Page 54 of Bound By Earth (The Nature Hunters Academy 1)

“Hi,Shelly.”

“HI,SHELLY?”

Tara held the phone away from her ear as her friend screamed throughit.

“Hi, Shelly is all I get when I have been texting you and worrying about you and wondering if Tucker rocked your world and I get ‘Hi,Shelly’?”

Tara stepped into her room still holding the phone out but not speaking. She let Shelly dislodge all the pent-up statements and questions before she even tried to respond. Elias was sitting at her desk looking at a piece of paper. Tara didn’t pay him any mind while she attempted to deal with an irateBFFF.

“Do you know how hard it is to sit and wait for you to let me know how your very first datewent?”

“I bet you’re going to tellme.”

“I have fretted and paced and nearly bit off all my fingernails because you refused to even considermyfeelings!”

“You sound like a narcissist. It’s not a good look foryou.”

“I am the Best Freaking Friend Forever! I get to know the things! I don’t just get to know things. I get to know them immediately. As soon as they happen. I shouldn’t have to wait longer than two minutes after the date leaves before I get my firstreport.”

“Are you done, you crazy, freakingnutter?”

“Nutter and crazy are the same thing,” Shelly pointed out, her breathing fast from hertirade.

“I know. I said it two times because you are acting double the crazy you normallyact.”

“I’m on my period. It makes me irrational,” Shellysaid.

“Irrational andpsychotic.”

“Will you please just tell me how the date went?” she whined. “I’ve been bored out of mymind.”

“It actually sounds like you’ve been quite busy becoming a raginglunatic.”

Shelly huffed. “I concede. Nowdish.”

Tara glanced over at Elias and saw that he’d put the paper down and was now watching her. A single brow rose on his forehead as though challenging her to tell Shelly about the date while he was able tolisten.

She rolled her eyes and climbed up on her bed as she spoke. “It was actually pretty fun. He took me axethrowing.”

“What? That does sound fun. I’m assuming you didn’t chop anything off on yourself or anyoneelse.”

“No,” Tara agreed. “I didn’t cut off any appendages of my own … obviously.” She tried to put as much meaning into the word as possible without being too obvious. She glanced sidelong at Elias as she said it to see if his expression changed in any way. She couldn’t tell, but she thought his eyes might have narrowed almostimperceptibly.

“Oh yeah,” said Shelly. “I guess you wouldn’t have been able to. But forget that, how wasit?”

“It wasn’t awkward like I thought it would be. He’s easy to talk to and has made it clear what he wants.” When Tara said the last part she made it a point to turn and stare straight at Elias with her own silent challenge. He simply glaredback.

“Did he kiss you?” Shelly’s voice was so eager that it made Taralaugh.

“He was going to, but then there was this small earthquake that made us both fall on our asses. It was weird. The moment was pretty much gone afterthat.”

“Bummer.” Shelly sighed. “What earthquake? There wasn’t anearthquake.”

“Yeah, there was. Like I said, it knocked usdown.”

“I think I would have remembered feeling an earthquake a little while ago,” saidShelly.

“I don’t know what to tell you. Must have only been in my part oftown.”

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