Read Only One (Ward Sisters Book 2) for Free Online

as I thought. Your body is fantastic. If guys aren't falling all over themselves for you, there has to be an unseen reason. Spill it, rich girl.”
    Jenna glanced at her Coach bag. Yeah, that could have given away her financial status.
    “I'm maybe a little...nerdy. And standoffish. Girls don't tend to like me much because they think I'm stuck up. They're even less happy for me to be friends with their boyfriends.”
    He snorted. “You? More nerdy than the rest of the geeks at this school? I can't believe it. What do you do for fun that makes you nerdy? Watch sci-fi?”
    Jenna lowered her eyes. “Um, well, I build computers. And write programs. And maybe hack on occasion.” She looked at him again and his brows were furrowed.
    “Hack? Like Tron ?”
    “More like Matthew Broderick in Wargames.”
    “Holy shit. Are you serious?” She nodded. “Aren't you like, worried you'll get arrested?”
    A half-smile quirked at her mouth. “That's half the fun of it.”
    “Wouldn't it be less dangerous to, say, shoplift on Rodeo?”
    Jenna laughed. “I don't need to shoplift on Rodeo. I've got an American Express Gold card of my own. I don't do it because I want to get caught. Shoplifters are either stealing because they need something or because they want attention. I'm an only child, my parents don't ignore me and I've got plenty of money. I hack because it's fun to see how vulnerable sites are. Including the ones who think they aren't in danger from attackers. Especially them.”
    “Hey, whatever floats your boat. Do you want a cool best friend? One who can show you how to have fun in other ways?”
    “Like what?”
    “Like going to clubs and parties. I don't do drugs or drink. Don't worry. I won't prevent you from getting into the Ivy League.”
    “I'd get in anyway if I wanted that. My dad went to Harvard undergrad and Stanford Law and my mom's family is from old money. I could buy my way into that world if necessary.”
    “Old money? Like, how old?”
    “Like DAR old.”
    “Funny, Ackerman doesn't sound very Colonial to me.”
    Jenna smiled. “It's not. Mom's family was never impressed that she married a nice Jewish boy from New Hampshire.”
    Chris made a noise that said he understood. “How'd you end up here? You should be living on the East Coast or something.”
    “My dad is an entertainment lawyer. My mom followed him here when he came for law school and they never left. She'd love for me to go to Harvard and get swallowed into the inevitable social obligations, but I plan to be a computer programmer.”
    “Well, nerd girl, I can at least round out your high school experience. If you're interested.”
    “Okay. What do you get out of it? You're obviously not stupid and in need of a tutor, or else you wouldn't be at a math and science magnet school.”
    “No tutoring required. My dad is an engineer. He'd love for me to go to Cal Tech or MIT. I'd like to go to Parsons or FIT. I want to be a Hollywood stylist.”
    “Will your parents support that?”
    “Daddy won't like it, but Mommy will make him pay one way or another. They went through a nasty divorce last year. My mom is a party planner. She gets me into some amazing clubs with her connections, even though I'm underage.”
    “Well, then, Chris Pilling, I think you just found yourself a new friend. Maybe we can make your dreams come true. My daddy has some very big-name clients at his firm. You'll make the parties at my parents' house so much more fun.”
    “Then let's make our debut over at The Peach Pit and we can plot our first adventure.”
    “Sounds like a great plan to me,” Jenna said with a chuckle at his Beverly Hills, 9021 0 reference. At least now she had one more friend than she had at her old school. Maybe this transfer in the middle of sophomore year would be a good thing after all.
     
    **********
     
    Boston, Massachusetts, fifteen years ago...
     
    Jenna plopped into a two-person table, ready to be bored senseless. This psychology