Never Say Never Read Free Page B

arm...” Geoff was murmuring. “How am I going to play guitar
now?”
                Luc
and I looked at each other. Geoff was right. Looking at his injuries, I could
tell he'd be out of commission for a while.
                “You're
fine, Geoff; you'll be fine. Just wait for the paramedics to come help you,
okay?”
                But
I knew with a sinking feeling that we'd need to hunt for a new guitarist....
               
     
    Chapter 2
     
     
                I t was good to be home again. As much as I
hated to admit it, living in a Beverly Hills mansion with thirteen bedrooms and
a swimming pool was a lot nicer than sharing a filthy USC dorm room with
a girl who had a habit of vomiting in the wastepaper basket after a night out
and covering up her nightly cigarettes with sickeningly sweet patchouli
incense. Plus, Kyle was right – Mrs. Jostens was a lot better at doing laundry
than I was; I'd already managed to turn my white dress a pale shade of dirty pink.
                But
I didn't want to admit it. I'd told my dad I wanted to be independent, and I
meant it. I resolved to ask Mrs. Jostens to teach me how to iron my clothes
properly without my dad finding out – he'd just mock me in that good-natured
way of his.
                It's
just two weeks into freshman year , I told myself. You're not meant to
figure all this stuff out right away. Still, the ruined pink dress was like
a badge of shame. You might think you're self-sufficient, Neve Knight, but
you're still a spoiled baby at heart.
                Never
mind, I told myself. I'd learn. I headed down to the laundry room, finding Kyle
sitting at the kitchen counter, wolfing down an enormous fried breakfast of
bacon, eggs and sausages.
                “Careful
there, fatty,” I said, stealing a slice of bacon off his plate. “You won't be
able to fit through the door soon.”
                Kyle
laughed and rolled his eyes. If there was anything Kyle wasn't, it was fat. He
was as lean and fit as a fitness model – his metabolism converting every
calorie of bacon into firm, taut muscle. He'd even done a few modeling shoots
to pay for college – my mother had managed to talk her agent into giving him a
shot in the latest swimsuit edition – and with his preppy blond hair, hard abs,
and sleek golden boy looks, I figured I'd see him on the cover of GQ sooner
or later.
                I
sat down next to him, and he scooped some of his breakfast onto my plate.
                “Better
than dorm swill, huh?” I said. “Your aunt's got to be the best cook on the
planet.”
                “Amen...”
Kyle pushed a glass of orange juice towards me.
                “Maybe
we should get some Tupperware,” I said, “bring her food back with us to the
dorms.”
                “Let's
not,” Kyle said. “Or your fat-jokes will turn into a reality before you know
it. I can't eat like this every day or my agent will put me on one of those
juice fasts.”
                “To
be fair – if it's a juice fast or dorm food, I'd pick the fast.” I laughed.
“Careful, though. If you want to compete with Steve as the most ripped guy in
the band, you'll have your work cut out for you!”
                We
both burst out laughing. Steve's overnight metamorphosis from scrawny
stick-figure, the victim of several bully attempts in middle school, to
bulked-up athlete had taken us all by surprise.
                “Oh,
please,” said Kyle. “Everyone knows Steve gets up at six to “work out.”
“Delayed puberty” my ass – that guy I'm too lazy. Once I turn forty or fifty and my
metabolism slows down, I'll look like Santa Claus. And you know what? By then I
won't mind. I'll be a famous rock star and nobody will be able to say
anything.” works for his body. Me,
                “Come
on!” I said.