Spies and Prejudice (5 page)

He’s lucky his mom sends us so much work, because I’m tempted to break him into so many pieces there’ll be nothing left to find. “Could you be any grosser?”

He grins. “Yes. All you had to do was ask.”

No wonder Collin is the only person at McHenry with less of a dating life than me. “You should go.” Before I hurt you. “I’m not in the mood for this right now.”

He steps closer. “That’s only because you haven’t kissed me yet.”

Before I can respond, Tanner’s low bass rolls down my spine. “She said you should go.” He steps up beside me. Like he knows me. Like we’re friends.

Collin’s gaze flicks to Tanner, and back at me. He opens his mouth to say something and then closes it. “See you Thursday,” he finally says, before he walks away.

I barely wait for Collin to get out of earshot before I turn on Tanner. The anger that had been brewing on the surface spills over in a rush. “What was that supposed to be?”

“It looked like he was bothering you.”

“He’s Collin Waterson. He can’t help bothering people. It’s in his DNA. You didn’t have to go all Cro-Magnon. I had it under control.”

“That was going Cro-Magnon? I didn’t do anything.”

“Please. You might as well wave a club around and drag me off by my hair.”

Tanner’s face gets darker. “I was just trying to help.”

I get that. I do. But the rational side of me is powerless against the emotions that burn hot and want to scald Tanner Halston. “I don’t need your help, and I certainly don’t want it.”

He holds his hands up. “Okay. I’m sorry.” He looks more confused than ever. How hard is this to figure out? I’m not interested.

He’s probably never had a girl tell him no before. He’s used to
girls falling in a puddle at his feet just for gracing them with his gorgeous presence. Especially girls who are nothing amazing.

“What? You expect me to be impressed because you chased away the guy I’ve been chasing away on my own for eleven years?”

He looks almost hurt, which makes me feel almost bad for him.

I sigh. “Alright. Most girls probably would be impressed. But you shouldn’t waste your time. I’m not most girls.”

He stands up straighter, his eyes getting darker. “That might be the understatement of the century.”

I almost smile, but I catch myself just in time. “That I’m not most girls?”

He turns his back on me. “That I shouldn’t waste my time.”

I
let myself in through the side door at Mary Chris’s house. I’ve been coming and going this way for so long that Mr. Moss barely looks up from the mochaccino he’s mixing in the kitchen.

He nods toward the back of the house. “They’re in the family room.”

I hesitate, frozen in place.

Let it go
.

Mr. Moss looks so much different than he did in the parking lot yesterday. So relaxed. More like himself. I open my mouth to say something and close it again.

Let. It. Go
.

I take a step toward the family room, then stop. “Did I see you outside Sconehenge yesterday?” The unspoken question hangs in the air.
Did I see you with a letter from my mom?

Mr. Moss looks up from his coffee. “I don’t think so.” His voice is perfectly measured, but his eyes watch me with new intensity as he takes a sip of his drink.

“Oh. I thought I saw you.” I did. I meet his gaze, daring him to deny it.

He sets down the drink slowly, but a bit sloshes on the counter anyway. “Then you should’ve said hello.” His smile is dark.

There’s an awkward silence before I duck my head and hurry out of the kitchen. Round one to Mr. Moss.

I can already hear Jason warbling away on Mare’s Rockstar Hero game, while someone bangs on the drum set. Not Mary Chris, since she invariably plays the guitar controller.

Sure enough, Ryan rocks his head in time to the music as he pounds on the drums. Mary Chris only half watches the screen as she plays the guitar expertly, most of her attention focused on Ryan. She shouts a “hey,” which barely registers over Jason’s wail. He sings an octave higher than is necessary.

Tanner sits on the far end of the large leather couch, his forearms resting on his thighs and his shoulders hunched forward. He doesn’t even try to conceal his boredom. He glances up at me and immediately looks away.

It’s nothing more than I deserve, but it irritates me anyway. I consider turning back around and heading right back outside to my car. But Mary Chris is my friend. I belong here. If anyone should think twice about hanging out, it’s him. I sit down next to him, deliberately invading his space. “Not playing?”

He shakes his head. “Not my thing.”

“I get it. Sitting on the couch by yourself is far more entertaining.”

