Page 9 of I Don’t Need Your Protection (Harrington Bay Academy #1)
Addie
The dining hall is pretty packed and noisy. There are definitely more students than I thought.
I stop dead in my tracks when I notice the buffet tables.
Holy heck, they go all out even for breakfast. I wish I could eat everything my eyes see, but I don’t want to spend my first day with a stomach ache.
I settle on a chocolate pancake that looks so fluffy, and orange juice.
Hopefully, I’ll be able to taste every dish by the end of the school year.
I glance around for a place to sit. Most tables are full, but there are one or two still empty. Hmm, what’s the better option? To sit alone or push myself on another table? In times like this, I miss my old friends so much.
“Hey, Addie!” someone calls.
I peer around the room, trying to locate the source of the voice, but there are so many students and faculty here .
“Over here!”
I catch sight of someone frantically waving her hand. It’s Carly, seated at a table in the back with two other girls. She gives me a large smile and motions for me to join them. Oh my gosh, she has no idea how much I love her right now. I practically flee to her table.
“Hey!” She leaps up from her seat and throws her arms around me. “Good morning. How was your first night here?”
“Comfortable. I’m surprised I actually managed to fall asleep.”
“I know, right? I swear those mattresses are made from clouds.” She turns to her friends and smiles.
“Guys, this is Addie Nelson. Addie, this is Sophie Reed.” She nods to the girl with straight chocolate brown hair and blue eyes who’s holding a book.
“And this is Raven Mitchell.” She nods to the second girl.
Despite her name, she has really beautiful long blond hair and hazel eyes.
Like she can read my mind, Raven chuckles. “My mom insisted on the name way before I was born.” She lifts her shoulders. “I think she was hoping I’d have really dark hair. Hence the oxymoron.”
I smile. “I love the name. Both of yours. Hi, I’m really glad to meet you two.”
“And we’re really happy to meet you.” Sophie puts down the book and holds out her hand to me. “Carly says you’re cool, and she’s really good at sensing people.”
I shake her hand. “Thanks. What are you reading?”
“Only the most amazing fantasy book in the world. ”
“Sophie is married to books,” Raven tells me as I lower my tray on the table and sit down next to Carly. “So don’t be surprised if she doesn’t hear half the conversation while she reads.”
Sophie lifts her chin. “I can do both.”
“Sure you can.” Raven playfully rolls her eyes.
“Try to get her to stay loyal to one book at a time,” Carly teases as she puts her arm around her.
“Try to focus on only one dance routine at a time,” Sophie teases back.
Carly holds up her hands. “Okay, okay. You got me.” She focuses her attention on me. “Ooh, you chose the pancakes. They are the best things to have fallen down from heaven.”
“They look like that!” I grab my fork, cut off a huge chunk, and stuff it into my mouth. I sigh like I really did float up to heaven. “This is the best thing I’ve ever tasted in my life.”
The three of them exchange chuckles.
“Just wait until you try the gourmet maple syrup.” Carly pushes the bottle closer to me.
“Thanks.” I pour some over my pancake and take another bite. “Oh my gosh .”
They laugh again. “You’re definitely one of us,” Sophie says with a smile. “Most kids here take all this yummy food for granted.”
“Rich people seriously don’t know how to appreciate how lucky they are.”
“Why are we always talking about them?” Raven says as she cuts into her waffles. “Who cares? ”
“Because there’s so much drama in their world,” Sophie says with a laugh.
She has her book opened next to her tray.
I don’t know how she manages to read and join in the conversation at the same time.
I don’t read much, but when I do, I can’t focus on anything else because it yanks me right out of the story.
“Who gives a darn about their drama?” Raven mumbles.
“It’s like watching a TV show,” Carly says. “Did you hear Warner broke up with Tina? Everyone thought they were endgame, but she thinks he’s boring.”
My head perks up. “Did you say Warner?”
Carly’s brows lower. “You know him?”
“I bumped into a Warner yesterday. I, uh…” My cheeks flame. “I kind of fell on my butt right in front of him.”
Sophie gives me a sympathetic look. “Happens to the best of us. On my first day, I tripped while holding my tray and spilled my food all over a senior guy who was so darn cute. I thought he was going to wring me with his tie, but he was actually okay about it.”
