The Boarding School Experiment (26 page)
Read The Boarding School Experiment Online
Authors: Emily Evans
Tags: #Romance, #teen, #emily evans, #love, #ya, #top, #revenge, #the accidental movie star, #boarding school, #do over, #best
More adults in street clothes pushed in behind the lady and recognition hit me like a double espresso.
Mom. Dad
. I leapt from the bed and ran, bending toward Dad for a hug. Mom’s arms closed around us both. At the smell of Mom’s perfume and the feel of Dad’s strong arms, I closed my eyes.
“You’re okay,” Mom said. Her hand brushed over my hair.
Dad patted my shoulder. “They reported you missing and we came straight away.”
“Missing,” Rhys drawled and sat up. His bangs were half in his face and he had a pillow mark across his cheek. He dragged a hand through his hair.
I couldn’t believe my parents were here. I hugged them tighter.
“We fell asleep studying.” Kaitlin’s face looked wind-burned and her hair was a mess. No one would believe she spent yesterday studying. She crawled out of bed and hugged her parents too but with a formality surprising in the open-hearted Kaitlin. “Mom. Dad.”
The screecher was her mom.
I stayed beside my parents, who said nothing about how they found us and didn’t glance at Thane.
“I’d better go find my own parents.” Thane left before I could read his expression.
Kaitlin’s mom said, “Grades are the reason you’re here. You’re setting an example for the nation.”
“Yeah, we fell asleep studying,” Rhys said in a dry voice. He climbed from the bed when his own mom and stepdad pushed into the room. He hugged his mom and stayed out of the range of his stepdad.
His stepdad snorted and said to my parents, “Good thing we followed you, or who knows how long it would’ve taken us to find that boy. Nothing ever changes, eh, boy? Musical beds. What time do they serve up lunch? It’s lunchtime in Texas.”
“We’ll get you something soon, Hon,” Rhys’s mom said.
“I don’t want no Alaskan fish. You know I don’t like seafood.”
“I’m sure they have something you’ll like.”
Kaitlin introduced me to her parents, then beamed at Rhys. “Mom, Dad, this is Rhys.”
“Nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Hildebrandt,” Rhys said.
Real polite for Rhys. Which I guess seemed necessary since they’d found him in their daughter’s bed.
“Doctor,” Dr. Hildebrand said, a stiff note in his voice.
Rhys’s stepdad said, “Ooh, Dr. and Mrs. Hildebrandt. Get the names right, Rhys.”
“Actually it’s Dr. and Dr.,” Kaitlin’s mom said.
Kaitlin had never told us both her parents were doctors. I rather liked that about her.
Rhys’s stepdad said, “Better be careful there, girly. Trying to trap Rhys is a no-win situation. He’ll knock you up, and you’ll end up smack dab back at the trailer park, mooching off us.”
Not one to take being provoked, Rhys reached for the nearest thing to throw. His hand touched my favorite lamp, the clip-on one with the faint glow. The one my roommates let me leave on at night.
“No,” I said and dove for him. “Not that one.”
Kaitlin left her parents side and touched Rhys’s arm, moving close to whisper something to him.
Blue lights flashed above the doorway.
Chapter Sixteen
The sky above the dome darkened with the setting sun. With a glance at it, Mom said, “We’re taking off, Honey.”
I turned back to my parents, feeling the jolt at the words. They were happy I was okay, and awed by their first glimpses of the habitat. Now they were leaving.
“You sure you want to stay?” Dad asked.
“Yeah.” I smiled big. “It’s a great opportunity.” That was my catch phrase, but not my truth. Everyone had a different truth. Kaitlin liked living here. Rhys would use them to pay for college. Thane wouldn’t embarrass his family by quitting. My reason was simpler. My family needed the money.
No one had really bothered us for details of our hike back. After a brief announcement from the director, we received random suspicious looks, and some envy at the sight of our parents, but mostly everyone carried on as usual. Since we’d lost the finale, even the accusations had died down.
Only the four of us and the director knew the whole truth.
Thane stood with his family. I didn’t want mine to leave, but I hated even faking a distance from him.
Thane took a small black cylinder from his mom and moved toward me. My eyes widened and my heart thumped. I tried to look elsewhere. His arm landed around my shoulders, and he kissed me. Right there, in front of both our families and everyone. I stiffened and tried to pull back, but his arm didn’t let me go far.
Thane searched my eyes. “In one of my emails, I asked my parents to send me this.” He pried open the tube and withdrew a glow stick. He struggled for a moment with the clear connecter and snapped the orange circle around my wrist. A bright orange, glow-in-the dark bracelet—the all-time perfect gift.
I rose on tiptoe and kissed him—a new kiss for a new evening in Alaska.
Other books by Emily Evans:
The Accidental Movie Star
Epic Escape
The Kissing Deadline
Do Over
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