Read Reason and Romance (River Valley Book 1) for Free Online

today.
    “What’re you in for?” he said.
    “I talked back to an English teacher.” She took the seat opposite from him. He seemed decent, but she didn’t want to reek of incense. “What did you do?”
    “They think I smoke.” He glanced around cagily, even though the hallway was empty. He sketched a smoking motion. “Well, you know.”
    “Yeah, I figured.”
    “You’re new, aren’t you? I’m Travis Cates. What’s your name?”
    “Adrian.”
    Those blue eyes fixed on her. “Huh. You don’t look like a guy. Don’t think there’s anybody here with that name …” His voice trailed off. “Oh. Adrian Blake?”
    Resigned, she nodded. “Yes. Alex Montgomery’s soon-to-be stepsister.”
    “Dude!” He bolted upright, his head bouncing off against the wall. “Ow! Ow! It hit me! Montgomery’s stepsister … shit.”
    And that was the last word he said.
    A dull, burning sensation settled in behind her eyes. Not tears, just pure exhaustion. Great, now even the school’s undesirables ostracized her too.
    The dean still hadn’t seen her when the bell rang. He just stuck his head outside his office and told her and Travis to go, so she left for AP Spanish and then Economics. Both classes passed without incident, and she began to relax. Even gym wasn’t bad.
    Lunch, however, was the real test. Her nerves thrummed when she entered the cafeteria. Silence didn’t ensue, nor did people throw tomatoes at her, but all the same, she knew they’d noticed her. It was there in the averted glances, the excited whispers. Some of them weren’t bothering to keep their voices down.
    The “Did you hear what she said to Mr. Melbourne?” and “Did you hear what she said to Mandy?” comments trailed after her as she stalked through the cafeteria.
    Head high, Adrian. Shoulders straight.
    There was a glass door in the back that led to the outside. This was the one she wanted, then. No way in hell was she going to embarrass herself by sitting with other students. She wasn’t that pathetic. And besides, if they all worshipped Alex, she wanted nothing to do with them anyway.
    The Arizona sun boiled her the second she stepped outside. Just yet another reason to hate this freaking state. She took her cell phone out of her bag and scrolled down to Jason’s number. He was still in class, so she texted him instead.
    CALL ME. PLEASE.
    She’d just finished sending the message when the One True Savior and Lord waltzed outside with his disciples and hangers-on. It was like a concentric circle, she reflected, with every succeeding circle larger than the previous.
    Mandy Fitzpatrick’s voice was louder than the rest. “So … sweetie, I was thinking we could have, like, this totally awesome party this weekend. Something different from the usual parties …”
    Adrian rooted through her bag. Once she’d found her earbuds, she jammed them in. Now that it was quiet, she poked at her lunch. She’d packed hers, but the sandwich was limp from the heat. Gross. She leaned against the brick wall. Maybe she should just go back inside—
    A shadow fell over her. She lifted her eyes, only to see Mandy pouting at her. The girl had a death grip on Alex’s arm, her lethal nails digging in, and for an irrelevant moment, Adrian wondered if he had body armor.
    Since Mandy wasn’t going anywhere, Adrian pulled an earbud out. “Yes?”
    “Don’t have any friends to sit with?” Mandy said. She nudged Adrian’s bag with her sandal. “Aw, isn’t that sad?”
    Adrian ignored her. She scanned the group behind the girl. They were watching her intently, as cats watch mouse-holes, but they were also watching Alex. His attitude toward her would decide her social position and subsequently their reactions. So far, Alex was just offering her an inscrutable tight-lipped smile.
    She could still hear his voice. “You’re on your own from here on out …”
    Mandy was saying something, but Adrian kept staring at him. None of his friends had showed her