“Positive. I have this funny thing about height. I don’t like guys shorter than me, which ruled out most of the school. Plus, most guys had issues with dating a girl who towered over them, especially if I wore heels.”And the rest looked at me differently after Matt, and I had issues with that.
She snorted. “I bet you just intimidated the heck out of them.” Then her eyes gleamed. “But Thad’s taller than you. Or hadn’t you noticed?”
“I noticed,” I admitted.
“That’s what I thought.” Natalie grinned. “Like I said, be good to him. Don’t break his heart.”
“Please.” I rolled my eyes, but Natalie didn’t laugh.
“I’m serious,” she said quietly. “He’s a good guy.”
Good guys are dangerous, because you can’t tell when they’re being bad. I knew that firsthand. Lost in thought, I curled up under my thin sheet, absently wishing I had socks and pulling on my skirt. The micro-mini wrap seemed determined to shrink at every opportunity.
Frowning, Natalie sat up and studied my face in the dim light. “Haven’t you ever had a serious boyfriend?”
“Not really.”
“Either you have or you haven’t.” She sounded Em-direct. “Which is it?”
I sighed. “There was this one guy. Matt Kilwin. He was two years older, and hotter than the sun. I’m talking tall, rocking bod, the whole works. The summer before my sophomore year, we hung out.” I flashed back to buried memories.
“Did you love him?” Natalie asked, curious.
“No.” I shook my head. “I didn’t know him well enough to love him. Talking to Matt was like talking to a mannequin. Or maybe he was so good-looking I couldn’t think of anything to say,” I admitted. “Anyway, we didn’t do much talking. Em called it the ‘summer movie-make-out marathon.’” I smiled, but the memory stung. My mind had already leaped ahead—to Stacia. Five feet of cheer captain fury, leveled at me.
“What happened?” Natalie prompted.
“The girlfriend he’d supposedly broken up with came back from her summer in Spain. They got back together, if they were ever apart. She told everyone I’d tried to steal Matt by sleeping with him—which was so not true, all we did was kiss—but the truth didn’t matter.” My sophomore fall was a total nightmare. Clumps of senior girls, whispering in the halls.Six-foot slut.Amazon whore.Who does she think she is? Matt Kilwin!I closed my eyes to the memories. Matt was forgettable; it was the Stacia fallout that was tough to erase.
“Witch. What did Matt do?”
“Played football, got voted Best-Looking.”
“No, I mean did he stick up for you? No, of course he didn’t; I can tell from your face. What a jerk.” Natalie shook her head, then smiled. “Hey, got you something.” She pointed to the table, where a folded cloth lay beside the gourd pitcher. “Shorts. You pull on your skirt every five seconds, and I figured you’d be more comfortable in shorts.” She shrugged. “Most of us just wrap the skirt tight enough so we don’t flash anyone, and to be honest, after a few weeks here, you really don’t care. But then again, I’m only five foot three.”
A lump had formed in my throat, but Natalie was still talking, in that same rapid-fire pace I’d noticed her use when she was explaining island business. “We’re low on shorts right now, but seeing as you’re taller than most of the guys, I guarantee no one will care. Everyone wears what fits them best.” Now her smile turned mischievous. “And it’s better than a loincloth. They’re worse than the skirts.”
I hugged Natalie tight, so overwhelmed by her thoughtfulness that a thank-you seemed insufficient. But it was all I had.
“You’re welcome. Now go change,” Natalie said, breaking our hug. “I know this pair will fit.” Without pausing, her voice softened. “They were Kevin’s.”
Of course they fit perfectly.
We talked until we grew sleepy. Being with Natalie was like being with Em, like a slice of home on Nil. And yet it was Nil, and Thad was never far from my thoughts. I felt something with him I’d never felt with any boy, ever, even Matt Kilwin. Especially Matt Kilwin.
You do this often?I’d teased Thad after he’d showed me the green flash.Never, he’d answered, sounding surprised himself.
Natalie was right. Thadwasa good guy.
Dang it, I thought.I should’ve kissed him.
I’d just dozed off when Natalie’s voice crept through the darkness.
“France,” she said quietly. “I just remembered. Sabine was from France.”
CHAPTER
21
