“We have to get going,” I hear Killian say to Jamie. He leans into his ear and whispers something. Jamie nods, and then Killian and Jade are moving through the crowd, headed out of the kitchen.
So, they’re definitely together. Interesting. This is the first time I’ve seen Killian with a girl on campus. He usually keeps to himself and rarely attends parties. Jade is on the quiet side too, so I can see how the two of them would get along.
Jemma Walcott smiles at me.
“Hey,” I say. “You’re Jordan’s sister. Jemma, right?”
She nods.
Everyone on campus knows Jordan Walcott. She’s the vice president of Kappa Delta, the sorority Shannon and Jemma are both in, and is the life of every party. I’m surprised to see Jemma without Jordan.
“How are you liking Strick U? I bet it’s different from… Where are you guys from?”
Somewhere with cows? I know their family owns Walcott Dairy. We literally drink the milk her family produces.
“Lancaster,” she offers. “It’s about two hours from here.”
“When I lived in Germany, I got to spend the weekend at a farm for a school project. I learned how to milk a cow.”
“You lived in Germany?” Shannon interjects, her voice reaching a higher octave.
“They stationed my dad at Panzer Kaserne when I was in middle school. We lived there for a few years.”
“So, you’re an army brat?” She shifts her hands to her hips and leans closer.
I shake my head. “Nope. Marine Corps. My dad is a retired Colonel. He’s an electrical engineer by trade. Now, he works for Lockheed Martin out in Southern California. That’s where my family lives… for now.”
I never knew when I would move next. It’s nice to have a place I call home. But how long will Calabasas be home for us? It’s hard to say with my dad. He has this constant restlessness that makes me wonder if he’ll one day take a job halfway around the world and expect all of us to move with him.
“Oh, that’s cool,” Shannon coos.
Not really. Moving every time you make a new friend or get comfortable at a school is far from fun.
“I bet you’ve lived in a ton of places,” she adds.
I nod, not wanting to get into too much detail about the many lives of Taylor Bradshaw.
“My dad’s company does some contract work with Lockheed,” Jamie chimes, tipping the cup to his mouth. “We also consult with the government on artificial intelligence software. It’s one of my dad’s areas of expertise.”
“Now that’s cool,” I say, impressed. “Are you guys working on any VR stuff?”
“VR?” Jemma says, confused.
“Virtual reality,” I correct. “It’s the hot new thing in tech. It’s on the expensive side, but once the tech companies figure out how to sell it to consumers at a cheaper price, it will be everywhere.”
“What she said,” Jamie says with a chuckle. He turns to face me, a bright smile on his handsome face. “Nice to know I’m not the only one around here who’s into tech.”
I return his gesture and then take another sip of beer.
Just an observation. But why are all of Drake’s friends hot? Even the nerdy tech guy has it going on.
Why do men always have eyelashes women would kill for? It drives me crazy when I have to curl mine to make them look only a fraction as decent as Drake’s.
“Hey, J,” Preston says from behind me. “Drake needs your help with the music. He says the iPad’s skipping.”
I was wondering what happened to the music, though it doesn’t matter with how loud everyone is speaking inside the house.
Jamie groans in frustration.
