For some reason, that bothered me. "What, you don't think any guy would ever be interested in me?"
"Actually," said Adrian, sounding remarkably serious, "I can imagine lots of guys being interested in you."
I was certain he was teasing me and had no time for his jokes. I said goodbye and headed off to my study group, which, thankfully, was pretty dedicated and got a lot of work done. But when I met up with Trey at the library later, he was less than focused. He couldn't stop going on and on about how brilliant he was in getting Brayden and me together.
"This date hasn't even happened, and I'm already tired of it," I said. I spread Trey's lab paperwork out on the table before us. The numbers and formulas were comforting, far more concrete and orderly than the mysteries of social interaction. I tapped the lab assignment with my pen. "Pay attention. We don't have a lot of time."
He shrugged off my concerns. "Can't you just finish it?"
"No! I left enough time so that you could do it yourself. I'll help, but that's it." Trey was intelligent enough to figure out most of it on his own. Using me was just another way for him to dodge looking smart. He let the date go and focused on the work. I thought I was free of Brayden interrogation until, just as were wrapping up, Jill and Micah came strolling by, hand in hand.
They were with a group of other people, which didn't surprise me. Micah was easygoing and popular, and Jill had inherited a large circle of friends by going out with him. Her eyes sparkled with happiness as someone in the group told a funny story that made them all laugh.
I couldn't help a smile myself. This was a far cry from when Jill had first come to Amberwood and been treated as an outcast for unusual looks and odd behaviors. She was thriving with this new social status. Maybe it would help her embrace her royal background. My smile faded when Jill pulled Micah away from the group and hurried over to our table. Her eager expression worried me.
"Is it true?" she asked. "Do you have a date?"
"For the love of - you know it's true! And you told Adrian, didn't you?" I gave her a pointed look. Their psychic bond wasn't active 100 percent of the time, but something told me she knew about his earlier phone call to me. When the bond was "on," she could see into his mind, observing both his feelings and actions. It only worked one way, however. Adrian had no such insight. She turned sheepish.
"Yeah... I couldn't help it when Micah told me..."
"I heard it from Eddie," Micah added quickly, as though that might get him off the hook. He had red hair and blue eyes that were always cheerful and friendly. He was one of those people you couldn't help but like, which made it harder to undo the tangled web Jill had woven by dating him.
"Hey, I did not tell Eddie," said Trey defensively.
I turned my gaze on him. "But you told other people. And they told Eddie." Trey gave a half shrug. "I might have mentioned it here and there."
"Unbelievable," I said.
"What's this guy like?" asked Jill. "Is he cute?"
I thought about it. "Pretty cute."
She perked up. "Well, that's promising. Where's he taking you? Somewhere good? Night on the town? Fancy dinner? Micah and I had an awesome time at Salton Sea. It's so pretty.
You could go there, have a romantic picnic." Her cheeks turned pink and she stopped for breath, as if realizing she was talking too much. Rambling was one of Jill's most endearing traits.
"We're going to see Shakespeare in the park," I said.
That got me silence.
"Antony and Cleopatra. It's good." I suddenly felt the need to defend myself. "A classic.
Brayden and I both appreciate Shakespeare."
"His name is Brayden?" asked Micah in disbelief. "What kind of a name is that?" Jill frowned. "Antony and Cleopatra... is that romantic?"
"Kind of," I said. "For a while. Then everyone dies in the end." Jill's horrified expression told me that I wasn't really improving matters.
"Well," she said. "I hope you have, um, fun." A few moments of awkwardness ensued, then her eyes lit up again. "Oh! Lia called me tonight. She said you two talked about me modeling for her again?"
"She what?" I exclaimed. "That's not quite how I'd put it. She asked if you could do some print ads. I said no."
"Oh." Jill's face fell a little. "I understand. From what she said... I just thought. Well. I thought maybe there was a way..."
I gave her a meaningful look. "I'm sorry, Jill. I wish there was a way. But you know why you can't."
She nodded sadly. "I understand. It's okay."
"You don't need a modeling campaign to be beautiful to me," said Micah gallantly.
That brought a smile back to her face that faded when she saw a nearby clock. Her transient moods reminded me of Adrian's, and I wondered if some of that was the effect of the bond. "Ugh. Curfew's coming. We'd better head out. You coming, Sydney?" I glanced at Trey's lab. It was complete and, I knew, absolutely perfect. "I'll leave in just a couple minutes."
She and Micah left. Glancing over at Trey, I was surprised to find him staring at her retreating figure intently. I nudged him.
"Hey. Don't forget to put your name on this, or it was all for nothing." It still took him several seconds to drag his gaze away. "That's your sister, isn't it?" His dismal tone made it sound more like a statement than a question, as though he were revealing some unfortunate fact.
"Um, yeah. You've seen her like a hundred times. She's gone to this school for a month." He frowned. "I just never thought much about it... never got a good look at her before. I don't have any classes with her."
"She was front and center in that fashion show."
"She had a mask on." His dark eyes studied me. "You guys don't look alike at all."
"We get that a lot."
Trey still looked troubled, and I had no idea why. "You're smart to keep her out of modeling," he said at last. "She's too young."
"It's a religious thing," I said, knowing Trey wouldn't quiz me for many details on our "faith."
"Whatever it is, keep her out of the public eye." He scrawled his name on the lab and shut his textbook. "You don't want her plastered all over magazines or something. Lots of creepy people out there."