He tilts his head, and the sharp lines of his face seem impossibly
softer. His lips curve into a slow smile. “Last time I checked, I wasn’t alone.”

I choke on a breath, standing up and turning my back on him. “Check again.”

I walk over to the minibar and fish out a Diet Coke. Okay, so Tanner Halston’s smile might be more than a little dangerous. It’s like he has this secret weapon that he only brings out when I’m least prepared for it. Even then, it shouldn’t have any effect on me.

I feel Tanner watching me from across the room. When I look up, he looks back down at the floor quickly.

The song ends and the wailing and thumping finally stop.

“Dude,” Ryan says as he sets down the drumsticks and heads over to a small loveseat. He uses the word like the Hawaiian “aloha,” hello, good-bye, and fifteen other meanings rolled into one. “You missed Mary Chris’s perfect score on ‘Twisted Sunshine.’ ”

Mary Chris grins and sits too close to Ryan. They already look like a couple with their matching blond hair and happy smiles.

Jason practically falls onto the same couch as Tanner, but on the far end. “You guys want to go to Dragon Holes? They have unlimited rounds for five bucks on Mondays.”

Ryan grins. “Tell me that is some kind of medieval doughnut shop.”

“Close,” Jason says. “Arthurian mini-golf.”

Normally, I’d be up for it, but everything is different with Tanner and Ryan here, like we’ve all been thrown off balance. Or maybe it’s just me.

Tanner folds his hands across his lap. “I don’t really do mini-golf.”

Of course he doesn’t. It would clash with his twin goals of being better than everyone else and sucking the life out of fun. “Let me guess. Not your thing?”

He narrows his eyes. “Something like that.”

Jason bounces on the cushion. “I know! Let’s play the question game. It will be a great way to get to know each other.” Jason winks at me.

I stick my tongue out at him.

“Cool,” Ryan says. “How do you play?”

Jason turns on his high drama singsong voice. “It’s like Truth or Dare, but without the dare. Each person gets to ask a question of the person on their right, and then that person has to answer.”

“So how do you win?” Tanner asks. At least he’s looking at Jason now. I owe Jason one.

Jason giggles like Tanner’s said something funny. “You don’t. It’s just a fun way to get to know your friends.”

Where does Jason get this stuff? Probably one of those things they teach at Shakespeare camp.

“Doesn’t sound like much of a game.” Tanner says it under his breath, but loud enough for everyone to hear.

Jason’s face falls.

Okay, as games go, this is pretty lame, but Tanner doesn’t need to be so mean about it.

“I’ll go first,” Ryan says, turning to Mary Chris. “What’s your favorite type of music?”

“Old-school boy bands.” Sadly, Mary Chris is telling the truth. It’s something I’ve been forced to endure since the first grade.

Ryan flops back against the couch, his hands clutching his heart. “You’re killing me!”

Mary Chris hits him playfully on the arm. “My turn.” She leans forward. “Jason, if you could play any role in history, what would it be?”

Jason concentrates. “That’s really hard.” He starts counting on her fingers. “I think I can narrow it down to three.”

“Just one.”

“Maria,” he finally says. “
Sound of Music
, not
West Side Story
. I don’t think I could pull off the whole Latina thing.”

I almost roll my eyes, but stop myself when I catch Tanner openly doing so.

Jason turns to Tanner. “Describe your perfect girlfriend.” Jason can’t hide the spark of mischief in his eyes. He’s probably hoping Tanner will say that his perfect girlfriend is a guy. Better yet, a blond Asian whose dream role is Maria von Trapp.

Tanner looks momentarily uncomfortable, and for a second I think maybe Jason’s ploy might actually be working. He stares down at the carpet and then back up at me. Oh no. I move more firmly behind the minibar.

“She’s the most beautiful girl in any room,” he starts. “She can talk to anyone, from foreign dignitaries to construction workers. She’s great at sports and loves adventure. She has traveled the world and speaks at least three languages.”

I should be relieved. Any ambiguity in Tanner’s feelings about me can be firmly categorized on the side of “in no way interested.” I will never be the most beautiful girl in a room as long as I hang out with Mary Chris. And while I’m sure I can carry a conversation with
a construction worker, dignitaries—did he seriously say dignitaries?—are way out of my league. I am not an athlete in the traditional sense, although I can beat the daylights out of most people thanks to years of judo. Finally, I’m strictly a one-language girl. Two, if you count a proficiency in pig Latin developed in the sixth grade. As far as Tanner is concerned, I in no way classify as girlfriend material.

