Georgetown Academy, Season One Read online

  “Why are you so late?” Ellie asked him.

  “Baseball meeting. Coach wants me to recruit some rookie who’s the son of the new ambassador to Venezuela.”

  “You should show him your Sports Illustrated article. I know you still carry it around with you,” Ellie said teasingly, then turned to Taryn. “Narc was named one of the top baseball recruits in the country.”

  “Thank god. I’d never get girls otherwise.”

  Taryn doubted that. Narc had a self-deprecating charm about him that was pretty adorable.

  When the bell rang forty minutes later, Taryn couldn’t have been happier about the assigned seating situation. She and Ellie grabbed their bags and walked toward the exit of the dining hall.

  “What class do you have now?” Ellie asked her.

  “Spanish with Mrs. Hudgins.”

  “Don’t ever look sad in that class. She’s married to the guidance counselor and tells him everything. I walked in there with puffy eyes one day from an allergy attack and Mr. Hudgins harassed me for weeks with pamphlets about teenage depressive disorders.”

  Taryn laughed as they made their way out of the dining hall. Ellie was starting to make her feel like her old self again. Clearly, not everyone here was like Nora, Liesel, and Chanel girl. Just because G.A. wasn’t what she was expecting didn’t necessarily mean it was a bad place. Besides, she had always believed getting out of your comfort zone was a good thing.

  As they stepped out to the covered walkway, Taryn saw Gabe, that hot guy from math class, about to walk by them. This day just kept getting better and better.

  “Gabe, hey,” Taryn couldn’t help but say as he passed by. Her stomach fluttered a little when he stopped to talk. “Ellie, this is Gabe. He’s new here, too.” She turned to Ellie. All the color had drained from her face.

  “We know each other,” Gabe said, his tone unreadable. Taryn instantly got the feeling she was missing something. The air between the three of them was suddenly suffocating.

  Ellie turned to Taryn, blatantly ignoring Gabe. “So do you want me to show you where your Spanish class is?” she asked, her voice no longer carrying the light tone it had just a minute ago.

  “I can show her. I’m actually headed that way,” Gabe jumped in.

  Ellie gave him an icy glare, then turned back to Taryn. “He’s probably lying. You shouldn’t trust anything he says.”

  “Maybe Taryn doesn’t jump to conclusions so easily.”

  “Or maybe she doesn’t want to walk to Spanish with you and then regret it for the next two years.”

  Taryn couldn’t believe the fire in Ellie’s eyes right now. She seemed totally different from the girl she had just hung out with for the last hour.

  “I guess Taryn can decide,” Gabe said. They were now both staring at her.

  “Fine. What do you want to do, Taryn?” Ellie asked, her eyes flashing.

  Taryn looked between them, speechless. Here was this gorgeous guy who she was instantly attracted to and seemed exactly her type versus a girl who seemed genuinely sweet and actual friend material. If she chose to go with Gabe, Ellie would look at her like a traitor and not want to be friends with her and if she chose Ellie, she would lose any shot she had with Gabe.

  “Hey, Taryn! Want us to help you find your next class?”

  God bless Nora and Liesel. Never in a million years did Taryn think she would be this happy to see their power-hungry little faces.

  “Yes! Great!” Taryn answered quickly.

  As they walked away and Nora prattled on about some party Taryn needed to go to that night, Taryn glanced behind her and saw Gabe and Ellie had taken off in opposite directions. So much for her day getting better.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Tuesday, 3:58pm.

  When Evan Harnett heard her name, she snapped to attention. Hunter McKnight, the student body president, was conducting the weekly after-school student government meeting, and he was staring straight at Evan, his blue eyes meeting hers. Evan tried not to drool, but it was kind of impossible.

  “Evan,” he repeated, “what do you think? Are there enough checks and balances within the school demerit system or should we create an oversight committee?”

  “More regulation is not the answer!” Katie Levine, the wavy-haired tennis phenom and eleventh-grade treasurer, piped up from the back of the room.

