Why did everyone care so much about Cole? He was just one guy.
“He’s in my class before lunch, so he walked me to the cafeteria,” I responded, not knowing what else to tell them. I wasn’t good with all this boy gossip, and I could tell right away that Heather wasn’t happy with my answer.
“But what did you guys talk about?” she demanded. To show she was dedicated to the conversation, she pushed her magazine off to the side. “Did he compliment you? Maybe he touched your arm?”
“Are you talking about Walter again?” asked another girl who plopped down onto the bench next to Skylar. “Sorry I’m late. I got caught up in the computer lab.”
“This is our pet nerd, Kim,” Riley said, introducing her to me. Kim was a slender girl whose long, flowing hair and flawless skin reminded me of an elf. “As long as you don’t make fun of her little computer game or whatnot where she battles mythical creatures, she won’t bite.”
“It’s called a massively multiplayer online role-playing game, Riley.” Kim flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Besides, I don’t battle mythical creatures. I am a mythical creature. My avatar is a dwarf.”
“Avatar?” I couldn’t follow anything Kim was saying.
“It’s a graphic representation of my character, a reflection of my personal self,” she explained for me, even though I didn’t understand a word. I wasn’t quite sure how a three-foot-tall creature could symbolize her tall, willowy frame, but I nodded my head like it made sense.
“Hi, you must be Jackie.” Kim extended a hand to me across the table.
“Wow, does everyone already know my name just because of Cole?” I asked.
She shook her head. “Actually, I’m a friend of Alex Walter. He mentioned you just moved in.”
Heather’s spoon fell from her hand. “What did you just say?”
“That Alex and I are friends? You already knew that,” Kim said, frowning at Heather.
“No, the other part,” Heather said. Her spoon was back in her hand, and she was waving it wildly. “About moving in.”
“Oh,” Kim said, pulling a soda out of her paper-bag lunch. “Jackie just moved in with the Walters. Right, Jackie?”
Three heads whipped around to look at me.
“Um, yes. I live with them,” I said uneasily, afraid of how the group would react.
“How in heaven’s name did you forget to mention something like that?” Riley gasped, her mouth hanging open in surprise.
“Oh my God!” Heather squealed. “You are like the luckiest girl in this whole school.”
“Debatable,” I mumbled to myself. What was so cool about living with a bunch of wild, crazy, childlike boys? Besides, it’s not like I wanted to be living in Colorado. Had Heather already forgotten the gossip she told Riley about my family’s accident?
“She did not just say that!” Heather cried, turning to Kim.
“Jackie, Jackie, Jackie,” Riley said, shaking her head. “Haven’t you noticed that the Walter boys are just perfect?”
“No, they’re better than perfect. They’re gods,” Heather said, dreamily staring off into space.
“That did not just come out of your mouth,” Kim scoffed. “That’s so creepy.”
“Is not! It’s the truth. Jackie has crash-landed in boy heaven. I mean, think about it. It doesn’t matter what type of boy she’s into because there’s one of everything. First there’s Danny, who has the whole mysterious brooding thing going on. Isaac is the classic, sexy bad boy. Next is Alex, your typical geeky, shy guy.” Heather was ticking off the boys on her fingers. “Nathan is the laid-back musician. Lee’s the edgy skater, and then there’s Cole—the golden boy.”
Everyone sighed and nodded in agreement when she said his name.
“I don’t get it,” I said, looking across the cafeteria to the table where Cole was eating his lunch. Erin was sitting in his lap and playing with his hair. “There are plenty of guys who are good looking. What makes him so special?”
“If he isn’t so special, then why can’t you take your eyes off him?” Skylar asked, his eyebrow arching up in question.
“I can too,” I said, quickly looking away. “Besides, I’m not looking for a boyfriend. I need to concentrate on my schoolwork.”
The entire table started to laugh at me, and when they finally started to calm down, Skylar said, “Sure, whatever.”
“Look, I’m just trying to understand it,” I said, frustrated. If I could figure out what made Cole so special, then maybe I could eliminate the twisting in my stomach every time I saw him. “I mean, look at her. What makes her do that?” I said and shook my head at Erin. She was diligently hand-feeding Cole grapes.
“There’s just something about him,” Heather said with a shrug, as if that explained everything. “Some extra aspect that no sane girl can ignore.”
“What is it?”