.”

My stomach sank. His words ended the imaginary hope that he’d have good news. “How is she?”

“Fine from all reports. Her family’s understandably protective and want to keep her home.”

That didn’t sound like Geneva or her
suck it up
family, but when a bear attacks your kid, maybe you alter your philosophy.

“As I said, we’re here about your shortages.” He looked at Thane. “As team captain.” He glanced at Kaitlin and me next. “And as roommates.”

Kaitlin stiffened and stared at Thane, as if daring him to talk. “We already asked one of the new students, Rhys Zukowski, and he’s agreed to join our team.”

A frown wafted over the director’s face and he drummed his nails on the desk.

Kaitlin flushed, but looked at me for support. My lips twitched at her lie, but I owed her. “Yeah, he agreed.”

“Okay.” The director grabbed his keyboard and typed in high arcing strokes. “He can room with Mr. Trallwyn then.” He passed one more piece of paper across the desk. “And you girls will also need a third roommate.”

Kaitlin took the page without looking at it.

“We’ve shuffled some of the girls to accommodate the new students and address issues where people weren’t getting along with their roommates.” The director flattened his hands on the desk and looked at the door. “That’s all. You’re dismissed.”

We got up without further discussion and stepped into the hallway. I unfolded the page to read the name of our new roommate.
Nevaeh Jorvanson
was scrawled across the top.

“She’s not new.” Kaitlin’s usually sparkling voice held dislike.

I could barely stand the one minute each laundry shift that I spent with Nevaeh. She was also the bitchiest of our suitemates. My stomach sank.

Kaitlin glanced up at Thane. “Trade you?”

Thane read over my shoulder and his mouth twisted. “No way.”

***