Beasts and BFFs Read Online Free Page B

behavior!
    “I’m so sorry Jessie let go of the door too soon—are you okay?” She scanned his face, her eyes bright and oddly eager. I took my seat and watched the other students’ reactions to our arrogant new class member. The girls were all sitting—literally—at the edge of their seats, fingers white around the knuckles as they gripped their desks and made mooneyes at him.
    I couldn’t believe how they all seemed so blatantly and suddenly obsessed with Pietr. I mean, okay—I looked him up and down without feeling a hint of self-consciousness, measuring and weighing what I saw there. Yep. Not bad looking, sort of had that catalog-model look, good enough for print but not typical runway material.
    But he simply didn’t care. It made me want to scream. But I remembered: Most girls go soft over guys with that dangerously arrogant edge—that distance that marks them as unattainable. I sighed.
    Ms. Ashton was still rambling on about the importance of literature to civilization and, of course, to the class. Pietr occasionally said something softly in that too-cool way of his, and all the girls giggled. Even Ms. Ashton. She had taken Pietr by the hand to better lead him to his desk. I was astonished by her utter disregard of teacher-student protocol.
    I ruffled the pages of my lit book, feeling a heat growing on my back. I turned and nearly choked on my own surprise. Derek was watching me. He winked at me and motioned with a jerk of his head at Pietr. I rolled my eyes, my insides melting at this small communication with my old crush.
    Derek chuckled silently and pointed to get me to turn back around in my seat.
    “So, Jessie,” Ms. Ashton was addressing me. “How did you manage to get the assignment of showing Pietr around?”
    The girls all turned, glaring at me and yet seemingly hungry to know how they could get their very own new-boy-at-school, too.
    “Just luck,” I muttered. Bad, dumb luck.
    I felt Derek’s eyes on me again. Pietr didn’t bother to acknowledge my statement.
    Ms. Ashton closed class with a homework assignment. There were groans in response. Someone stated the obvious: “It’s almost Homecoming!”
    Ms. Ashton was unrepentant.
    I didn’t groan. Homecoming wasn’t my thing. I barely followed our football team’s adventures (other than staring at Derek and listening to people recount his exploits on the field— that I could listen to for days). The idea of going to a parade, bonfire, and dance…well, what did it matter if I was curious about it? Who would ask me, anyhow? Besides, there were always things to be done at home. A horse farm always had something that needed doing.
    The bell rang—a sound even more obnoxious and less bell-like today because I had a special assignment. An especially unpleasant assignment.
    I stood and gathered my things. I was annoyed to find a mob of girls hanging around Pietr’s desk. They seemed oblivious to my presence. Nearly as oblivious as Pietr was to me. I cleared my throat.
    No response.
    I elbowed Izzy aside, pushing my way into their giggling midst. “Come on, Pietr. We’ve got math.”
    He rose, slipping his newly acquired lit book under his arm.
    “Math?” Izzy sighed. “Who does he have, Jessie? Mr. Belden?” She never once looked at me—his guide and holder of the evidently royal schedule.
    “Yeah,” I snapped. “Beany Belden.” Now I did groan. Escorting Pietr was making me less pleasant about everything. “ Now, Pietr.”
    “I’ll walk with you,” Izzy offered.
    “Good.” I headed for the door, saying over my shoulder, “I’ll lead.”
    I did my best to distance myself from the pair of them, but occasionally I’d hear Izzy say something entirely insipid, and it seemed as if she’d shouted it down the hall. She was entirely too easy to impress. Her brightest moment in the very one-sided conversation was when she said, “You even smell good!”
    I found myself rolling my eyes so often I nearly walked into a wall. Okay,