Maverick (Maverick Academy Series) (16 page)

Whit was sad to lose Mark
; she’d gotten comfortable around him over the past few weeks. He was just a really nice guy, and good looking too. She’d actually started to think of him as a good friend. Now that was going to be over. She watched as boy after boy drew names and moved to sit with their new lab partners. A guy named Derek got her name and was about to sit down next to her when Nolan slide into the seat instead.

“Hey Derek, I got Whit’s name.
I think you got Caroline’s, didn’t you?” Nolan said. Derek grinned and switched names with Nolan. After watching Derek walk away, Nolan turned back to Whit with a huge grin.

“Hey beautiful,” he said as he slumped into the desk
beside Whit.

“Hey to you too
, lab partner,” Whit replied. a little shaken by the compliment. She immediately got nervous about being this close to him. “So you switched names?”

“Yeah, I couldn’t let you get Derek.
He has a body odor problem which would’ve driven you crazy. I was just thinking of you.”

“
So you were saving me?” Whit asked in disbelief.

“It’s what I do, save damsels in distress,” Nolan flirted as he nudged Whit’s shoulder with his.

Before the conversation could continue, Mr. Peyton started class. There was no further opportunity for chatting until the bell rang.

By that time, Whit
was so focused on gathering her stuff that she didn’t notice the purse strap lying in the floor until it was too late. She stumbled and would’ve fallen it she hadn’t rammed hard into someone. An extremely hard someone.

“Hey, I got you,” he said as he grabbed her upper arms to keep her upright.
“You okay?” he asked as he released her.

Whit
’s eyes drifted up Nolan’s very solid chest to his eyes. He was so close and so hot. All she would have to do is lean forward and …

“Whit, you okay?” he repeated
interrupting her thoughts.

“Yeah, I’m good
. Thanks, I guess you really do save damsels in distress,” she laughed loudly and then berated herself inside for sounding so stupid. She needed to get it together.

“No problem.
It was my pleasure,” he said with a bow.

Once out in the hall, Nolan continued to walk beside her.

“So how do you like Maverick so far?”

“I’m adapting,” she smiled. Then glanced at Nolan and really looked at him.
He was staring down the hallway and Whit thought he looked sad. He changed his expression to a huge smile when he realized she was watching him.

“You okay?” She asked without thinking.
It was something she would have asked anyone that had looked that sad and then tried to cover it with a smile.

“Yeah, of course. Just got some stuff on my mind,” he said looking at the floor.

Whit didn’t know what to do. Should she ask him about it or just leave it alone? They weren’t really friends, he just flirted with her a lot. But looking at him now, she didn’t see that confident guy with the player reputation. She saw someone who needed a friend. Giving into the impulse, she started talking about some of her troubles, hoping it would open him up a bit. She felt crazy exposing some of herself to this guy, but for some reason it felt okay.

“Yeah, school’s okay. But I miss my family,” she said without planning to.

“Me too. I call my mom every day,” he laughed then continued. “My parents are getting divorced and it’s been really hard of her. I feel guilty being here when she needs me.”

As they reached the stairs that would take her to Mind, Whit peaked up at Nolan. He was still focused on the floor, clearly not wanting to make eye contact. She wanted to comfort him, tell him everything would be okay. But she wouldn’t do that because she knew from experience that sometimes things weren’t okay. Instead she grabbed his hand and squeezed, offering comfort the only way she could at the moment.

“It’s hard being away from people you love,” Whit said sadly thinking of her parents.

“Yeah,” Nolan whispered as he squeezed her hand back before releasing it.

The hallway was clearing and Whit knew they needed to go to class or they would be late. But she hated ending this moment with him. He seemed so different, so
likable. Like someone she could talk to and be friends with.

“We’re going to be late if we don’t hurry,
” she said with a small smile.

“Yeah, I guess we better go,” he said but continued to stand there for a moment before turning to leave. “I’ll see you later,” he waved.

Whit gave him a wave and turned to head up the stairs hoping that she had just caught a glimpsed of the
real
Nolan, but fearing that if that were true her heart could possibly be in trouble. 

***********************************

The rest of the afternoon progressed normally. Mind and Movement Performance wore her out. Mrs. McFaddin seemed happy that Whit was more upbeat, but stilled watched her like a hawk. It was obvious that she was worried about her and her reaction to the playground dream. Then, in Movement Performance, Whit’s volleyball team was demolished and she took a spike to the head. Now not only was she developing a crush on the playboy of a supernatural school, but she now had a huge bump on her forehead. Just what she needed to attract a date for Halloween Ball.

As
they walked back to the dorms, Rory filled Ellie in on the whole volleyball-to-the-forehead incident, laughing the entire time. The friendly ribbing went on until Whit called mercy. When they were finally back in Ellie and Rory’s room, the costume discussion began. The girls decided that their outfits needed to be attractive and show some skin, although they would have to keep it within the dress code. Whit argued that there were plenty of things to dress up as that didn’t show skin, but her ideas were vetoed. Ellie decided to go as a pirate because she had a skirt and top that would work. Rory really wanted to go as a super hero like Super Girl or Batgirl, but after searching her closet, came up with zilch. Whit was clueless. She typically would’ve dressed up like a vampire or witch, but this year that just seemed insulting, since those were real and those real people would be at the dance.

After much discussion
, the girls headed across campus to the auditorium, where the costume rentals had been set up. They saw the students lined up around the building and decided to join before it got any longer. By the time they reached the front, it was almost dinner time. After perusing the list of available costumes, Rory found a Catwoman outfit that she absolutely adored.

