Is Bridgeport big enough for Kae, Robyn, Alex and Jasmine? They're all beautiful, captivating, and a little bit crazy... but there can be only one It Girl.
[ Based on the It Girl series by Cecily Von Ziegesar ]
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"So, um, Kendrick Lamar or Quavo?" Kae asked a little shyly as she and Robyn trundled home from field hockey practice in the early evening light, a cool breeze tousling their sweat-dampened hair and sending brightly colored leaves scuttling their way. Kae's legs were pleasantly exhausted from the exercise—Coach Johnson had run them hard today in preparation for their game this weekend against St. Lucius, whose field hockey team was Bridgeport's league rival. After about ten minutes of warm-up drills, Kae and most of the girls had shed their Adidas track pants and sweatshirts, despite its feeling about twenty degrees out. It felt good now, as Kae's heart rate was returning to normal and the chilly breeze cooled her still-hot skin. Alex had been a no-show at practice, and for some reason it didn't feel at all awkward when Kae and Robyn headed back to the dorm together alone. She felt like they'd really been getting to know each other this past week, and not just because of the silly questions Kae was asking her now. (Coke or Pepsi: "Diet Pepsi." Cats or dogs? "Cats, but only black ones." Nicki Minaj or Cardi B: "Nicki.") "So?" Kae prompted. "Kendrick Lamar or Quavo?" she repeated.
Robyn, still wearing her grass-stained sweatpants, her sweatshirt tied loosely around her thin waist, twirled her field hockey stick in one hand and snorted with laughter. "Are we talking music, or, like, who I'd rather make out with?"
Kae tilted her orange bottle and let the last drops of water trickle into her mouth. "Make out with. Definitely," she clarified.
"No contest." Robyn swatted at a pebble with her stick, sending it ricocheting through the grass. "Quavo looks like he'd know exactly how to kiss me. Mmm."
Two months ago, Kae would have been mortified by the idea of walking across a campus full of boys (cute, well-dressed, smart boys) and perfect, preppy, pretty girls, in a grass-stained T-shirt and gym shorts. But now she couldn't have cared less. It didn't matter. This was the boarding school way of life—wholesome, healthy, natural, and sometimes sweat-filled. She loved it.
"Really?" Kae's stomach rumbled, reminding her that she was starving. "I'd definitely go for Kendrick. I guess I like..." She awkwardly trailed off, realizing she had just been about to say that dark, sensitive, artsy type. I.e., that Chris Brown type. Not like she couldn't mention Chris, exactly (they'd talked about him plenty of times by now) but more like she didn't want to ruin the mood by bringing him up. Kae bent down to tie her shoelace, pretending that was the reason she'd forgotten to complete her sentence.
Robyn nodded absently as she climbed the front steps of the dorm. "Hey, I'm going to go in, okay? I've got to jump in the shower before heading to the, uh, library."
"Sure." Kae responded equally absently, noticing someone moving behind one of the emerald green, carved topiaries that lined the wall of Waverly. It was Rakim. Hanging out around the girls' dorm again. Kae waved goodbye to Robyn and headed toward the bushes. Despite all her thoughts about being sweaty as a wholesome, natural part of boarding school life, she quickly pulled the elastic from her hair and shook her head, letting her dark hair fall around her shoulders—that was a little better at least.
Rakim was standing there with his hands in his pockets, leaning against the ivy-covered wall, looking a little flustered. He was wearing a pale green T-shirt that said, in retro yellow letters, IT'S NOT WHAT YOU'RE THINKING, and an unzipped royal blue track jacket with white stripes down the sleeves.
"Hark!" Kae said, holding her field hockey stick out like a sword, the tip pointed directly at the lettering on Rakim's chest. They'd just finished Hamlet in Miss Rose's class, and she was still in a Shakespearean state of mind. "Who goes there?"
He raised his eyebrows. "We've got to stop meeting like this."
"Hey, I live here." Kae grinned and retracted her hockey stick. She glanced around her but no one was approaching. First she'd been talking to Rakim in a broom closet, now behind a bush. It was kind of fun. Where would he pop up next? And why was he here again? "What's your excuse? Are you looking for your...what was it? Your lighter—again?"
"Funny girl." He shrugged his shoulders, and a ray of setting sunlight burst through the elegantly sculpted bush he was standing behind, lighting up his features from behind. "But, no. I was just, you know, passing by." The dramatic lighting made the shapes of his face stand out even more than they normally did, and Kae noticed for the first time how strong the planes of his cheekbones were, how deep-set his dark eyes were, how perfect his nose was. It was the kind of face that would look great in marble, she thought. It took her a moment to realize it was her turn to speak again—so much for her brilliant Shakespearean banter.
"So, uh, what am I thinking?" she asked.
Rakim smiled at her but looked kind of confused, like he'd lost the trail of conversation. "Uh, what?" He leaned forward.
"Your shirt." Kae pointed toward it and raised her eyebrows. "You've probably been getting that all day."
Rakim glanced down at his chest as understanding washed over his face. "Actually, I had my Sea World T-shirt on today." He tilted his head and shrugged his shoulders, which made him look kind of like a little kid. "I just changed." The dimple near his lips deepened.
A giggle burst from Kae's lips. Something about Rakim was just so friendly and open—it was nice to flirt with him. It took her mind off other handsome boys. "I know this is going to sound totally crazy, but would you be at all interested in being a model for my art class project?" She really hoped he wouldn't think she was flirting with him—because she wasn't. Not really. "I think you'd make a great subject."
He looked completely taken aback and glanced around him. Yikes! She hoped he wasn't going to take it the wrong way. "Uh, right now? Behind the bushes?"
"No!" Kae pushed an unruly lock of hair behind her ear. She couldn't believe she was standing here talking to a totally cute guy when she was in desperate need of a shower. At least he probably couldn't smell her from where he was hiding. "I didn't mean right now. Maybe tomorrow?"
"I don't know if I've ever been a piece of art before." His fingers played with a branch of the bush he was stuck next to. "Sounds kinda cool."
"Sweet." Kae tapped her hockey stick against the brick wall. "I'll e-mail you about a time." She smiled coyly. "That is, if I don't see you in the broom closet before then."
She walked inside to the sound of his laughter. As she climbed the stairs to room 303, she realized that there would definitely be other cute boys on campus to distract her from Chris. Maybe Robyn could find someone to distract her from the unforgettable Chris Brown, too. Everything was finally working out just the way it was supposed to.
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JasmineSanders: It's been more than thirty seconds.
