Мэг Кэбот - Avalon High стр 11.

 Holy was what Liz started to say, when we finally made it up the hill and into the

Wagners foyer. Because Wills house was really nice, all marble floors and giant mirrors

in gilt frames. You had to wonder how his dad afforded it all, on a naval salary.

 Liz had apparently been thinking the same thing, since she whispered to Stacy and me,

Family money, in a knowing voice.

 I met Admiral Wagner almost as soon as we walked through the door. He was standing in

the living room greeting people as they arrived, a drink in one hand, and an attractive

blonde in the other. This, I assumed, was the dead friends widow, and Wills new

stepmom.

 Great game, wasnt it? Wills dad was saying to anyone who would listen. Help

yourself to a drink. Great game, didnt you think?

 Wills dad certainly didnt look like an ogre who would purposefully get his own best

friend killed, then marry his widow and, oh yeah, force his son into a career he didnt

want. He was tall, like Will, with salt-and-pepper gray hair. He wasnt wearing his

uniform, or anything, although the creases in his khakis looked kind of sharp for civilian

clothes. But that might just be because Im not used to seeing a man in ironed pants. My

dads never worn anything ironed in his life.

 I went straight up to him and introduced myself and Liz and Stacy, because it seemed

like the polite thing to do. Ill admit that I was also curious to see what Admiral Wagner

would be like, after everything Id heard about him.

 But he was totally charming, shaking my hand with energy, seemingly thrilled to pieces

that his son had so many friends. He went, Glad to meet you, girls. Go and get

yourselves a drink. Sodas are out by the pool, in a happy, booming voice.

 I looked closely at the admirals new wife, to try to gauge how much she had to do with

what Will called things being weird lately.

 But she didnt look mean or anything. She was very beautiful, petite, and blond

like Jennifer Gold, actually.

 But she also looked kind of sad. Like maybe she missed her dead husband, or something.

 Or maybe she just didnt want to be at some dumb high school party. It was hard to tell.

 Stacy and Liz and I did as the admiral told us to, and made our way out to the pool. We

had had a little trouble finding the house, so Will and Lance and the rest of their

teammatesnot to mention the Avalon High cheerleading squadwere already there, high-

fiving one another and jumping into the heated pool in the glow of about a million paper

lanterns.

 Stacy and Liz and I went and got ourselves sodas and then stood by the

guacamolewhich is where tall girls always end up standing at partieswatching

everyone. No one paid us the slightest bit of attention. No one, that is, except a Border

collie who came over and thrust her nose into my hand.

 Hey, there, I said to the dog. She was gorgeous, her long, silky coat white with just a

few black patches. She was well-behaved, too. She didnt jump up and only licked me

once.

 This, I knew, could only be Wills dog, Cavalier. I found out I was right when Will

managed to break away from the adoring throng around him and hurried over,

exclaiming, You came!

 While Liz and Stacy both looked behind them, trying to figure out who he was talking

to, I felt myself starting to flush.

 Because I knew he was talking to me.

 Yes, I said, as he stopped in front of me. Hed changed into baggy swim trunks and a

Hawaiian shirt that was open to the waist. It was hard not to look at his abs, which were

extremely six-packlike. I tried to ignore them as I said, Thanks for inviting me. These

are my friends Stacy and Liz.

 While the two girls looked on in total astonishment, Will said hi. Then he said to me, I

see Cavalier found you. She must like you.

 It was true. The dog had kind of been leaning on me as I stroked her soft ears. At least

until Will came over. Then all of her attention shifted to him.

 She has nice manners, I said lamely, because it was the only thing I could think of to

say. Other than,I love you! I love you!

 Which wouldnt, you know, have been too socially acceptable.

 Will just smiled, then asked us if we were going to swim.

 We didnt bring suits, Liz lied, with a quick glance at Jennifer Gold, who was

wandering around, looking perfectly angelic in a snow-white tankini.

 Oh, we have plenty of spares, Will said. Over in the pool house. Help yourselves.

 Stacy and Liz just stared at him, guacamole-laden chips forgotten in their hands. There

was about as much chance of the three of us strutting around in our swimsuits in front of

the cheerleading squad as there was of a giant meteorite plummeting from the sky and

incinerating them.

 Not that I was wishing this would happen. Much.

 Have fun, Will said to me, with a grin, completely oblivious to our discomfort, as any

guy would be. I have to go do, you know. The host thing.

 Sure, I said, and watched as heCavalier padding close at his sidewent to go talk to a

tall, good-looking boy who Id never seen before. Dark-haired, like Will, he seemed

vaguely familiar. But I knew he didnt go to Avalon. Liz was only too happy to clear up

the mystery of his identity.

 Thats Marco, she said, her mouth full of guacamole. Wills stepbrother.

 I stared. Marco was chatting amiably with Will and some of the other team members. He

didnt look like he was too upset with the way things had turned outyou know, living in

the home of the man whod sent his father to his death, then married his mother. I mean,

that kind of thing could mess a person up.

 He also didnt look like the monster Id been led to believe he was. He certainly didnt

look like someone whod try to kill a teacher. It was true he had a hoop through both ears.

And one of those tribal tattoos around one bicep.

 But thats pretty much normal, you know, these days.

 I watched Marco make his way around the pool, greeting people the way a politician

does, with a handshake and a slap on the shoulder if they were guys, and a kiss on the

cheek if they were girls. I wondered how I would feel, living under the same roof as the

man who was responsiblehowever indirectlyfor my dads death.

 Things were much more interesting in Annapolis than Id ever suspected they would be,

back when my parents had announced that that was where we were moving for the year.

