Page 18 of Bound By Earth (The Nature Hunters Academy 1)

Tara sighed. “Never thought I’d say this, but just call me a whore already. Woman-of-the-night, corner-standing-body-seller? Seriously? You’re making me want to smother you in your sleep just so I don’t have to hear what you’ll come up withnext.”

“You forgot seller-of-genital-epidermis. That’s one of my faves. How could you leave that one out? Whatever, just focus. We have some things to discuss. First, has anything changed since we talked? You still can’t be hurt? Any new powers emerged? Have you figured out if you have some sort of weakness, like Superman and that greenstuff?”

Tara tried really hard not to roll her eyes. She did it so much around Shelly she was beginning to think it was becoming a tick. “You do realize I’m not a superhero in a comic book,right?”

“How do you know? I don’t mean the comic book part. Obviously, you’re a real person. But you very well could be a superhero. Maybe you’re supposed to save mankind from some terrible fate. Maybe there’s some secret society of superheroes that you’re supposed to join. Do you honestly believe it’s just some fluke mutation and nothingmore?”

Tara had thought of some of those things, at least the ones that didn’t sound completely implausible. Okay, so maybe she’d really only considered one of those things. Was she just a fluke mutation, or was there something more? Had this happened to her for a reason? “I honestly wish I had those answers, Shelly. But I don’t, and I don’t know how to find them. So, for now, could we just be normal teenagers, complaining about normal things and waiting to get out of highschool?”

“You do realize normal sucks, right?” Shellyasked.

“Sometimes,” Tara agreed. “And sometimes it’s underrated.” It was time to redirect her BFF, or Shelly would just argue with her about the whole superhero thing until hell froze over or she died. Whichever came first. “I thought you said we had ‘things,’ plural, to talk about. What was the other thing besides mymutation?”

Shelly huffed and said, “Fine, be a female-dog-face-with-denial-issues.”

“You soundridiculous.”

“I sound like I have the ability to form thoughts and not just foul curse words, but, alas, we have more important things to talk about than my brilliant linguisticinsults. ”

“I’d rather you just curse. It would hurt my head less,” Tara argued. She flipped through the shirts in her closet as she waited to hear what Shelly’s idea of important was. Knowing her friend,it could be something as ridiculous as making sure Tara stood at her locker at just the right angle to hide Shelly so the girl could drool over some guy walking down the hall at that exact moment. And yes, they had discussed Shelly’s stalking tendencies. Shelly admitted she had them but refused to change. Her friend’s personality was something Tara was working on, but she wasn’t holding herbreath.

“Today’s the college-and-career fair thingy,” Shelly said, pulling Tara from her musings. “We need to look smart but sexy. We need to looksmexy.”

“Shelly, we’ve talked about the whole combining words thing,” Tarareminded.

“Smexy works. I can admit that when I combined the words freaky and humping and got the word frekumping, that didn’t work,” she said, soundingforlorn.

Tara snorted. “That was definite word vomit, and the fact that you said it in front of your parents only made itbetter.”

“T, focus,” her friend growled. “Smexy. Find something in your tomboy wardrobe that fits the bill. I’m bringing something with me for you to wear if I don’t approve,” shethreatened.

Tara cringed at the thought of what Shelly might bring for her. It would probably involve pink and be low cut to show enough cleavage that she might as well sell tickets for a show. Yep, not going to happen. Tara pushed deeper into her closet, past her normal wardrobe to the clothes Carol bought her. Her foster mom had good taste in clothes, but Tara just preferred jeans and a T-shirt, or sweatshirt if it was winter. Tara wasn’t concerned with her looks. What was the point? It wasn’t like there was someone she wanted to look good for. But Shelly’s threat was enough to make her relent and try to put some effort into her appearance. “Fine, I’ll do my best to try and meet your requirements for smexy,” Tara paused and then asked. “What the crap does smexy look likeexactly?”

“It’s a look that says, ‘I can rock your world while reciting the periodic table, and I’ll make you like it,” Shelly said. Tara didn’t hear a bit of jest in her friend’svoice.

“That doesn’t help, you whacked-out heifer. I’m now picturing myself in a schoolgirl uniform, glasses, and thigh-high socks while I hold a ruler and bend slightly at the waist for no reason whatsoever. Thank you so much for giving me that mental picture. Really, thank you,” Tarasaid.

Her friend let out a low whistle. “I knew somewhere deep down in your dark soul there was a sex kitten that wanted to come out andplay.”

“Okay, I’m hanging up now,” Tara said as she reached for herphone.

“Wait,” Shelly shouted. “At least send me a pic once you’re dressed so I can approve it. You’re just looking for a quick visual tease, not a full-on floozysmorgasbord.”

Tara bit her lip to keep from telling her BFF to take her visual tease and jump off a cliff and instead said, “Fine. I’ll send you a pic.Bye.”

She clicked End just as Shelly shouted, “Find your inner slut but make her agenius!”

Tara’s eyes nearly rolled up into her head as she snorted at the parting words. The girl was outrageous, and yet Tara envied her friend’s ability tojust be. Shelly was so comfortable in her own skin, and Tara longed to feel completely at home in her ownflesh.

Finally, after fifteen minutes of searching, she settled on a pair of jeans she knew hugged every curve and a waist-length, tapered blazer over a tank top that had lace across the top and gave a hint at a modest amount of cleavage. That was smexy, right? Bloody hell, what did it matter? She shrugged and quickly went about getting ready. Tara even took the time to curl her natural waves into controlled curls so they didn’t look like she’d walked through a humid forest where tree branches had snagged the strands pulling them in all different directions. Shelly wasn’t going to be able to gripe and moan that Tara hadn’t attempted to look attractive, which is what the girl was actually asking for with all her nonsensicalwords.

Once Tara was dressed, hair fixed, and a small amount of eye makeup applied, she stood in front of the mirror and actually smiled. “You’ll do,” Tara murmured as she turned and looked over her shoulder at her back. The jeans did make her butt look good. And she filled out the tank top nicely. If she was a dude, she’d be attracted to her. Did that even make sense? And did it sound crazy? No, and yes. Or maybe it was yes, and no? Tara shook her head. She really needed to get out more, or find a hobby, or something. She snagged her phone, took a quick picture of herself in the mirror, and shot off a text to Shelly. She didn’t have to wait long for aresponse.

Holy crap,I’d doyou.

Cameher friend’s brilliant compliment.Don’t smack your best friend, don’t smack your best friend, Tara chanted in hermind.

I have an impervious hymen,remember? You couldn’t do me. Besides, I wouldn’t do you. Find someone else to prey upon with your obsessive tendencies. See you in afew.

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