Ex-Factor (Diamond Girls) Read Free Page B

instantly. I felt a little stupid, and a whole lot annoyed. Pretty Boy Eli was a player and a flirt, and my stupid ass had fallen for his shtick hook, line, and sinker.
    I surveyed the happy blond next to me, bit my lip, and forced a smile. Did she have any idea her boy was talking up other girls? I had no clue and wasn’t about to be the one to fill her in. Life is short, and good friends are hard to come by. I had a good feeling about this girl and decided my best course of action would be to keep my mouth closed and stay as far away from Eli as possible.
    “Nice catch,” I whispered, and widened my eyes in appreciation. “Oh, and thanks for filling me in. I don’t know anyone here aside from my cousin, Olivia Brown, so you’ve been a huge help.”
    Erin narrowed her eyes as she carefully registered my words. “Brown… Brown… Olivia Brown?” Then, suddenly, as if she’d been floundering about in the dark and someone had just turned a light on, her eyes widened with mixture of surprise and excitement. “Livvie B! Oh my God!” She whacked me on the shoulder and bounced quietly in her seat as I rubbed at the now tender flesh. Girlfriend hit like a dude, hard and fast.
    “You’re the cousin Livvie’s been bragging about down at the gym for the past couple of weeks.” She clamped onto my upper arm with what felt like a pair of iron claws and squeezed, then clapped her hands together and stifled a squeal.
    Clueless as to what had her so excited, I sat quietly and waited for her to calm down. It was apparent she wore her emotions on her sleeve, and I knew right away she was a straight shooter. This girl couldn’t lie to save her life. The truth would always show on her face.
    She hooked a finger toward me and leaned in close again. “I cheer with Livvie on the Diamond team. She’s been talking you up, telling everyone what a great tumbler you are. Are you excited about your tryout tonight?”
    My stomach fell as soon as the words “excited” and “tryout” fell out of her mouth. I was most certainly not excited. In fact, if I were being honest, I was dreading it. I’d lain awake most of the night, worrying the girls at the gym wouldn’t like or accept me, and terrified I wouldn’t be able to meet the coach’s expectations. X-Factor Cheer was looking for a ringer for their level five squad, an ace in the hole, someone with amazing acrobatic skills to “wow” the competition judges and audience.
    Someone emphatically not me.
    Erin narrowed her eyes. “Um, Nev? Are you okay?”
    I cringed inwardly.Swept away in a mental pity party for one, I’d checked out, got lost in my own head, and left her question hanging in midair, unanswered.
    I swept my hair behind my ear and slapped on a plastic smile. “What? Oh, yes. I’m fine. Sorry. Just a little overwhelmed with everything. Um, yeah, I’m totally excited about tonight,” I lied. It wouldn’t do me any good to give my happy new friend even a quick peek into the darkness gnawing at my heart and mind. If I wanted to make friends in this new town, and I did, I’d have to suck it up and pretend to be somewhat happy. Even when I wasn’t.
    “Ah, Mr. Scott!” My gaze automatically swept to the front of the classroom; Keltar’s loud, obnoxious voice was almost impossible to ignore. “So good of you to grace us with your presence today. I trust you’ve learned something during your time away from school? Violence is never the answer, young man.” Frowning, the surly Santa wannabe begrudgingly swept a pink slip of paper from a tall, muscular boy dressed in dark clothing.
    My heart jumped a little in my chest as I surveyed the colossal mass of male student at the front of the class. What the hell were the people of Indigo Falls feeding their sons? Some type of über growth hormone? Over half the guys in the school looked as though they belonged on the cover of a weightlifting magazine—chiseled, as if cut from granite. And what was that about violence,