  “Duly noted, Katie,” Hunter said, diplomatically, “But I’m asking Evan.”

  All eyes were on her. Evan, still as tiny as she was back in eighth grade, straightened in her chair to give herself a few extra inches and pushed a strand of thin brown hair that had escaped from her ever-present ponytail behind her ear, a nervous habit of hers. She was the student government liaison for the G.A. newspaper, privy to meetings so she could report on them. It wasn’t standard protocol for Hunter to bring her into the conversation, though he had been doing it more and more recently.

  “I think an oversight committee would hold everyone accountable. The system isn’t fair to the students as it stands, right now with teachers arbitrarily picking and choosing which what violations they want to hand demerits out for. ” She bit her lip after she said it, nervous that perhaps she had over-stepped in some way. Evan was a bit of a pathological worrier.

  Hunter nodded, clearly agreeing, and Evan was instantly elated, though she tried to hide it behind what she hoped was a nonchalant smile. It was weird how in these student government meetings, Hunter treated her like a total equal, someone whose opinion he sought out and trusted. But the moment they stepped out of this claustrophobic room, it was back to reality. Hunter hailed from one of the most wealthy and powerful families in D.C., and he was already paving his own way in the city, serving as a junior member of a few different charity boards. He was even spearheading the annual Follow the Stars fundraiser next week. The newly elected president had just appointed his father to Attorney General, but everyone at G.A., including Evan, agreed Hunter would probably surpass his father and actually be the one with the cabinet someday.

  Meanwhile, Evan remained just Evan, scholarship student and daughter of one of the few sets of parents at G.A. who weren’t involved in politics. Her father was a cultural anthropology professor at GW and her mother ran an early education non-profit. Not that Hunter ignored Evan outside of class or anything. He wasn’t snobby like that, and in fact, always made a point to say hello. But Evan, nervous about disrupting the established social hierarchy at G.A., never felt comfortable enough to engage him with more than a wave when they were out in the hallways, especially if he was walking with Ellie.

  “All right, then, that’s all for today,” Hunter said to the group. “I think we should draft a letter to the headmaster next meeting. And in the meantime, we need to hold a special election for tenth-grade secretary. I got word that Daphne Negrin’s not coming back.” Everyone immediately stood up, splintering into side groups to discuss who would make the best candidates. Evan spotted Hunter heading for the door and she quickly walked to the trashcan, pretending to throw away a piece of paper, but more importantly, putting herself in Hunter’s path.

  She had timed it perfectly, and he stopped for a moment when he reached her, giving her a conspiratorial smile.

  “I’m sorry if I put you on the spot, Evan.” He leaned in closer and Evan inhaled the sweet scent that defined Hunter to her, a healthy combination of fresh laundry, pine needles and Polo by Ralph Lauren. In fact, though she would admit it to no one, whenever Evan found herself in a department store, she would mosey past the Ralph Lauren counter so the overzealous salesperson could spritz it on her as she walked by and she could get a mini-Hunter fix.

  Now she noticed him looking at her oddly. Oh god, she realized. Did I seriously just smell him? She promptly let out a fake dainty sneeze in an attempt to cover what he was probably assuming were psychotic stalker tendencies.

  “Bless you,” Hunter instantly responded. He really did have impeccable manners.

  “Allergies,” she lied.
/>   “Anyway,” he continued, mercifully moving on, “thanks for your input. You always consider everything fairly.” A compliment. Redness rose from her neck to her cheeks. She and Hunter had been allied in several meetings recently, but she hadn’t been sure until now that he had realized it.

  “No problem, Hunter,” she said, attempting to sound casual. As if she talked to guys ridiculously hot and smart all day. She suddenly saw the time on the clock behind him and inwardly cursed. If she didn’t leave now, she’d be late for work, but there was no way she was going to willingly walk away from him.

  As if reading her mind, Hunter suddenly said, “Don’t you have your internship today?” Evan nodded in disbelief that he remembered. It was over three weeks ago she had mentioned interning at Today in Politics with Paul Nelson, the nightly news show that was considered required viewing in D.C.

