Drake. “Heel. Guess he’s more wolf than bloodhound these days.” Like the others, this Drake kid was dressed in the same fancy prep school uniform. His hands were in his pockets and a smile was on his face, but nothing about him felt friendly. Daniel sensed the tension in the air, brittle and ready to snap.
“I’m Hunter,” said another boy with dark skin and hair shaved so close he was almost bald.
“And that’s Skye.”
Unlike the three boys, the girl looked familiar. She was in her late teens, blond and pretty with too-white teeth, but she looked at Daniel and Mollie like they were two dirty strays who, at any moment, might jump up and muddy her clothes.
“Wait a minute,” said Mollie. “You’re that one with the show. That reality show …”
“Skye’s the Limit,”
said Skye, breaking into a camera-ready smile.
“But your mom subs at our school, doesn’t she?” said Mollie. “You’re Janey Levine!”
“
Skye
’s my stage name,” said the girl, dropping the smile just as quickly. “To keep the paparazzi away.”
“But you’re on a reality TV show!” said Mollie. “You’ve got cameras with you everywhere.”
“Yeah, yeah,” said Drake. “There are no cameras here, so let’s not get her going. If she starts talking about that stupid show, she’ll never shut up.”
Skye gave Drake a hurt look, but said nothing.
“Last,” said Drake, “and probably least, is—”
“Clay,” said Daniel, cutting him off. “We know each other.”
Drake arched an eyebrow in surprise. “Friends of yours, Clay?” he asked.
“Daniel Corrigan and Mollie Lee,” answered Clay, who was leaning against his van, glaring at the two of them with undisguised hate. Unlike the others, he looked miserable in his sport coat and tie, and he couldn’t stop tugging at his shirt collar. “And, no, we’re not friends. Not even close.”
“Well,” said Drake, “then that’s the reason I haven’t seen you two around the academy.”
So these were academy kids. That explained the uniforms in July, but not what they were doing here. Clay had been so shocked at seeing Daniel and Mollie that he’d actually dropped the six-pack of beer he’d been showing off, causing two of the cans to explode and spray all over everyone. Skye called Clay a clumsy wad, and he blushed from the collar of his shirt to his forehead. Daniel couldn’t imagine Clay being happy to see Daniel ever, but he was absolutely fuming now that Daniel had made him embarrass himself in front of his new friends—if that’s what they really were. Daniel wasn’t so sure.
“All right, Daniel and Mollie, now that we’ve all met,” said Drake, “what are you two doing sneaking up on us in a junkyard?” As he asked the question, Daniel could have sworn he saw a little puff of smoke escape through the boy’s nostrils, but again, he’d yet to light a cigarette.
“We were looking for Clay,” answered Daniel. There wasn’t a lie in the world that could explain why the two of them were skulking around in here, so Daniel didn’t bother trying.
“Why?” snarled Clay. “You spying on me?”
“Don’t be stupid, Clay,” said Drake. “Of course they were spying on you. We just caught them doing it. What I wanna know is
why
.”
Drake held out his hands, waiting for an answer. “So?” he said.
Mollie and Daniel exchanged looks. The situation hadn’t turned overtly dangerous, yet. No one had threatened them, but then again Mutt and Hunter were uncomfortably close, standing on either side of them and conveniently blocking any escape. It was a tense situation that required finesse.
“You go first,” said Mollie. “Why are
you
here?”
Finesse. Mollie’s strong suit.
Drake studied Mollie for a moment, weighing how to respond. “Hot
and
hot-tempered,” he said with a laugh. “I like it.”
Mollie turned white, though whether this was from anger or embarrassment Daniel wasn’t sure. Probably a mix of both.
“All right,
“I’m Hunter,” said another boy with dark skin and hair shaved so close he was almost bald.
“And that’s Skye.”
Unlike the three boys, the girl looked familiar. She was in her late teens, blond and pretty with too-white teeth, but she looked at Daniel and Mollie like they were two dirty strays who, at any moment, might jump up and muddy her clothes.
“Wait a minute,” said Mollie. “You’re that one with the show. That reality show …”
“Skye’s the Limit,”
said Skye, breaking into a camera-ready smile.
“But your mom subs at our school, doesn’t she?” said Mollie. “You’re Janey Levine!”
“
Skye
’s my stage name,” said the girl, dropping the smile just as quickly. “To keep the paparazzi away.”
“But you’re on a reality TV show!” said Mollie. “You’ve got cameras with you everywhere.”
“Yeah, yeah,” said Drake. “There are no cameras here, so let’s not get her going. If she starts talking about that stupid show, she’ll never shut up.”
Skye gave Drake a hurt look, but said nothing.
“Last,” said Drake, “and probably least, is—”
“Clay,” said Daniel, cutting him off. “We know each other.”
Drake arched an eyebrow in surprise. “Friends of yours, Clay?” he asked.
“Daniel Corrigan and Mollie Lee,” answered Clay, who was leaning against his van, glaring at the two of them with undisguised hate. Unlike the others, he looked miserable in his sport coat and tie, and he couldn’t stop tugging at his shirt collar. “And, no, we’re not friends. Not even close.”
“Well,” said Drake, “then that’s the reason I haven’t seen you two around the academy.”
So these were academy kids. That explained the uniforms in July, but not what they were doing here. Clay had been so shocked at seeing Daniel and Mollie that he’d actually dropped the six-pack of beer he’d been showing off, causing two of the cans to explode and spray all over everyone. Skye called Clay a clumsy wad, and he blushed from the collar of his shirt to his forehead. Daniel couldn’t imagine Clay being happy to see Daniel ever, but he was absolutely fuming now that Daniel had made him embarrass himself in front of his new friends—if that’s what they really were. Daniel wasn’t so sure.
“All right, Daniel and Mollie, now that we’ve all met,” said Drake, “what are you two doing sneaking up on us in a junkyard?” As he asked the question, Daniel could have sworn he saw a little puff of smoke escape through the boy’s nostrils, but again, he’d yet to light a cigarette.
“We were looking for Clay,” answered Daniel. There wasn’t a lie in the world that could explain why the two of them were skulking around in here, so Daniel didn’t bother trying.
“Why?” snarled Clay. “You spying on me?”
“Don’t be stupid, Clay,” said Drake. “Of course they were spying on you. We just caught them doing it. What I wanna know is
why
.”
Drake held out his hands, waiting for an answer. “So?” he said.
Mollie and Daniel exchanged looks. The situation hadn’t turned overtly dangerous, yet. No one had threatened them, but then again Mutt and Hunter were uncomfortably close, standing on either side of them and conveniently blocking any escape. It was a tense situation that required finesse.
“You go first,” said Mollie. “Why are
you
here?”
Finesse. Mollie’s strong suit.
Drake studied Mollie for a moment, weighing how to respond. “Hot
and
hot-tempered,” he said with a laugh. “I like it.”
Mollie turned white, though whether this was from anger or embarrassment Daniel wasn’t sure. Probably a mix of both.
“All right,
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