Page 29 (1/2)
Afton rolls her eyes ‘I vote thin crust spinach and mushroom’
Raul is horrified ‘No way I’m a man I need meat and I want it stuffed’
‘That’s what he said,’ Claudia irls froht he stayed inend of that spontaneous wink of his She’s sitting at an adjacent table with several other girls, and they’re all leaning their heads together and staring – at me
‘Uh-oh,’ Claudia tells me quietly ‘I think your cover is blown’
‘What cover? What’s going on?’ Afton is wide-eyed and speaking in a whisper that could be heard two tables away
‘Why Are We Whispering?’ Raul asks, whispering just as loudly
‘Can we go somewhere else?’ I ask, and they all look atfor tables, and we’ve got one
A waiter appears, as though Raul’s growling stoht?’
As Raul and Afton order, Claudia scoots her chair a bit, blocking nore thee my silverware, all too aware that they’ve pulled out cell phones now and are taking pictures Of uided me into the restaurant with one arm around my waist, the paparazzi flashes were different The photos were of hi dinner with friends, living raphingour picture?’ Raul asks when the waiter leaves
Claudia sputters, ‘Don’t call them that, you sexist –’
‘Have you seen the parade of theh my dorm room? No You have not’ One of Raul’s roommates is a totalto Raul – at locating and successfully propositioning every willing girl on ca now A condition which h ‘Oh, please If you’re innocent, I’m the Dali Lama’
‘Nairl – holding a raphs of various celebrities everywhere froht in the centre: Reid in his grey suit and blue tie, and me, semi-obscured by Reid’s body, in the blue dress ‘This is you, isn’t it? And when Geneva and I saw you in the elevator – that was him, wasn’t it? I mean, I can understand why you’d want to keep it on the do, but coers under the table ‘We’re … friends’ I don’t even knohy I’
She arches an eyebrow ‘So what’s he doing with Brooke Cauy you as your boyfriend before, e asked …’
Darn her nized’
‘Because he didn’t want it getting back to her that he was spending nights with you?’
My jaw falls open Luckily, Claudia says, ‘Hey, look We’re trying to have a study group session here She says they’re friends, and she has no comment on what’s-her-na pictures of people they don’t know is rude Tah-tah and buh-bye’
The girl turns on her heel and shoots back to the table, where all six heads are conferring
‘Fudge,’ I say
By Wednesday evening, there’s an indistinct photo of Reid and Brooke Cameron outside a courthouse in don Austin on TuesdayThat’s when the speculation starts in earnest The photos of the so to each other – all of a sudden look like a lovers’ spat
That girl in San Francisco must be the cause of it, one site speculates Brooke one home to Texas, upset, and he followed her But what are they doing at a courthouse?
Everyone has an opinion, and of course, neither of the et a text, I think , Mom texted photos of the renovations in my old room She and Dad set up home study appointments, and we’ve all filled out questionnaires that are every bit as intrusive as Brooke warned me they’d be Mom is somehow happy about River, which floors o one of tays