Drinking Life (Keeper of the Water Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

Mountains in northern Pennsylvania. As much as I appreciate the beauty of nature surrounding us—not to mention the boom in our parents’ business—I’ve also found the transition more difficult than our previous moves. The school here is the smallest we’ve been to yet, which makes it even harder to blend in. And since the Poconos is largely a tourist area where many people keep vacation homes, the population of permanent residents is minimal. Most of the kids at school have known each other for years and aren’t overly friendly to newcomers. This doesn’t bother me so much—I’m used to staying to myself—but Cassie has had more trouble than usual trying to squeeze her way into the ‘cool’ crowd.
    For me, the toughest part has been a lack of sports. We moved soon after the attack, before the semi-final match was rescheduled. I read online that my team barely held on to our big lead for the victory but then got crushed in the state final. Not a day passes that I don’t wonder what might’ve been if I was still there. It might have been easier to deal with if I jumped into a new sport but Mt. Pocono High is so small that they don’t offer any sports for girls. Apparently there’s barely enough money to support one boy’s sport per season and they already had to eliminate major sports like wrestling and baseball and track. After spending so many years not allowed to play sports, you’d think I’d be used to not participating in anything—not the case. I feel like a caged animal. The attack unlocked something in me and without sports to unleash it, I’m going crazy.
    Dealing with Cassie’s complaints doesn’t make it easier. I tried joining her in a whine session one day but she made a point of saying how happy she was that there were no sports, that now her mom couldn’t force her to participate. I guess it was silly of me to expect Cassie to fake sympathy for my benefit.
    Spring is in the air so my spirits drop once we walk inside. The hallways are dreary and a moldy odor hangs in the air. It smells like too much water once leaked inside and was never properly cleaned. It’s no wonder the sound of coughing constantly echoes the halls. Cassie and I stick together but I sense her tension as the school’s only group of popular girls walks in our direction. I’m sure Cassie wishes she could duck away but the girls have already spotted us. Regardless of the differences in their height, size and hair color, each girl in the group dresses the same, has the same hairstyle, wears the same sneer at the sight of me. I can’t say for certain but I imagine they chew the same kind of gum, too.
    “Ugh,” Cassie whispers to me. “I hate these bit- ”
    “Hey, Cassie,” says Heather, the blondest—and prettiest—girl in the group, I don’t know if that’s the reason she’s the leader of the pack or if it’s because she gives the dirtiest looks. She proves that when her eyes drift up toward me. “Is this your… bodyguard?”
    “Good one,” Cassie says in her fake, high-pitched girly voice. She giggles with the rest of the girls. I roll my eyes and shake my head. I could squash any of these girls with one hand tied behind my back but I don’t feel that urge. In fact, I feel bad for the rest of the girls who’ve so readily accepted their fate as sheep. The group passes by and stops near the lockers of the school’s jocks, each girl pairing up with one of the guys. Cassie calls after them. “I’ll catch up with you later.”
    “They’re pathetic,” I say once out of earshot. “What did I ever do to them?”
    I don’t give them a second glance but Cassie keeps looking back.
    “Isn’t it obvious why they hate you?” Cassie asks.
    “Because we’re new, I guess.”
    “They don’t hate me ,” Cassie says, clearly offended to be lumped in a group with me. “They hate you and it’s because all of their boyfriends totally want you.”
    I look back at the group and see several guys watching me