Saint (Angelview Academy #1) - E.M. Snow Page 0,11
line through that door over there.” I follow the path of her pointed finger and nod. “You can grab a plate and pick what you want. I will warn you, though, there are crab legs and a sushi bar.”
“No fucking way!”
“Oh, man. I’m gonna like you, Mallory,” she laughs.
I move to stand up in order to grab food, but I pause when a group of guys approach the table, their eyes alight with excitement and their gazes locked on Alondra.
She heaves a heavy sigh from behind me, and I hear her grumble something that sounds suspiciously like, “Here we go again.”
“Hey, Baby Juggernaut,” one of the guys, a big, beefy dude with short-cropped black hair, says with a wide grin. “Hell of a fight last night.”
Curiosity furrows my brow, and I glance toward her, but she doesn’t appear fazed by the comment. “Yeah, it was a good one.” She gives a curt nod, though she doesn’t seem overly thrilled by the conversation.
“He’ll be able to compete for a title again soon, yeah?” another of the guys asks. He’s shorter and blonde with baby cheeks.
She releases another deep sigh. “Next month, hopefully.”
“Awesome,” the first guy gushes like a fangirl.
“Okay boys, trying to hang out with my new friend here.” Alondra waves her hand at them, shooing them away. “Be gone.”
The group moves on, chatting excitedly among themselves. Nibbling on my bottom lip, I stare at Alondra, silently asking for an explanation. She peeks at me before letting out an exasperated breath. “So … my dad’s kind of a big deal with the sports groupies at this shithole.”
“How so?”
She glances around, as though afraid to say it out loud. “He’s a pretty popular MMA fighter, so after every fight, the guys usually—”
“Hold on!” I slam my hands flat on the table as I replay the bigger guy’s comment in my mind. “Is your dad Titus James? The Juggernaut?”
Her brown eyes widen with obvious surprise. “Uhhhhh … yeah, actually. How the hell do you know that?”
Because I’m a huge fan. One of the only decent boyfriends my mom ever had used to watch MMA on Pay-Per-View all the time and would let me join him. I’ve been hooked ever since. Not that I’m going to tell Alondra any of that. People at this school may know I’m here on scholarship, but there’s no way in hell I’m going to let them find out about everything else.
My drug-addled, missing-in-action mom.
The accident.
James.
Don’t think of that now. Once the memories break free, you can’t put them back in their box.
“One of my uncles is a big MMA fan,” I say, erring on the side of just enough truth so she can’t tell I’m full of shit. I mean, that’s what Mom always called her boyfriends when they were doing us favors like buying me new school clothes or paying our light bill. Uncles.
Clearing my throat, I shrug and add, “I used to watch with him when I was a kid and have had a small obsession ever since. Your dad is my favorite.”
“Well damn, I didn’t expect that.”
I want to ask more about her dad, but her expression suddenly darkens and her eyes lock on something behind me.
My eyebrows tug together. “Loni? What’s wrong?”
“Don’t look now, but two of the gods have arrived.”
“The gods?”
“Hot Draco’s minions.” Nostrils flaring, she scowls. “They just walked through the door with their usual throng of thirsty admirers.”
I can’t help myself; I turn around because I have to see what all the fuss is about. Who are these gods? The way Alondra acts, they seem larger than life, but they’re just other students, right? What could be so scary about a couple of rich boys?
Gabe is strolling through the dining hall with a cocky smirk, looking for all the world like he owns the place. The boy walking next to him looks a little less arrogant, but a lot moodier. He has that tortured rock star vibe—lankier body draped in a black long-sleeved shirt and dark worn jeans, lips thinned in a brooding line, a swagger in each step he takes. His artfully disarranged black hair and dark eyes only add to the air of angst that seems to radiate off him.
I turn back to Alondra. “Why’re they such a big deal?”
Besides the obvious. They’re outrageously hot but then, just about everyone at this school seems to be.
She seems a little surprised by my question, but quickly launches into a thorough explanation. “For starters, they’re only the most egotistical, rude bastards