Page 3 of The Charade
I just hoped it wasn't some hoity-toity rich snob who’d make me feel dumber than I already did.
Scarlett led us out of the girls' locker room, through the gym and across the hall, to a long room with weight-lifting machines and free weights lined up along the walls. When we stepped onto the padded black floor, I saw there were already a few guys who looked about our age at the other end of the room lifting weights.
"This is the weight room, obviously." Scarlett gestured at the various black-and-white machines beside us. "We have PE every day, but if you want to get some strength training in during your free time, this is open from six in the morning until nine at night for you to use."
I looked around at the various machines, not having the slightest idea of what I would even begin to do in here. I’d never taken a weights class at my old school and definitely never had a pass to a gym before, but I was intrigued and would probably try to find a time to sneak down here when there weren't other people to watch me fumble my way around the machines.
"Scarlett Caldwell?" A deep voice sounded from across the room, taking my attention. "Is that you?"
"Mack!" Scarlett turned her gaze to the owner of the voice, a huge grin lifting her cheeks. And in the next second she was bounding toward a tall guy with rich brown skin, wearing a maroon stringer tank top that showed off his well-defined biceps.
"Do you think that's her boyfriend?" I whispered to Elyse as Scarlett enthusiastically hugged the guy she'd called Mack.
"I don't know," Elyse said, eyeing Mack's toned arms. "But if that's what all the guys at this school look like, I don't think I'll be complaining too much about transferring here."
"Me neither." I looked Mack over again. He was so tall, at least six-foot five from the looks of how he towered over Scarlett. And yes, he was super cute.
"Ava and Elyse," Scarlett said, turning back to my sister and me after pulling away from the giant beside her. "This is Mack."
I stepped forward, holding my hand out to him. "Hi Mack, I'm Ava."
"Ava?" He shook my hand, his large one engulfing mine. "Nice to meet you."
Elyse introduced herself next, and then Mack narrowed his dark brown eyes at us both. "So, do you two always dress alike?"
"Not all the time," I said, looking down at my pink T-shirt with the graphic of a blue whale on it that matched Elyse's. "Just whenever we want to make a statement."
"I like it." Mack's big lips lifted into a crooked grin. "Though, hate to break it to you, but everyone at this school dresses alike. So you might need to find a new way to make a statement." He winked, and I knew immediately that I was going to like this Mack guy. He seemed to be the kind of guy who could joke around with anybody.
"I guess we'll just have to find another way to stand out then," Elyse said, and I didn't miss the sparkle in her eyes as she looked up at the handsome stranger.
Mack turned his gaze to my sister, looking her over from head to toe. "Somehow I don't think you standing out is going to be a problem."
And in that moment, I really hoped, for my sister's sake, that Scarlett and Mack were just friends because I really didn't want Scarlett to hate us after seeing the sparks between him and my twin.
When I glanced over at Scarlett to make sure she wasn't staring daggers at us, I was relieved to see that she had turned her focus instead to the two guys racking their weights behind Mack.
"Carter. Hunter," she called, waving her hand. "Come meet my new friends before you start your next set."
A guy with dirty-blond hair turned to look at us over his shoulder, and when our gazes met, my heart did a little flip-flop because…wow. He was gorgeous. Totally my type: Tall. Aqua-blue eyes. Square jawline. An athletic build. Warm tan skin.
Yeah, he might even be cuter than the male model I'd been crushing on since my mom's fashion show.
I drew in a quick breath, hoping no one had noticed how I'd stopped breathing for a second, and then made my gaze move to the other guy with chestnut-colored hair approaching us.
But as the two guys moved closer, all I could think about was how maybe Elyse was right after all. Maybe transferring to a school full of extremely good-looking guys might just be the best thing that ever happened to us.
The guy with short chestnut hair held his hand out to Elyse first. "Hi, I'm Hunter," he said in a deep voice. "Welcome to Eden Falls."
She shook his hand and told him her name, and then he shook my hand next.
"I'm Ava," I said. "It's great to meet you."
"Likewise." He nodded. "It's been a while since we've gotten new seniors to our house, so I'm sure everyone will be excited to meet you when school starts tomorrow."
I smiled, grateful for the positive comments. "I'm excited to get to know everyone."
Especially the tall, deliciously handsome guy behind you.
