Lust - 1 Read Online Free PDF Page B

narrow.
    Not bad, Kaia decided. Pretty standard, maybe, but not too bad.
    Who knows—maybe she could have a little fun here after al ….
    It was a perverse rule of nature: The first day of school always lasted forever. Temporal distortion not covered by the theory of relativity: One hour of first-day time roughly equivalent to half an eternity of normal time. Endless minutes of staring out the window, cursing the wasted daylight, al that time not getting a tan, not drinking a frozen strawberry margarita, not listening to cheesy eighties music and complaining there was never anything to do while secretly delighting in the Madonna singalong. Outside was suddenly Eden—
    inside, sweating through sixth period and watching the decrepit clock tick off the minutes, surely nothing less than the seventh level of Hel .
    But this year, waiting through the day presented, at least for some, a special torture. They weren’t waiting for the final bel , they were waiting for the final period: advanced French. Normal y a snoozefest with 150-year-old Madame Marshak (who, in the best tradition of hateful y eccentric high school French teachers, remained convinced of her essential Frenchness, despite her Houston birth certificate and unmistakable Texan twang). But this year Marshak had final y gone on to greener pastures—her sister’s house in Buffalo. Although given her advanced age and penchant for driving around tipsy after too much cheap French wine, it seemed likely that Buffalo would be only a brief layover on the way to her final destination.
    Regardless, there was a new professeur in town—the first new teacher Haven High had seen in years.
    He was young.
    He was British.
    And, if freshman gossip was to be believed—for he’d already made an appearance in third period’s French for annoying beginners—he was hot.
    Seriously hot.
    There was only one advanced French class, which meant that Beth, Harper, and now Kaia would be stuck in the smal room together al year long. Beth sat toward the front (though not in the front row—she’d learned long ago that good grades were one thing, teacher’s pet was quite another) and flipped through her organizer, trying to figure out how she was going to fit in homework, editing the school newspaper, applying to col eges, babysitting her little brothers, and working a part-time job without going insane. And, oh yeah, without letting her boyfriend forget what she looked like.
    Harper, ensconced as usual in the back row, lazily examined her nails and decided that it was definitely time for a manicure. And, come to think of it, maybe a pedicure. And a haircut. Not that there was a decent salon anywhere in town, but at Betty’s off of Green Street, they did a slightly better than half-assed job, and threw in a ten-minute head and shoulder massage for free. Which was an appealing thought—it was only the first day of school and already she could use a serious de-stressing.
    Kaia slipped into the classroom just before the bel —Haven High stuck its language classes down in the basement, and she’d already stumbled across a decrepit boiler room and overstuffed janitor’s closet before final y finding her way here. She took the only seat that was left, on the aisle next to a boy who smel ed like rotten fruit. A fitting end to the day. Or un fin parfait pour le jour , as her new French teacher would say. Wherever he was. “Advanced” French. Such a waste of her time, Kaia thought, considering she’d spent half of last summer on the Riviera, gossiping with the château’s staff like a native. Such a joke. Such a—
    Such an unexpected treat. If the man who had just appeared in the doorway, flashed the class a rakish smile, ran a hand through his adorably floppy hair, and strode to the front of the room was actual y their teacher, life at Haven High was suddenly looking up.
    For the rumors were right.
    This guy was hot.
    Seriously hot.
    Just like a movie star, Beth sighed to herself as he