Chapter Three
MONTANA
Ipassedkids who were excited about a day off from school as I trudged home. I should be excited too. I had a day to explore my new town and help Mom unpack. Part of me was elated that I didn’t have to sit in school on such a beautiful day. But I had been having fun trading barbs with Train fucking Everly, although I knew I should stay far away from him. The last time I’d been drawn to a guy, the fallout had been heart wrenching. Fast forward two years later, and I hadn’t fully recovered.
“Are you going to talk to me?” Elvira asked, running up to me. “Is everything okay? Did the incident with Drew freak you out, or are you running from something?”
I was always running. I tried not to make many friends because why bother when I would only move again. It was hard, though, when the kids in this new school were open, nice, and fun. At my last school, everyone kept to themselves, so it had been super easy for me not to get attached. Plus, my former high school was much larger in size, with hundreds more students than Palmetto High.
I pounded my feet against the pavement as I passed houses and moss trees.
Elvira ran in front of me then held up her hand. “Montana?”
With trash cans on my left and the street on my right, I came to an abrupt halt. “What?” Immediately, I felt bad for acting like a ninny. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bark.” My nerves were still sizzling from the whirlwind morning I was having. The chemistry blunder paled in comparison to the way Train affected me. Or maybe the heat was getting to me.
“No worries.” She studied me. “Did my cousin try to get in your pants already? Or did Train say something to make you mad? Train can be a dick sometimes.”
He seemed to know how to push my buttons. Not only that, this girl had me pegged, which was both odd and scary. The only person who could read me well was my mom, and only because I didn’t let anyone else get close to me.
I briefly glanced at a passing car.
Wrinkles formed on Elvira’s smooth forehead. “Oh my God. That’s it. Train has gotten under your skin.”
“It’s been a crazy morning,” I said. “I should get home. My mom has probably heard about the lab explosion and is panicking.” I was surprised she hadn’t shown up at school or called me.
“So the morning didn’t go well. Come with us to the beach. You can give Train a piece of your mind.”
That didn’t sound like a bad idea. “You seem like a fun person, but I can’t be your friend.” With the street quiet, I hopped off the curb and went around her. “I don’t stay in one place very long.”
She rushed to my side. “Are you and your parents gypsies or something?”
“Nah. I’ve gotten expelled from schools and, in some cases, not allowed to return.”
“Seriously? What in the world do you do to get expelled?”
I lifted a shoulder. “At my last school, I painted a wall in the gym.” I’d painted a great scene with boys playing basketball. That wall had needed some character to liven up the place.
Flecks of sparkles around Elvira’s eyes glimmered in the sunlight. “Like graffiti?”
My antenna went up. I could be in more trouble than I thought if she tagged. I’d always had a hard time saying no to anyone who wanted to tag. “Yeah. Are you into graffiti?”
“Pfft. I couldn’t paint a nail if you asked me to.”
I giggled.
“Ah. I got you to laugh. See. We can be friends. So what if you leave town. I’ll come visit you.”
My heart burst open. “That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”
“Really? If that’s all it takes, then I won’t tell anyone you’re easy.”
Please tell Train that I am.“So what do you do for fun other than the beach?”
We crossed the street of the dense neighborhood where houses sat amid trees, shrubs, and flowerbeds.
“Mainly parties, movies, and football games. Oh, and sometimes we head into the city to the Music Farm.”
“I like music of all kinds. Is that a place for concerts?”
