monkey cage.”
“At least I don’t smell like rotting fish,” the guy snapped back.
“Does it hurt when you get my daddy’s fishing hook stuck in your lip?” Elizabeth asked in an overly fake concerned voice.
Sailor bent her head back toward her notebook, writing her notes in tight, controlled lines while Elizabeth and her friends laughed. My fingers flexed over my keys. This was none of my business, I reminded myself.
And yet, when I stood to go find the book I needed for my research, I instead found myself heading straight toward Elizabeth.
“Hey, Elizabeth,” I said sweetly, “did you remember to stop by the vet’s office for your flea bath yesterday?”
Elizabeth’s head snapped up and she narrowed her eyes at me. “What did you say?”
“Flea. Bath,” I repeated, enunciating the words slowly, as if she were too stupid to understand. But maybe I was the stupid one. Why was I standing up for Sailor Mooring? “What’s wrong? I thought dogs had excellent hearing.”
The onlookers sucked in a deep breath, waiting for Elizabeth’s response. Sailor kept her head bent over her notebook, but she directed a dark glare toward me.
“Listen, new girl,” Elizabeth said, stepping around Sailor toward me, “you may be unaware of how things work around here, so let me fill you in. I say whatever I want to people like you and you have to deal with it, unless you want another Diet Coke shower. Got it?”
I was in her face before she had finished the sentence, our noses inches apart. “People like me ? And what does that mean?”
Elizabeth opened her mouth, but Dylan stepped into view from the nearby stacks, his arms crossed over his chest.
“Is there a problem here?” His voice was low and cold, a tone I hadn’t heard him use before during the short time that I’d known him. He didn’t look like quiet, scrawny Dylan Waverly anymore. The lean muscle in his forearms and neck had tensed, ready to strike at any moment, and the blue of his eyes had darkened into something resembling a stormy sky. He stared at Elizabeth with a ferocious snarl, waiting for her response.
Elizabeth stepped back, putting distance between us. She sneered at me, then at Dylan. “You people shouldn’t be allowed here,” she said. “We all know what your kind did.”
Dylan pressed his lips together, but he didn’t say anything.
Elizabeth spun around on her heel and marched toward her friends. “Come on. I can’t stand the smell any longer.”
Once they left, I realized my body trembled from head to foot. My nails had dug half-moons into my palms and sweat trickled down my back under my sweater.
Dylan looked like his normal self again and he sat down next to Sailor, whispering to her while she nodded and tried to wave him away.
“Okay,” I said. “Anyone want to explain what just happened?”
Sailor nearly growled at me. “Next time, stay out of it.”
I laughed. “Oh, because you were doing such a great job of getting Elizabeth to back off on your own?”
Sailor leaped to her feet, facing me. “I was doing what Dylan wanted me to. I’ve dealt with Elizabeth my entire life and I’ve done fine before you ever got here!”
“What does she have against you?” I asked, hugging my notebook to my chest.
But both Dylan and Sailor avoided meeting my gaze. Sailor closed her notebook and stuffed it into her backpack, taking an extra long time to zip it up. Dylan thumbed through a book he had found in the stacks, letting his hair fall over his face.
“Fine,” I grumbled. “Don’t tell me anything.”
“It’s complicated,” Dylan said.
“I’m not stupid.”
But Dylan shook his head. “You wouldn’t believe us.”
“Believe what?”
Sailor slung her backpack over her shoulder. “I’m going to the bathroom.”
She disappeared quickly, leaving Dylan and me alone. But he wasn’t likely to give me any answers either, judging from the way he tried to change the subject.
“I think I found a good book
“At least I don’t smell like rotting fish,” the guy snapped back.
“Does it hurt when you get my daddy’s fishing hook stuck in your lip?” Elizabeth asked in an overly fake concerned voice.
Sailor bent her head back toward her notebook, writing her notes in tight, controlled lines while Elizabeth and her friends laughed. My fingers flexed over my keys. This was none of my business, I reminded myself.
And yet, when I stood to go find the book I needed for my research, I instead found myself heading straight toward Elizabeth.
“Hey, Elizabeth,” I said sweetly, “did you remember to stop by the vet’s office for your flea bath yesterday?”
Elizabeth’s head snapped up and she narrowed her eyes at me. “What did you say?”
“Flea. Bath,” I repeated, enunciating the words slowly, as if she were too stupid to understand. But maybe I was the stupid one. Why was I standing up for Sailor Mooring? “What’s wrong? I thought dogs had excellent hearing.”
The onlookers sucked in a deep breath, waiting for Elizabeth’s response. Sailor kept her head bent over her notebook, but she directed a dark glare toward me.
“Listen, new girl,” Elizabeth said, stepping around Sailor toward me, “you may be unaware of how things work around here, so let me fill you in. I say whatever I want to people like you and you have to deal with it, unless you want another Diet Coke shower. Got it?”
I was in her face before she had finished the sentence, our noses inches apart. “People like me ? And what does that mean?”
Elizabeth opened her mouth, but Dylan stepped into view from the nearby stacks, his arms crossed over his chest.
“Is there a problem here?” His voice was low and cold, a tone I hadn’t heard him use before during the short time that I’d known him. He didn’t look like quiet, scrawny Dylan Waverly anymore. The lean muscle in his forearms and neck had tensed, ready to strike at any moment, and the blue of his eyes had darkened into something resembling a stormy sky. He stared at Elizabeth with a ferocious snarl, waiting for her response.
Elizabeth stepped back, putting distance between us. She sneered at me, then at Dylan. “You people shouldn’t be allowed here,” she said. “We all know what your kind did.”
Dylan pressed his lips together, but he didn’t say anything.
Elizabeth spun around on her heel and marched toward her friends. “Come on. I can’t stand the smell any longer.”
Once they left, I realized my body trembled from head to foot. My nails had dug half-moons into my palms and sweat trickled down my back under my sweater.
Dylan looked like his normal self again and he sat down next to Sailor, whispering to her while she nodded and tried to wave him away.
“Okay,” I said. “Anyone want to explain what just happened?”
Sailor nearly growled at me. “Next time, stay out of it.”
I laughed. “Oh, because you were doing such a great job of getting Elizabeth to back off on your own?”
Sailor leaped to her feet, facing me. “I was doing what Dylan wanted me to. I’ve dealt with Elizabeth my entire life and I’ve done fine before you ever got here!”
“What does she have against you?” I asked, hugging my notebook to my chest.
But both Dylan and Sailor avoided meeting my gaze. Sailor closed her notebook and stuffed it into her backpack, taking an extra long time to zip it up. Dylan thumbed through a book he had found in the stacks, letting his hair fall over his face.
“Fine,” I grumbled. “Don’t tell me anything.”
“It’s complicated,” Dylan said.
“I’m not stupid.”
But Dylan shook his head. “You wouldn’t believe us.”
“Believe what?”
Sailor slung her backpack over her shoulder. “I’m going to the bathroom.”
She disappeared quickly, leaving Dylan and me alone. But he wasn’t likely to give me any answers either, judging from the way he tried to change the subject.
“I think I found a good book
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