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That explains all the boob jobs.

“What?” Tamson sputtered, face a deep, burgundy red.

“Just…the girls…at the pool…they definitely had boob jobs. I was wondering what type of parents would let high schoolers get such a big boob job – get it? Big? – anyway, it makes sense now that I know that some girls are over eighteen. They don’t have to get their parents’ permission. Not that I’m knocking a boob job or anything, I mean some people can totally rock them, but some just look really…” I trailed off, unable to coherently express my private thoughts. This was exactly why some things needed to remain silent. “How old are you guys?” I asked, desperate to change the subject. Again. I really needed to stop getting myself into such awkward situations.

“Well, Tamson over there is the baby. He’s only seventeen. Asher and Ryder are both eighteen. Calax, as you know, is nineteen along with Declan and I,” Ronan said, pointing at each face as he went along, as if I needed a reminder of their names.

It was one of the final names that I got stuck on. Declan.

Before I could stop myself, because, really, I had no filter, I asked, “Why doesn’t he talk?”

There was a moment of silence, during which Declan met my eyes with a smoldering stare of his own. For once, he didn’t seem upset with something I said, only startled. His hand moved in a flurry of motion. Sign language.

“Do you think she’s playing ignorant or does she really not know?”he signed, though the question wasn’t directed at me. Calax immediately responded.

“Trust me. I have known Addie for years. She can barely remember where a wall is at. She’s oblivious, not cruel.”

Rude.

“She’s hot though,”Ryder signed.“I say that we keep her.”

“I already called dibs,”Ronan broke in.

“I don’t trust her,”Declan said.“She’s shady.”

Asher added,“Well, this conversation escalated quickly.”

“She’s hot though.”

“Kind of stupid.”

“Not stupid. Just naive.”

“A girl like her? Doubt it. And I doubt that she never had a boyfriend before. That was the worst way to put someone down I had ever heard.”

Their words – excuse me,motions– blurred together so I had trouble keeping up with who signed what, too focused on their hands to notice. After a moment of letting them continue their “insult Addie” game, I broke in.

“You’re right. Addieisseriously hot. And stupid. And kind of crazy, to be honest. And no, she has never had a boyfriend. Good grief, you guys are pathetic.”

I finished my signing with a dramatic flip of my hair. The guys all gaped at me yet again. Even cold, unyielding, asshole Declan appeared sheepish and flustered. Good. Served him right for talking about me – damn it,signingabout me.

“Now if you guys are done being dick faces, I am going to go. You know, do some shady shit and all that. I call it shat. Shady Shit. And yes, that is an Adelaide original word. And no, you cannot use it.”

Aware that their eyes remained on me, staring at me like fish out of water, I gave them the universal F-you sign. It made me feel better.