All-American Princess - Maggie Dallen Page 0,34

are your wise words of wisdom about then?”

“Fitting in,” I said. “Maybe making friends.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I have no desire to do either.”

Now, it was my turn to raise my brows in disbelief. “Not even if it helps you to earn back Brandon’s trust?”

Her look of disgust faded, and her gaze turned scheming. “Okay, fine. What’s your advice?” She jabbed a finger into my chest. “And if you even think of telling me I need to swap out my designer clothes for some nasty Walmart rags, you can think again.”

I leaned forward and lowered my voice. “Play nice.”

Her instant frown had me stifling a laugh.

“Also not going to happen,” she said.

“You expect to win Brandon over by being a brat?”

“No, I expect to win him over with logic.” Her response was instant, and now it was my turn to frown.

“What does that mean?”

Her eyes darted over my features, studying me. She seemed to come to a decision, and she shifted the books in her arms once more. “What I’m offering Brandon,” she said slowly. “It’s a good opportunity. It could be exactly what he needs.”

I glanced over at Brandon and scoffed. “So… what? There’s nothing in it for you? You’re just here out of the goodness of your heart?”

She shook her head. “Of course not. I have my own reasons for wanting Brandon to come home with me.” Her lips quirked up seductively. “I have big plans for us.”

Us. The word made my stomach clench, and the way she smiled made me want to grab her, pull her close, and kiss her until she stopped thinking about Brandon in that way. I wanted to chase away all thoughts of my friend that could make her smile like that. I shoved that thought aside and focused on her words. “So, you admit it,” I said. “Your motives for taking Brandon with you are selfish.”

She narrowed her eyes a bit, but she didn’t look offended. She looked like she was studying me, reading what was going on behind my eyes. “Maybe my reasons are partially selfish,” she said. “But that doesn’t change the fact that this could be a great opportunity for Brandon. This move could be the best thing that’s ever happened to him and to his family. So really…” She tilted her head to the side, and her eyes locked on mine. “Maybe it’s time to consider whether you’re the one who’s being selfish.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but I wasn’t quick enough. I watched that short skirt of hers twirl, revealing the most gorgeous thighs known to man. Then that perfect ass sashayed as she strutted into the classroom and sank into the seat beside Brandon.

The second bell rang, and I cursed under my breath.

Thanks to the frustratingly sexy ice princess, I was going to be late for my first class on the first day of senior year.

But it wasn’t just that bugging me. It was her last statement about Brandon. About me.

I’d been looking out for Brandon for so long, I wasn’t sure if he still needed me or if I wasn’t ready to lose him.

Either way, her words stuck with me…

And so did the memory of that ass.

Twelve

Lila

Two weeks. Two weeks of Hell on Earth and what did I have to show for it?

Nothing.

Well, an A+ average thanks to the less challenging course load and an ever-dwindling amount of texts and calls from my friends back home.

Out of sight, out of mind, it seemed.

I prodded at the greasy slab of pizza on my lunch tray. Let’s not forget the ten pounds I’d lost since moving to Hell. Not in a good ‘I’ve just done a fab juice cleanse’ way. Rather in the ‘all of the food here tasted like sponge or a grease trap’ kind of way.

Stellar cuisine was hardly a selling point for Pinedale, Montana.

What was a selling point? I glanced around at the cliques sitting and gossiping at their tables. I couldn’t honestly say. I was stuck in a nightmare. Worse, it was a repetitive, boring nightmare interspersed with check-in calls from Daddy that took it from boring to tense and upped my desire to get the hell out of Dodge before Daddy could make me leave.

But the problem was I was no closer to convincing Brandon than when I’d first started.

Actually, I was further away from it.

At least on that first day, I’d caught Brandon’s eye. He’d looked at me with a smile and had laughed and talked easily. These past two