My Life With the Walter Boys by Ali Novak Read Free Book Online Page A

else had settled into their usual seats, and I realized that the truck was full. Danny, Isaac, and Alex sat in the back, while Cole, Lee, and Nathan sat in the front.
    “Um,” I began awkwardly, still standing on the grass, “where should I sit?”
    “You could always walk,” Lee replied sarcastically.
    I fought the urge to stick my tongue out at him, but thankfully Nathan came to my rescue. “Don’t worry, Jackie. You can squeeze in up front. We’ll make room.” He smiled warmly from the passenger window.
    “If that doesn’t work, we can always strap Alex to the roof. Nobody will care,” Cole offered as he started up the car.
    “If anyone is going to be strapped to the roof,” Alex shot back, “it should be you, Cole. You take up the most room.”
    “Nobody asked your opinion,” Cole said, glaring at his younger brother in the rearview mirror. “Now come on, let’s go.”
    Lee grunted in annoyance but scooted closer to Cole. He didn’t look too happy about sharing the front with me, but I opened the passenger door and slid in anyway once Nathan made some room.
    During the twenty-minute drive to school, I received a crash course in Boys 101 and decided that maybe the male species wasn’t so different from females after all. To sum it up, the Walters gossiped worse than the girls at my old boarding school. At first the car was silent, which was probably due to my presence, but soon the boys relaxed and carried on as if I wasn’t there. They talked about who was going to make track team this spring and who wasn’t. They discussed what they should wear to a party on Friday night and who was going to be there. But most of all they talked about girls: who was cute, which girl wore the perfect perfume, and who had the prettiest hair.
    When they started talking about a girl named Kate who, to use Isaac’s words, had “the perkiest pair of tits in the world,” I felt uncomfortable. Trying to tune the conversation out, I shrunk back into my seat and stared out the window. Please let us be there soon. Please be there soon!
    But as the truck sped into the school parking lot, Cole laughing like a little boy when the wheels screeched, I instantly regretted my silent prayer. Valley View High was three times the size of my old school. Instead of the green lawns and bricks covered in crawling ivy that I was accustomed to, it was an ugly, cement block building that looked like it was straight out of the ’70s. A banner hanging over the front entrance read: Home of the Tigers!
    Staring at my new school, I decided that the sheer number of kids was making me nervous. A stream of students made their way toward the front steps, backpacks slung over their shoulders. Other people lingered in the parking lot; there was a group of guys tossing around a football, couples making out against cars, and friends talking in big groups.
    “Out,” Lee demanded, even though Cole was just swinging the truck into an empty spot. As soon as Nathan and I slid out, Lee dropped to the pavement and tore off into the crowd. I tried to follow him with my eyes, but he disappeared in a matter of seconds. How was I ever going to find my way around this place?
    The back doors slammed shut, and the guys grabbed their bags from the bed of the truck. I hung back, hoping someone would offer to show me around.
    “Let’s get out of here before the fan club arrives,” I heard Alex whispering to Danny as they brushed by me.
    Isaac shrugged on his leather jacket and pulled a lighter out of his pocket. “Enjoy your first day as the new girl,” he called over his shoulder, a smoke already pressed between his lips.
    My stomach did a flip. His words made me feel even more nervous. I didn’t want to be the new girl—I didn’t know how! I had been attending Hawks since sixth grade, where I’d shared the same dorm room every year with my best friend, Sammy, and hung out with the same group of girls that I’d known since preschool. My eyes welled up as I