“So the guys here are decent?” I ask.
“Depends what you want from them,” Raven says.
“A boyfriend? It might be hard to find a good one. Most of them won’t look our way because we’re scholarship kids.
And they would never be caught dead introducing someone of lower class to their parents.
But if you just want to have fun, you might find a few candidates.
You have to be careful to steer clear of the jerks, though. Trust me, there are plenty of them.”
“You’ve dated any?” I ask her .
“Who, me?” She looks horrified at the thought. “No way. When I get together with a guy, he will be someone who’s worthy of me.” She lifts her chin.
That makes me laugh. “You’re right. We have our standards.”
Carly pokes her elbow into Raven’s ribs. “What about the cute guy you met at camp after freshman year?”
Raven’s face changes. “Why are you bringing him up?”
“You were in love with him.”
“I so was not!”
“You confessed to us that he was your first love,” Sophie reminds her as she turns a page. “You wrote songs about him.”
“Did not .”
“Sounds juicy,” I say with a giggle.
Raven sighs like she’s carrying the world. “Why do I exist?”
“Because you’re awesome.” Carly flings her arms around her and hugs her super tight. “Okay, we’ll stop teasing you. Sophie, I’ll need to borrow your chem notes. I’m so lost in that class.”
“Sure.” She rummages in her backpack.
“Ugh, can you believe my dad wants me to take an advanced class?” Carly grumbles. “He said I can choose whichever I want. Guys, I’ll fail at any of them.”
“Why does he want you to take an advanced class?” I ask.
“Because he thinks I’m going to college.”
“Are you?”
“No. I plan to be a backup dancer for a famous singer, or a choreographer. ”
“That sounds amazing!” I say.
She beams. “Thanks. Can you imagine me choreographing the dance numbers for the next major movie musical? I’m dying just imagining it.”
I play around with my remaining pancake as she continues to gush. These girls look like they know what they want out of life, and I don’t even know who I am.
Suddenly, I remember Caleb. I got so caught up with my new friends that he totally slipped my mind.
When I survey the dining hall, I finally find him a few tables away.
My eyes widen when I notice how many girls are flaunting themselves at him.
He ignores all of their advances. Wow. How can he ignore them like that?
Those girls are so gorgeous. Geez, he really is taking his job seriously. Maybe too seriously.
While fighting them off, he keeps trying to look over their heads to get a glimpse at me. To make sure I didn’t disappear in a puff of smoke.
“Why did you decide to come here, Addie?” Sophie asks, pulling me out of my thoughts. “I know it’s one of the top schools in the country, but why Harrington Bay Academy?”
I go still in my seat as I avert my eyes to my plate. I knew this question would come up, but I guess I thought I would mutter some lame answer and eventually be left alone. I guess I didn’t expect to meet such great people and actually make friends at this school.
I hate the thought of lying to them. They’ve been so welcoming and open to me.
But I can’t forget the promise I made to my grandfather—that I won’t tell a single soul who I truly am.
Even though I’m one hundred percent sure I can trust these girls with my secret, the only way I can truly be safe here is if my true identity never comes out.
At least, until the perpetrators are caught.
Hopefully it’ll be soon and I won’t have to lie to them for long.
But honestly, living in secrecy like this is actually who I truly am.
Because if I had to live as Heiress Addilyn Bradshaw?
Yeah, that would so not be me. At least this way, my new friends can get to know the real me.
“Uh…I don’t think that was such a difficult question,” Sophie asks with a nervous chuckle.
I shake my head to rid my wayward thoughts. “Right. Sorry.” I give her a smile. “My brain wandered for a second. So my…um…” I shift in my seat. “My parents…”
My voice wobbles at the mention of Mom and Dad.
As if they’re alive. But part of the rulebook my grandfather gave me provided me with a fake background, including very much alive parents.
It would be suspicious if a new student suddenly appeared at this school with dead parents.
My parents’ killers could sniff me out in a second.
Forcing a smile, I say, “My parents heard how great this school is and convinced me to apply for a scholarship. I can’t believe I actually got in.”
“That’s cool,” Raven says. “My story is similar. I don’t know what I want to do after high school, but lots of doors will open with an education from Harrington Bay Academy. The sky’s the limit and all that.”