Page 9 of Bound By Earth (The Nature Hunters Academy 1)

“Nice guys always finish last,” Christina, who’d apparently been listening from one row over, calledout.

“She’s not wrong,” Shelly added. “It’s the bad boys every girl desires. Seriously, who wants to ride a moped when you can climb on a Harleyinstead?”

Tara rolled her eyes. “Let’s not talk about riding anything or anyone, please.” If Shelly got started with the sexual innuendos it could go on for hours. Like the freaking EnergizerBunny.

Shelly’s eyes glinted with wicked amusement. “I swear, Tara. One of these days some guy is going to knock you on your shapely gluteus maximus when you least expect it, and he’s going to … Rock. Your.World.”

Tara shook her head. She didn’t know if there was such a male out there that could rock her world, let alone knock her on her butt. She just couldn’t imagine feeling that way about anyone. And she couldn’t imagine anyone feeling that way about her. For so long, Tara had thought herself so different from her classmates. She had emotional baggage. Tara didn’t fit in. There were many reasons for that. She wasn’t one for small talk, and as a general rule, most people got on her nerves. If she needed to talk, she just turned to her trusty diary. She was able to pour her heart out, and it didn’t talk back to offer empty promises or, worse, pity. She preferred to curl up with a good book rather than hang out at a party.Oh, and there was her secret “I’m impervious to physical injury” thing she never talkedabout.

“By the way, when you do meet said bad boy,” Shelly added, “could you please tell me all about it so I can live vicariously through your lovelife?”

“Or you could just get your own love life,” Tarasuggested.

Shelly looked down at her body and then back at Tara. “You find me a dude who wants to date an eighteen-year-old chick built like a ten-year-old and I’ll get right onthat.”

“First of all, that would be a pedophile, so gross. Secondly, Shelly, you’re beautiful, and you don’t look anything like a ten-year-old,” Tara said, and it wasn’t lip service. Shelly was stunning. Did she have Beyonce’s curves? No. She didn’t have much in the way of breasts or hips, but she had beautiful blonde locks and bone structure women went under the knife to try and get. She was built like a model, all long limbs and graceful moves. Her eyes were huge and striking green, and she’d once heard one of the guys on the football team describe Shelly’s lips as any red-blooded American male’s wet dream. Tara didn’t examine that too deeply but took it at face value. Shelly was hot, but she didn’t see it, no matter how many times Tara tried to tellher.

“All right you two weirdos,” Christina called out. “I’m gone. Make sure y’all lock the door on your wayout.”

That was when Tara looked around and realized the rest of the team had already left. She was silent for a few seconds then spoke. “Hey, Shelly, can I ask yousomething?”

“Sure,” said Shelly before holding up a hand to stop Tara from continuing. “If you’re going to ask me about the birds and the bees, well, we might be here awhile.”

Tara rolled her eyes. “Why would I ask you about the birds and the bees? It’s not like you have any more experience than Ido.”

“Scortillum. I have a vivid fantasy life. I’m sure I am way beyond your level ofignorance.”

“You do realize that cursing in Latin is still cursing,right?”

“But you have to be educated to know it’s Latin and what the word is. How did you, by the way?” Shelly asked and then waved her question off. “You’re trying to distract me. The point is, I have all the sexknowledge.”

“Fine, fine. You’re right. Your sexual knowledge is astounding and so far beyond me. Oh wise one, please forgive me,” Tara monotoned. Tara did not tell her that when Shelly had started with her fancy cursing and non-cursing, she’d looked up many of the words in Latin because she’d known it would be one of the languages Shelly turned to. Her friend could be predictable attimes.

Shelly grinned. “You’re forgiven. Now what’s yourquestion?”

“Did you happen to see that really big African-American dude in the stands when we were walking off thefield?”

Shelly’s eyes went wide. “That gigantic guy who was sitting by himself glowering the entire game? Who looked more like a mountain than a man? With the bald head? And the muscles bulging out of his shirt that looked like he stole them from the IncredibleHulk?”

Okay, so Shelly’d not only noticed him but apparently devoured him with her fantasy-loving eyes. Girl was whack. “That’s theone.”

“Uh, yeah, he was kind of hard tomiss.”

“Well … okay, this is going to sound crazy, or narcissistic, but I sort of felt like … like he was watching me?” Tara inwardly cringed at how vain that sounded. She could admit that she had a little bit of a sarcastic, witchy side, but she was notvain.

“Of course he was watching you. You’re our bestplayer.”

“No, I mean likewatchingwatchingme.”

Shelly raised her eyebrows. “Likewatchingwatching you? Oh, wow. Talk about climbing things. Thatwouldbe a big mountain to climb. I mean, Tucker is hot and all, but that guy? Whoa. He seemed a bit old for me, but whatever floats your boat, girl. You doyou.”

“No! Good grief, crawl out of the gutter for just a few minutes for me. Not watching me likethat. Just that he was staring at me, even after the game wasover.”

“Like some weird creeper orsomething?”

“I don’t know,” said Tara. “I didn’t get a weird-creepervibe.”

“So, you didn’t get a ‘come and climb my mountain’ vibe, and you didn’t get a ‘weird-creeper’ vibe. What kind of vibe was it, exactly?” Shelly looked as confused as Tarafelt.

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