Whit tried on at least five different costumes before choosing a Little Red
Riding Hood outfit. The dress was white and red checkered, and ended a few inches shy of her knees. Her favorite part, however, was the hooded cape. The girls agreed that the outfits would do great with a few adjustments here and there. By the end of dinner, they’d made plans to get ready before the dance together and then watch a movie after. Rory had added that hopefully some guys from the dance would join their movie night. She asked the obvious question about curfew and how the guys would be able to stay, and Ellie explained that on dance nights, the dorm chaperones loosened up on curfew for the television rooms. Whit thought Rory might be a bit boy crazy, but she couldn’t really say anything since she’d been thinking about Nolan a lot lately herself.

Ever since their conversation in the hallway,
Nolan had been at the back of Whit’s mind. She had looked for him at dinner and felt disappointed when she hadn’t seen him. He had allowed her to see a part of him that Whit didn’t think he showed many people and she felt confused by that. On one hand he was this cocky womanizer that annoyed her, but this afternoon he had been vulnerable and sweet. She didn’t know which Nolan was the real one, but it made her curious to find out.

Chapter 16

On
the day of the Halloween Ball, the school was almost pulsing with excitement. Whit had hoped Nolan might ask her about the dance during Biology, but he hadn’t brought it up once. He had been different since their conversation, more reserved. She would catch him watching her during class, but when she asked him about it, he would say something outrageously flirty. In other words, the cocky player would come back. She’d thought about asking him to the dance, hoping to draw out that other side of Nolan but chickened out in the end. Whit assumed he was going with someone; after all, she knew she wasn’t the only girl that liked him.

Before the dance, it was a madhouse in the upper floors of the girls’ dorm. Girls were running from room to room getting help with makeup and hair, while some were still anxiously trying to figure out what costumes to wear. The dance was for freshmen and up, and it appeared that everyone that could go, did. Whit got dressed in her dorm room, then headed down to Rory and Ellie’s for help with these so-called adjustments they wanted to make.

Before she left, she saw
Nalini dressed up as Aphrodite. She looked really pretty, and they’d even complimented each other on their costumes. Nalini and Whit’s relationship was based on being friendly when in the same room, as long as Darby wasn’t around. Nalini spent a lot of time out of the room, so Whit felt like she had a single most of the time. When she was there she was nice, but they didn’t talk much. Nalini kept to herself, and so did Whit.

Nalini wasn’t bad, as far as roommates went. She kept her side of the room clean, never bothered Whit’s stuff, and was usually very considerate. They had actually developed a lukewarm friendship, even going so far as to trade basic personal information. She had found out that Nalini was a
spellcaster specializing in ice, which Whit thought sounded pretty neat.

The only real annoyance was Darby. She was around a lot
, and still constantly making disparaging comments. Just the other day, she had made fun of Whit’s clothes. She’d made some statement about how Whit needed to start dressing like an adult instead of a kindergartener. Yes, she had been wearing a Powerpuff Girls shirt, but really, was that comment necessary? Every time Darby was nearby Whit’s self-esteem took a hit. She’d attempted to return an insult early on, but had ended up stuttering and messing it up, basically looking like a huge idiot and giving Darby more ammunition. She just wasn’t mean like that, and decided the best thing to do was just smile and be sugary sweet nice to her.

Now, of course, i
t was hard not to laugh thinking about the confused look that had crossed Darby’s face when Whit told her thanks and smiled after being insulted. Darby probably thought she was “special.” She had asked around about Darby’s gift, just out of curiosity, and found out that she was also gifted in mind. Whit had tried to talk to her about it one day, but Darby had rolled her eyes, made a little joke, and then walked away. Obviously she didn’t think much of Whit.

Not that it mattered. At least Nalini was her roommate, and not Darby.
So whenever Darby was there, Whit escaped to the library or Rory and Ellie’s.

***************************

When Ellie opened the door, Whit was taken aback completely. She always looked gorgeous, but tonight, in her short and raggedy pirate outfit, she looked incredible. Then there was Rory, looking foxy in a very tight Catwoman costume. Whit glanced over the outfit a second time and wondered if she was in the limits of the dress code. By comparison, Whit’s outfit was wholesome and probably wouldn’t even get attention if she stood near those two.

Ellie eyed Whit’s dress
, then told her the skirt was entirely too long. She grabbed some safety pins and went to work. Then the bodice of the dress became tighter, thanks to Rory. Before long, Whit was putting on a white pair of tights and a pair of red Mary Jane’s with chunky heels. Ellie curled Whit’s hair into ringlets and tied the hooded cape around her neck. She turned to look at herself in the mirror, and gasped.

Her reflection was a
stonishing. She couldn’t believe the transformation from the time she left her room until now. She actually looked pretty and like she fit in with Rory and Ellie.

Her shoulder length brown hair had been curled and pulled into pig tales, giving her an innocent look.
The dress, however, was now anything but innocent. Rory had shortened her dress by several inches, showing off more leg than Whit had felt comfortable showing. Ellie had tighten the bodice and pulled it down so there was a hint of what laid beneath. Her cape was draped over her, making her appear a bit mysterious. Whit continued to stare at the mirror, dumbfounded, until a knock at the door interrupted. Rory threw the door open and laughed.

Rosco was the spitting image of
Johnny Depp in
Pirates of the Caribbean
. He looked really great, and when he stood next to Ellie, they could’ve been movie stars getting ready to prepare for a scene. After complimenting each of them on their costumes, Rosco escorted Ellie, Rory, and Whit out of the dorm and toward the cafeteria.

Upon entering the cafeteria, Whit glanced around in wonder.
The room had been totally transformed into a ballroom, with sparkly orange and black streamers hanging from the ceiling. The tables had been pushed to one side and each had a lighted jack o’ lantern sitting in the middle. A buffet had been set up along one wall, offering a variety of Halloween-inspired treats.