“Nice to see you all,” Hari says primly. Upon sensing Nick’s curiosity, she turns to him, her voice softer. “I ran into a few of them last night.”
“Entirely sober, I suspect,” Nick says with an eye roll. Before Hari can respond, he continues. “As you should all know by now,this program is intended to introduce you to Australia and all the country’s adventures.” He flicks his eyes across the paper he holds in his massive hand, reading from it verbatim. “‘To establish connections with people from all over the world and to understand why nearly twenty-six million people on this planet have chosen to call this magnificent country home.’” He drops the paper with a flourish. “Well, this is bloody rubbish.”
Tomas laughs lightly, apparently assuming that was the expected response. Nick’s stare fixes on him until the sound dries from Tomas’s mouth.
“Okay that’s enough of that shite,” Nick says, resuming his presentation. “Since we’ll be stuck with each other for a month, we may as well get the introductions over with. You know me and Hari already, but this stupid thing,” he sneers down at the paper, “says everyone in the group needs to go around and say their name, where they’ve from and—oh God—a ‘fun fact’ about themselves.” He sighs. “Well, let’s get this over with. You start.” He points at Declan.
We go painfully around the group, repeating our names and hometowns like we did yesterday, this time adding in our “fun fact,” which, as Nick predicted, is definitely not as exciting as its name suggests. Although, some do surprise me. Kyan’s family owns a luxury hotel company that operates throughout Southeast Asia; Ellery is fluent in three languages and proficient in two more; Adrien’s spent the last few summers volunteering in an orphanage in Lesotho. God, those poor kids, I can’t help but think. Others are blander. Tomas has dreamed of traveling to the Outback since he was a child; Claire never learned how to ride a bike (an admission she makes ruefully);Declan’s secondary school football team was named one of the best in Ireland. I scour my mind for one that would be equal parts tantalizing and impressive, but my memory lodges on that one night. My hand on the wheel, the shattering of glass.
“Leonardo DiCaprio hit on me at a bar in LA,” I say when it’s my turn.
Not exactly true, and by not exactly, I mean not at all, but it got the response I expected. That is, from everyone except for Adrien, who I heard mutter “bullshit” under her breath. Funny, I could say the same about her claim of being an off-brand Angelina Jolie.
Through it all, Nick seems nonplussed. It’s not clear if he’s even listening half the time.
Kyan leans over to me at one point, the feeling of his breath in my ear sending a ripple of pleasure down my spine.
“Should we continue our game from last night?”
It takes me a moment to remember what he’s referring to, but then it clicks. Truth or dare.
I turn and whisper, “Dare.”
Kyan smiles, shoots a look to make sure Nick isn’t paying attention—he’s not so furtively checking his phone as Ellery shares her fun fact—and whispers, “I dare you to do something to embarrass Nick.”
I raise my eyebrows. “You’re on.”
“Well, now that that’s over, let’s run through the agenda for the trip.”
“Actually Nick,” I say, raising my hand like a schoolgirl. “I have a question first.”
Nick doesn’t say anything, simply raises his bushy eyebrows.
“How open are Australians to foreigners?”
Nick looks at me like I’m an idiot. “We’re pretty welcoming, yeah,” he says in a tone that couldn’t possibly be more unwelcoming if he tried.
“I mean sexually.”
Nick’s face turns a shade that can only be described as puce as muffled laughter breaks out through the group. Confidence flows through me upon realizing some of it comes from the seat next to me. That is until Nick takes a step closer to me.
For a moment, I think he’s going to come after me. I close my eyes, already imagining the feel of hands on my arm, a voice in my ear.You are nothing.
But when I open my eyes, Nick isn’t even within touching distance.He won’t hurt you. Not like him, I tell myself.You’re safe.
Although based on the rage in Nick’s eyes, I’m not sure if that’s true.
“That’s enough,” he says through gritted teeth. “I don’t tolerate that shit here.”
I think about making another quip, but his expression makes me reconsider.
“Now, back to the agenda.” As he speaks, Nick’s tension releases slightly, like a balloon deflating. “We’ll be starting here in Sydney for the weekend, taking it fairly easy, exploring, heading out to the Blue Mountains for a day before we head out. All in all, we’ll be hitting four destinations. I’m not going to run through it all, as I’m sure yous’re all familiar with the program’s schedule.”
In that assumption, he’s wrong. I barely bothered to read the program summary in the brochure I snagged from my school’s study abroad office. Instead, I made my decision as soon as I clocked Adventure Abroad’s location—the furthest of all the programs from my university in Atlanta.
I steal a glance around the room at the others, all of whom seem to be more familiar with the schedule than I am and who are clearly excited about it. Except for Nick Gould.
“Fine, then. No questions. The bus for today’s city tour is waiting. We’ll start with the botanical gardens, then the opera house, and we’ll hit the barracks on the way back to campus.”
