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USING THE HAIR PRODUCTS she bought with her last paycheck, Penny smooths her unruly curls into a small ponytail at the nape of her neck. It isn’t very original, but who cares? It isn’t like she’s going to make a huge impression on anyone today. Most of the kids she’s gone to school with the last eight years don’t want anything to do with her. And those that are transferring in from a few of the parochial schools will burst into flames if they talk to her. That leaves the upperclassmen.
People like Luke and Christy Mefford.
“I’ll be damned if I give her and her minions any more fuel.”
The past few days, she’s received several anonymous messages on her MySpace page warning her to leave Luke Donovan alone. Penny smirks. No problem there. She hasn’t talked to him since he left her hanging at the swimming pool last weekend. For some reason, the mean girls see her as a threat, and Penny has no clue why. Luke has made it very clear he isn’t interested in her.
Slipping into a simple t-shirt and jeans, she laces up her tennis shoes and surveys her reflection in the mirror. She looks plain. Forgettable. There is nothing the popular elite of RHHS can find wrong with her today. And that is exactly what she’s hoping for.
“Penelope! That boy is here again!”
Penny’s breath catches. Who is here?
Grabbing her backpack and her favorite sweatshirt, she takes the stairs two at a time and halts. Luke stands in the doorway with a smile on his face like nothing happened at the pool last weekend.
She scowls. “What the hell are you doing here?” His eyes go wide as confusion settles across his face.
Her mother rolls her eyes. “Jesus, your mouth is filthier than a goddamned sailor’s. No wonder you don’t have any friends.” She turns to Luke. “Are you coming in or what? I’m not a valet at some fancy hotel.” Releasing the screen door, Miranda heads back to the kitchen.
Luke steps into the foyer, his gaze following Miranda. “Er...” He looks at Penny solemnly. “Guess I should have called. With Colt gone, I thought I could take you to school. Saves you the trouble of riding the bus.”
She arches an eyebrow. “Seriously?”
His dimples flicker. “Come on, Sunshine. It’s the first day of school. I can show you around.”
Folding her arms over her chest, Penny looks at him suspiciously. Boys are confusing as hell. He’d spent most of the summer ignoring her. She’d gotten the message and avoided him as much as she could. Then he’d invited her to stick around for the country club’s end-of-season party, only to make her feel like an irritating bug that should be squashed.
“Why?”
He frowns. “Why what?”
“Why are you doing this?”
His blue eyes sparkle as he rakes a hand across the back of his neck. “Well...”
All of a sudden, the bus blows by. Penny shoots through the screen door and glares at the dust left in its wake.
Curse Luke Donovan...
She stamps a foot. “Dang it.”
His eyes widen like an innocent child’s. “So, I guess you’ll need a ride after all.”
With an exasperated sigh, Penny clenches the strap of her backpack and glares at her brother’s best friend. “Whatever.”
Following him to his mother’s old Cavalier, she blames her stupid luck. No, not just hers. It’s the bane of the Ramsey family. Murphy’s Law has nothing on them. Like her brother, she has bad luck in spades.
Settling in the front seat, she buckles her belt and places her bag between her feet. Luke climbs in next to her and starts the car. Silence fills their time as he slowly makes his way out of their neighborhood.
“So, are you excited about starting high school?”
Staring out the window so she won’t have to gaze into the eyes that can see right through her, she shrugs. “Same crap. Different year.”
He snorts. “That’s not a very positive outlook.”
“Just being honest.”
He barks a laugh. “Wow... my best friend left for college, but he must have left part of himself behind. Who are you and what have you done with my Sunshine?”
She glares at him. “I’m a realist, Donovan. It’s that simple.” It’s true. She isn’t expecting anything but the same crap she’s dealt with the last two years of junior high. Whatever mind games Luke’s little girlfriend is playing, she isn’t up for it.
Facing the window once more, she clenches her fists and prays this personal car service won’t become a common occurrence.
As soon as he turns into the school parking lot, she hikes her backpack onto her lap. And the minute he stops the car, she opens the door and flees. “Thanks.”
“Penny, wait!”
“There’s the Golden Boy! Hey, Donovan! Good to see you, bro. How was nationals?”
Penny does a double-take as one of the upperclassmen gives Luke a fist bump. Several girls block his path, and Penny walks faster. Golden Boy, is it?
Saved by the idiot’s newfound popularity.
Keeping her head down, she wraps her arms around her bag and sets out for the freshman wing. Pushing through the doors, she finds her locker and arranges her bag inside.
She darts a look around the corridor. She recognizes a few faces, but nobody seems to pay her any attention.
Thank God.
Closing her locker, she takes her schedule from a folder and makes her way to homeroom, keeping to herself. The less ammunition she gives the powers that be, the better.
Maybe she’ll actually make it through high school unscathed.