Page 21 of The Secret Girl (Adamson All-Boys Academy 1)
Stop it, Chuck, I growl to myself, turning back to the mirror and brushing my teeth with a frenzied motion. It's the only outlet I have for my feelings right now. A hot flush colors my cheeks, and I do my best to pretend I don’t see my embarrassment mirrored back at me from my reflection.
“You sure run fast for someone who has medical issues,” Church says, still smiling. When he frowns at me, I shiver.
“You sure don't act like a Student Council president. More like a bully.” I spit and rinse my mouth, pulling out a pink headband to hold my hair back. And then … I realize they're all still watching me. I'm not stupid enough to actually think pink is tied to the female sex, but society still has outdated gender expectations. Surreptitiously, I stuff the headband back in the bag, and decide against washing my face.
“That wasn't three minutes,” the twins say in unison, flicking their toothbrushes in my direction.
“Dentists recommend you brush for at least three minutes,” Micah says (and please understand, it's always a guess when I name a twin) as he saunters over to stand on my right.
“You don't want to get cavities now, do you?” Tobias continues, taking up on my left. They reach for me, and I duck underneath their arms, stumbling out of the way. I'm so frenzied to get away from them—I really don't want a toothbrush shoved down my throat—that I leave my bag.
There are tampons in there. And a pantyliner.
If they open it, they'll know.
I dive forward to grab my bag, and they let me have it. Neither of them makes a move to grab me this time. They just stand there and watch me as I finish packing my stuff. But they're definitely standing too close. I swear, I can smell them, this bright fresh scent, like newly mowed grass and spring flowers, a little earthy with a hint of sweet.
“You're the weirdest boy we've ever met,” they add, perfectly in unison. How they do it, I have no idea. It's almost eerie.
“I'd rather be weird than boring,” I say, turning and raising my eyebrows as they both just stand there, blocking my way. “Well?” The twins part and let me through as Spencer glares at me, rubbing his lower back with his right hand while he brushes his teeth with his left. Just before I exit the bathroom, I pause. I'm not friends with these guys, not by any stretch of the imagination, but at least we're on speaking terms. Sort of. I don't know anyone else at this stupid academy. “Do you guys know anything about the graduating class from ten years ago?”
The tension in the room changes dramatically, from petty bullshit to cold fear.
“Why on earth would you want to know about that?” Church asks, turning around sharply. He levels an ice-cold look on me that turns his honey-amber eyes to stone. Ranger pulls the towel on his head over his face for a moment and then chucks it into the sink.
“I … just heard a rumor,” I start, and then Ranger is spinning on me, moving forward and grabbing me by the front of my shirt. He jerks me toward him and gets in my face, cold and scary and quiet in his rage.
“From who?” he asks, and his voice is so dark that I shiver from the sound of it.
“I don't know, just some guy,” I choke out, reaching up to curl my fingers around his wrist. As soon as I touch him, his eyes widen, and he pushes me back. I stumble, but I manage to keep my feet. “Why does it matter?”
“Don't go digging into shit you don't understand,” Ranger whispers, and then he's storming past me and out the bathroom door. It slams shut behind him, and I take in the grim faces of the other four boys. There's this darkness in the air that I don't like.
“What did I do?” I say, and my voice echoes in the fancy marble bathroom.
“You should go.” Church is staring at me with a flat gaze that makes my skin crawl.
For a split-second there, I almost protest, just out of natural orneriness. The twins don't give me a chance, stepping forward and grabbing me by either arm. They unceremoniously toss me onto my ass, their green eyes dark as they look down at me, rubbing my lower back and cursing.
“What the hell is going on here?” I snap, and the two of them exchange a look.
“Only idiots talk shit about Ranger’s sister, Chuck,” they reply, sticking their tongues out at me and flipping me off at the same time. The bathroom door is slammed in my face, and I'm left to sit alone in the dark to contemplate.
The things my mind comes up with … are far from pleasant.
