Perfect Chemistry 1 Read Online Free PDF Page B

mine, and pulls out her
    poms. "I hate the way Darlene kisses Ms. Small's butt," she says under
    her breath.
    I close my locker and we walk toward the practice field. "I think
    she's trying to focus on dance instead of obsessing about Tyler going
    back to college."
    Morgan rolls her eyes. "Whatever. I don't even have a boyfriend so
    she gets zero sympathy from me."
    "No sympathy from my end, either. Seriously, when is that girl not
    dating someone?" Madison asks.
    When we reach the practice field, our entire squad is sitting on the
    grass waiting for Ms. Small. Phew, we're not late.
    "I still can't believe you got stuck with Alex Fuentes," Darlene says
    quietly to me as I find an open spot beside her.
    "Wanna switch partners?" I ask, although Mrs. Peterson would
    never allow it. She made that crystal clear.
    Darlene sticks her tongue out in full gross-out mode and whispers,
    "No way. I never go slumming on the south side. Mixing with that
    crowd'll get you nothing but trouble. Remember last year when Alyssa
    McDaniel dated that one guy . . . what was his name?"
    "Jason Avila?" I say in a low voice.
    Darlene does a little shiver. "In a matter of weeks Alyssa went
    from being cool to being an outcast. The south side girls hated her for
    taking one of their guys and she stopped hanging with us. The confused
    little couple was on an island all alone. Thank God Alyssa broke up with
    him."
    Ms. Small walks toward us with her CD player, complaining about
    someone moving it from her usual spot and that's why she's late.
    When Ms. Small tells us to stretch, Sierra nudges Darlene over so
    she can talk to me.
    "You are in big trouble, girl," Sierra says.
    "Why?"
    Sierra has ‘super’ eyes and ears; she knows everything going on at
    Fairfield.
    My best friend says, "Rumor has it Carmen Sanchez is looking for
    you."
    Oh, no. Carmen is Alex's girlfriend. I'm trying not to freak out and
    think the worst, but Carmen is tough, from her red-painted fingernails
    all the way down to her black, stiletto-heeled boots. Is she jealous I'm
    Alex's chem partner, or does she think I reported her boyfriend to
    the principal today?
    The truth is I didn't report him. I got called into Dr. Aguirre's
    office because someone who'd seen the parking incident and witnessed
    our confrontation on the steps this morning reported it. Which was
    ridiculous because nothing happened.
    Aguirre didn't believe me. He thought I was too scared to tell him
    the truth. I wasn't scared then.
    But I am now.
    Carmen Sanchez can kick my butt any day of the week. She
    probably practices with weapons, and the only weapon I know how to
    use is, well, my pom-poms. Call me crazy but somehow I doubt my poms
    will scare off a girl like Carmen.
    Maybe in a word war I would make a good showing, but definitely
    not in a fistfight. Guys fight because of some primal, innate gene that
    makes them prove themselves physically.
    Maybe Carmen wants to prove something to me, but there is
    seriously no need. I'm no threat, but how do I let her know that? It's
    not like I'm going to go up to her and say, "Hey, Carmen, I'm not going
    to make a move on your boyfriend and I never reported him to Dr.
    Aguirre." Or maybe I should. . . .
    Most people think nothing bothers me. I'm not going to let them
    know something does. I've worked too long and hard to keep up this
    facade and I'm not about to lose it all because some gang member and
    his girlfriend are testing me.
    "I'm not worrying about it," I tell Sierra.
    My best friend shakes her head. "I know you, Brit. You're
    stressing," she whispers.
    Now that statement worries me more than the idea of Carmen
    looking for me. Because I try really hard to keep everyone at a
    distance . . . not really knowing what it's truly like to be me or what it's
    like to live at my house. But I've let Sierra know more about me than
    everyone else. I wonder if I should back off from our friendship
    sometimes, to make sure she's kept at arm's length.
    Logically, I know