  “Yeah. It’s going to be a huge day there today with the inauguration and everything,” Evan said.

  “That’s so cool you get to see it firsthand.” Hunter pushed a piece of dirty blond hair out of his face and Evan felt nervous butterflies twirl in her stomach. He was looking at her, waiting for her to say something, but Evan’s mind had gone blank.

  “Yup,” she replied, racing through her mind for something else to talk to him about. Anything to be able to stand next to him just a few minutes longer.

  “Well, then, I better let you go,” he said before she could come up with anything good. “See you around, Evan.” He was already at the door.

  “Right. See you around,” she called out after him, kicking herself for not being more naturally witty.

  Evan moved back to her desk and quickly packed her bags. She was supposed to take notes during the Today in Politics staff meeting and Maura, her supervising producer, would have her head if she missed any part of it.

  As she dashed into the corridor, she saw Hunter down the hall, standing with Ellie at her locker, holding her bag for her as she decided which textbooks she needed. She bent her head toward him and they laughed at something Evan couldn’t hear before Hunter leaned in and gave Ellie a quick kiss. A pang of jealousy hit Evan and she thought, for probably the millionth time, How did she get so lucky?

  Back when she and Ellie were still best friends, the two of them used to take the long way home after school just so they could drive by Hunter’s house, both of them daring each other to ring the bell and talk to him, knowing neither of them ever would. And now, here Ellie was, laughing with him in the hallway as if it were no big deal.

  Evan was so busy watching them that, as she turned a corner in the hallway, she ran smack dab into a guy walking toward her, landing her in a heap on the floor. As Evan straightened herself out, she came face-to-face with Gabe and couldn’t help but laugh with relief that it was him, and not some older, intimidating junior or senior. Not to mention the fact that she was safely out of Hunter’s line of sight. A fall like that in front of him would have been seriously humiliating.

  “Evan Harnett. We run into each other again,” Gabe said with an eyebrow raise. “Literally.”

  “Sorry about that,” Evan said with a grin, as he held out a hand and helped her up. She and Gabe had met years ago when his parents became board members of the non-profit organization that Evan’s mother ran. Though they were different in lots of ways—Evan was a devout rule-follower and Gabe never met one he didn’t want to break—they immediately recognized kindred spirits in each other, having the same taste in books and movies. They had kept in touch over the years through Facebook and email, dropping each other a line whenever either of them had seen or read something they thought the other would like, from the latest Wes Anderson film to the Truman Capote novels they both were fans of. When they saw each other in history class earlier that day, they had jumped straight back into their face-to-face friendship as if no time had passed.

  “What are you up to? Aside from running over innocent people in the hallway?” Gabe asked. “Want to grab a coffee at Politics and Prose?” The coffee house-cum-bookstore was one of their old favorite haunts.

  “I wish,” Evan said, genuinely. She would love a chance to catch up with Gabe on the last few years. Plus, she had seen from afar some sort of showdown between Ellie and Gabe outside the dining hall after lunch and was curious to hear Gabe’s side of the story. She, after all, was the one who had introduced them, something she wished she’d never done considering how disastrously it ended. “Maybe later this week?”

  “Sure thing,” he said. “Catch you later.”

  Evan was speed walking to her car five minutes later, zipping up her coat as she passed through the sprawling eastern corner of campus with its enormous track field, the basketball gym, home to the reigning district champions, and the perfectly manicured baseball diamond.

  “How was your meeting with McKnightus?” a familiar voice asked her from behind. Evan turned to see Luke Jensen smiling. Evan blushed, then laughed. She and Luke had become best friends over the past two years...ever since she and Ellie stopped speaking. And the one thing Evan learned quickly about Luke was that nothing ever got past him, especially Evan’s feelings about Hunter, whom he had taken to referring to as “McKnightus.”

  “Shhh!” she said, with a playful nudge. “I don’t need the whole school hearing about it.”