I shouldn’t be bothered by this fact. I mean it’s not like I expected him to describe a pretty-from-the-right-angle blonde with a penchant for spying on people in their weakest moments. Still. The guy has no chance of meeting a girl like that.

“And she loves me completely and without question,” Tanner continues, slamming the door on the possibility of even a random make out session. Not that I’m thinking of making out with Tanner Halston.

Jason practically faints.

Tanner smiles at Jason. “And she’s way more
West Side Story
than
The Sound of Music
.”

Jason’s jaw drops. “Really? You don’t think singing nuns are hot?”

Everyone laughs, but not me. Do they not see through him? Tanner wasn’t trying to be funny. I doubt he knows how. How can Jason just let Tanner walk all over him like that?

I walk around the minibar and sit down on the floor, even though there’s a spot next to Tanner on the couch. “You don’t seriously think a girl like that exists?” I ask.

“That’s two questions,” Tanner says.

“It’s a rhetorical question. Get real. You’ll never find a girl like that. Sounds like a convenient excuse to never be happy with anyone.”

Tanner scowls.

That should be enough, but I can’t let it go. “And even if you could find this brilliant supermodel who loves you in spite of your many faults, what then? I’m willing to bet that you’d be bored out of your mind within six weeks. That’s the trouble with getting what you want, isn’t it?”

Everyone stares at me. Even Mary Chris.

Tanner leans forward, setting his elbows on his thighs. “You’re entitled to your opinion, Berry. But it’s my turn to ask a question.” His voice is dead serious, but a spark of something else flashes in his eyes. “So why don’t you describe your perfect boyfriend?”

I freeze.

“You do like boys?”

Okay, the guy is destined to wind up with a Diet Coke in his lap. He’s lucky that he’s sitting on Mrs. Moss’s Italian leather couch, and hasn’t opted for one of the vinyl beanbags on the floor.

“Fine.” I paste on an insincere smile.

He raises his eyebrows when I don’t say anything right away.

I take a breath. “My perfect boyfriend is kind, even to people he might not agree with or even like. He doesn’t look down on people just because they don’t look like they walked off the pages of a fashion magazine. He makes me feel like I am the most beautiful person in any room, even if I’m not. He trusts me to make my own decisions and doesn’t try to tell me what to do.”

“Is that all?” Tanner watches me with an intensity that makes me feel like an ant under a magnifying glass. My skin starts to smolder.

“No.” I don’t back away from his gaze. I meet it head-on. “He will not, under any circumstances, expect me to fall in love with him.”

“You don’t believe in love?”

“That’s two questions.” I take a sip of my Diet Coke and turn to Ryan. “What’s the biggest lie that Tanner’s ever told?”

Ryan’s face goes whiter than it already is. His eyes dart nervously to Tanner and back again. I almost feel bad for the guy, but I don’t come to his rescue. I want to know the answer.

Ryan laughs and looks right at Tanner with a gleam in his eyes, before he turns his grin at me. “That you’re not amazing.”

A
fter two days of watching Mary Chris flirt with Ryan while Tanner stares moodily out at the quad, I’ve had all I can take.

Tanner’s attitude is contagious.

On Thursday, I head straight for the library when the lunch bell rings. I find Drew Mattingly in a small study room just past the periodicals.

He looks up from his laptop. “I’d just about given up on you.”

“You should give up on me anyway.” It’s nothing less than the truth. Still, I should consider flirting with him a little. He seems harmless and the skills could come in handy in the field.

“No shot then?”

“I don’t do the whole guy thing.” God. I have no game. At all.

Drew sits up straighter. “And you think telling me you like girls is going to make me
less
interested?”

“No girls either.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Intriguing.”

I laugh. “It’s nothing weird. I just don’t really date. At least I
haven’t.” I basically admit to being pathetic. Flirtation is not a book on my shelf.

Drew sets a brown paper bag on the table and pulls out a sandwich. “That’s easy enough to change.” He takes out a small plastic container of pudding. “Join me for lunch?”