 It didnt take Liz long to figure out that she hadnt been missing much, not having been

invited to popular kids parties before. Stacy soon grew bored as well. When they finally

announced that they wanted to gowed managed to polish off all the guacamole, and it

didnt look like more was forthcomingI nodded, because by then, I wanted to go, too. Id

seen what Id wanted to seeWills dad, who, in spite of what Id been led to believe,

seemed very nice; his stepmom, who seemed lovely; and the way Will interacted with

Jennifer, which was exactly the way youd expect a boyfriend and girlfriend to interact

not too lovey-dovey, or anything, but they held hands a lot, and I saw him lean down to

kiss her once.

 Did the sight send a dagger of envy into my heart? Yes. Did I think Id make a better

girlfriend for him than she did? Pretty much.

 But the thing was, I wanted him to be happy. It sounds weird, but I really did. And if

Jennifer made him happy, well, so be it.

 Except

 What about that rose? The one that was fully blooming now in its vase on my nightstand,

where it was the first thing I saw every morning when I woke up, and the last thing I saw

every night before I turned out the light?

 It wasnt until we were on our way out that I suddenly remembered I needed to let Lance

know about our meeting with Mr. Morton on Monday morning. Telling Liz and Stacy Id

meet them out by the car, I went to find Lance to break the news.

 But he wasnt out by the pool where Id last seen him. And he wasnt anywhere on the

first floor of the house, either. Finally, someone hanging out in the line for the bathroom

on the second floor said theyd seen him go through the door to a spare bedroom. I

thanked them, then went to the door and knocked on it.

 But the music floating up from downstairs was too loud for me to hear whether or not

Lance had said come in. I knocked a little harder. Still nothing.

 Figuring if I couldnt hear him because of the music, he probably couldnt hear my

knocking, I opened the doorjust a crackto see if Lance really was in there.

 He was in there, all right.

 In there making out with Jennifer on the bed. Jennifer, his best friends girlfriend.

 They were so wrapped up in each other, they didnt even notice the door opening. I

quickly closed it, then hurried to lean against the wall across from it, my heart feeling as

if it were about to leap out of my chest.

 But before I even had time to register what Id just seenlet alone wonder what it

meantI saw something even more horrifying.

 And that was Will coming up the stairs, and heading for the very door Id just closed.

CHAPTER TEN

  Oh, hey, Elle, Will said, when he saw me.

 It was a sign of how freaked I truly was by what Id just seen that my heartstrings didnt

so much as quiver at hearing him call me Elle.

 Hi, I said faintly.

 Have you seen Jen? Will wanted to know. Someone said they saw her come up here.

 Jen? I echoed. My gaze, though I tried not to let it, strayed toward the closed door to

the spare bedroom. Um

 What was I supposed to say? I mean, really? Was I supposed to go, Sure, Ive seen her,

shes right in there, and let him walk through that door and find Jennifer and Lance in

there, going at it?

 Or was I supposed to lie and go, Jen? Nope. Havent seen her, and let him continue to

live in total ignorance of the fact that his girlfriend and best friend were a couple of lying

skanks?

 Who could make a decision like that? Why didI have to be the one whod walked in on

them? I mean, I wanted Will to break up with Jennifer so he could be free to hook up with

meyou know, if hell happened to freeze over, or something, and he asked me out.

 But I didnt want to be the person who, however indirectly, caused that breakup by

revealing his girlfriends true nature to him! Because whenever this happens to girls on

soap operas or the WB or whatever, they never end up getting the guy

 But before I could decide what to do, Will looked more closely at me and went, Are

you all right, Elle? You look sort of

 Ifelt pale. In fact, I felt a little like I might throw up all that guacamole Id scarfed down

earlier.

 Im fine, I said, though it sounded like a lie even to my own ears.

 Yourenot fine, Will said firmly. Come on. Fresh air time.

 Then something amazing happened. He took my handgrabbed it like it was the most

natural thing to do in the worldand steered me toward a door I hadnt noticed before.

Then he pulled me up a narrow, steep stairway that opened out onto this kind of deck all

along the roof of the house.

 In spite of the party below, which was in full swing, it was quiet out on the narrow little

deck. Quiet and dark, with a fantastic view of the stars overhead, and the bay stretched

out below us, the moon reflected like a bright ribbon of light across it. A cool breeze

lifted my hair from my face, and immediately, I started to feel a little better.

 I leaned against the ornately carved railing that ran the length of the deck and gazed out

at the bay, at the bridge that arched across it, and the occasional glow of a cars headlights

as someone drove over it.

 Better? Will asked.

 I nodded, feeling a little ashamed of myself, and wanting to distract him from looking at

me too closelyI sensed that I was still slightly green around the gillsI asked brightly,

So whatis this thing, anyway? meaning the narrow parapet Will and I were standing on.

 You really arent from around here, are you? Will asked, with a grin. Then he joined

me at the railing and said, They call it a widows walk. All the old houses around here

have them. People like to say they were built for the wives of sailors so they could come

out and watch for their husbands ships to return.

.

pale.

 Nice, I said sarcastically. Because, of course, if the husband didnt return, it meant that

his ship had gone down and the wife was now a widow, thus making her pretty little

lookout post a widows walk.

 Well, Will said, with a laugh. yeah. But thats not really what they were for. They

were built so people could climb up here and put out the flames if their roof caught fire,

back when they had to use their chimneys for heat and cooking and everything.

 Nice! I said again, this time with even more sarcasm.

 Will smiled. Yeah. I guess they should change the name. He shrugged. The views the

same, no matter what they call it.

 I nodded, admiring the shimmering band of light the moon cast across the water. Its