  “The entire female population of G.A. is already in love with him. I don’t think the fact you are too would be shocking.”

  “True,” Evan replied, though she looked behind her just to double-check that no one was listening.

  As they passed G.A.’s six professional-grade tennis courts, heading around to the front of campus and the student parking lot, Luke looked at Evan tentatively. “So…I was thinking of going to the rookie party tonight.”

  “Really?” Evan was surprised. She and Luke usually shared a mutual distaste for the Georgetown Academy party scene, though Luke had different reasons for shunning them than Evan. “You seriously want to go?”

  Luke shrugged. “I should probably be seen drunkenly hooking up with an intern,” he said. Intern was the word everyone at G.A. used to describe freshmen girls who would do anything with an older guy with a little proximity to power. With a dad who was a longtime congressman and Luke himself being the starting center of the basketball team, he definitely qualified as someone they would be interested in. “I figure it’s been a while. Better to be proactive.”

  Evan looked at him seriously. “Did your parents tell you to do this or something?”

  “Evs, don’t say it like that, like they’re homophobes. You know they don’t care I’m gay.”

  “They don’t care as long as no one finds out.” Evan raised an eyebrow at him.

  “Right. And I feel the same way right now,” Luke replied edgily. Though Luke’s dad had no issues with his son’s sexuality, his district included a large portion of Salt Lake City and the Mormon community who largely financed his dad’s campaign would definitely have a problem with it. So, when Luke came out to his parents, they all agreed he should keep it a secret. It was part of the reason Luke had joined the basketball team. He always joked his skills on the court were a better cover for him than having a girlfriend.

  “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to criticize them,” Evan said, feeling a little guilty. “I just hate that it means you have to hide who you are. It’s not healthy. You were born this way.”

  “Evs, I might be gay, but my life’s not a Lady Gaga song. This is the way it has to be for now. You don’t know what it’s like to have a parent in the public eye.” Ellie used to tell Evan the same thing, though it bothered her a lot more when Ellie said it. Like it was an excuse for why she needed to hang out with people like Brinley Madison.

  They reached Luke’s car, a shiny black Range Rover he kept in mint condition. Evan’s car was a few rows over—a secondhand Taurus her mom let her drive on the days Evan had to work. Otherwise, she was one of the few kids at G.A. who took the metro to school.

  “So do you want
to go?” Luke asked.

  “To the rookie party? I don’t think so,” Evan said, the trepidation already in her voice. Evan had never been to a rookie party, or any G.A. party for that matter, but what was the point? Just to see everyone she saw in school everyday only with lots of alcohol and God knows what drugs involved? Being around out-of-control people like that scared her. Plus, going to the party would give Evan a million more things to stress about. What if she wore the wrong outfit? What if there was some sort of peer-pressure hazing situation like in the old Lifetime movies she and Ellie used to watch where the seniors forced everyone to drink until they threw up or worse? And it wasn’t like she had been technically invited. She knew it wasn’t like formal invitations had been issued, but still. She would be going to someone’s house who had never spoken two words to her. Would he think it was weird that she showed up? Was she supposed to bring something? And if so, what?

  “Are you sure, Evs?” Luke asked, interrupting her inner freak out.

  She shook her head, as she headed toward the Taurus. “I’m sure. Definitely not. But thanks.”

  The war room at Today in Politics was buzzing. It was the point in the staff meeting where the producers pitched out stories they were working on and the energy in the room was fast-paced and nervy. An extra-large conference table served as the hub with rows of chairs circling it. The closer you were to the table, the more clout you had. Evan sat in the fourth and farthest row, taking notes as fast as she could, trying to type every last word. Paul Nelson, the eloquent and respected host of the show, sat at the head of the table.

  “Are you getting all this, Evan?” Maura Ledding whispered from her perch in the row ahead of her, her coffee-tinged stress breath assaulting Evan. Evan’s notes would later be used as a template for her and it was important she have a clean record of everything that was discussed.