Abby giggled again. “We’ll see. I plan to get a killer body over the summer break. I’ve been doing a low carb thing, even though it makes me super-cranky. And I’ve been busting my ass in the gym with squats and stuff.”
“This is you being super-cranky?” I asked in disbelief.
“Nah,” she whispered. “I totally cheated this morning, but I only had half a pastry, so I’m trying to pretend it didn’t happen.”
Abby was so vivacious and full of life that it was impossible not to smile along with her.
I grinned at her. “Can we be friends?”
“Duh,” she laughed. “It’s obvious we’re going to be besties by the end of this tour.”
As Abby led me around the campus, she gave me all the good gossip, along with pointing out the essential places that I’d need to know. She breezed past the residence halls, since I wouldn’t have any reason to go there.
“Because if you find a guy, you can just bring him home with you,” she explained.
I laughed, but finding a boyfriend was the last thing on my mind right now. I just wanted to get back to my old life.
“You live here year-round?” I asked curiously.
Her brightness dimmed for only a second before it was back in full force. “Yup, I usually meet up with my dad for Christmas every year, though.”
I couldn’t help but notice that she hadn’t said ‘go home for Christmas,’ I wondered what it was that her dad did for a living? Was it rude to ask?
“And you live with the Wilders,” she said pointedly. “How’s that working out for you?”
I sighed. “Richard is nice enough, Maverik hates me, and Kingston can get a little too friendly at times,” I told her honestly.
Abby threw back her head and laughed. “So, things are great?”
“Fantastic,” I said sarcastically.
Abby gave me a shoulder bump. “You can either be sad about how your life sucks, or you can laugh at how outrageous it all is. You’ll feel better if you laugh.”
I looked at her out of the corner of my eye as we strode down the walkway arm-in-arm. Abby had a smile on her face and a bounce in her step. If she hadn’t given me a couple of little hints, I would have thought that her life was perfect. But Abby was hiding her sadness deep inside. Who’s to say that she didn’t have the right idea? Abby was living her life to the fullest, and I needed to start doing the same.
We passed by tennis courts on our way to the athletic building, and I was amazed again at just how huge this school was. There was an actual stadium in the back that looked like it was probably used for football.
“This is our last stop,” Abby told me cheerfully. “Then we can go find lunch. I’m starving.”
My stomach grumbled, and I remembered that I hadn’t eaten my breakfast because of the morning drama. “That sounds great. Do you usually eat on campus?”
Abby shrugged. “Yeah, there’s a bunch of options. The cafeteria is pretty good; they have a sushi chef there on weekdays. There’s also a café if you just want a sandwich or something.”
She pulled open the heavy door into the building, and I helped her hold it open so we could both pass through. “This is the home of our athletics, and probably what you’re the most interested in, since you’re a dancer?”
I nodded. “Yeah, ballet specifically.”
“Cool. Off to the left is the basketball court. Our team sucks, so no one cares.”
I chuckled at her obvious brush off. “Over here is the ice rink. We have a couple of figure skaters aiming for the Olympics, and our hockey team is nationally ranked. But you probably already knew that?”
I glanced at her. This school trained people for the Olympics? I thought the headmaster had said that he considered sports to be a hobby? There was no way these figure skaters could train enough to get to the Olympic level without making sacrifices in the academic area. Did he have something against ballet or something against me personally?
“I haven’t done any research on the school,” I admitted. “I’m going in blind here.”
Abby looked at me in surprise. “I just meant because of the Wilder brothers. How they’re literally carrying the hockey team to the championships? And Maverik is just about to start his senior year, so this will probably be their best season yet.”
“Huh, I didn’t know they played hockey,” I admitted. “We don’t exactly sit around chatting all day. More like occasionally exchange threats to stab each other.”
Abby laughed uncomfortably and pulled me to a stop. “They’re kind of a big deal here.” She looked around the hallway and leaned in. “There are some things about this school and your new brothers that you need to know.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Like what?”
“Like how everyone needs to know their place,” she whispered nervously. “There’s a pretty strict social hierarchy that’s been in place for years.”
She bit her bottom lip before continuing. “I know you guys live together and everything, but you should probably stay away from them if you don’t want to become a target, especially if you’re saying they won’t protect you.”
“A target for what?” The more she talked, the more confused I got.
Abby sighed. “The Wilders are some the wealthiest students here, but they weren’t born into this like everyone else. Their dad is first-generation new money, and he stepped on a lot of toes to get where he is right now. The kids with older money only grudgingly tolerate the
