The Call of the Wild Read Online Free PDF

Holidays, for one. Ryan had said his family was going snowboarding in Colorado over the Christmas break. Saia was off to a Pacific island and Marco was visiting family in Italy, and planning to do some skiing while he was there. Annabel joined in the ski talk. She’d been to Japan and thought it was totally amazing.
    ‘The snow’s unreal, and I love the steam baths,’ she enthused.
    ‘Oh, yeah,’ Ryan agreed. ‘Japan rocks.’
    ‘Totes,’ Kimmi nodded, even though she’d never actually been to Japan.
    I stared at my feet, hoping no-one would ask what I was doing for the holidays. My family was just heading to my grandma’s beach house.
    It was okay for Annabel. She fitted right in with the Highgrove guys. She lived in a beautiful house right next door to Marco. Her place wasn’t as big as his, but it was much, much better than mine. Her family went on cool holidays and she always had gorgeous clothes. She was basically like a private-school girl who happened to go to Westway. Kimmi was doing a good job of fitting in too, but I felt like a total fraud. I was worried that at any moment, someone was going to realise who I was and throw me overboard.
    I looked at Saia as he laughed with his friends about some beach resort I’d never even heard of. I definitely wanted to see him again, and it had been an epic day, but I wondered if Saia and I had enough in common for things to go anywhere.

    ‘Kinda fun hanging out with Highgrove boys, eh?’ Annabel said as we left the marina to find Kimmi’s dad, who was giving us a ride home. ‘Ryan is so cool.’
    ‘Yeah, I can’t wait for the party,’ said Kimmi. ‘You know what Marco said?’ She paused, twirling her hair in her fingers. ‘He said I’m too pretty to be at Westway.’
    ‘I’m not sure that’s a compliment,’ I scoffed. ‘He’s basically saying that all girls who go to Westway are ugly.’
    ‘But he’s also saying that Kimmi’s pretty – which is true,’ Annabel said, smiling.
    I put my arm around Kimmi. ‘Well, I guess I can’t argue with that.’
    Kimmi giggled. ‘Marco is gorgeous. I’m so in lurve!’
    ‘So, you don’t think it’s all a bit weird, us hanging out with Highgrove guys?’ I asked,
    ‘ No ,’ Annabel said firmly. ‘Why?’
    I shrugged. ‘Well, what’s going to happen at the party? We won’t know anyone.’
    ‘We’ll know the guys. I’m going to be with Ryan, Kimmi’s going to be with Marco. And you’ll be with Saia.’
    ‘Oh, really?’ I said, pretending to be surprised.
    Kimmi laughed. ‘Come on. I can tell you like him.’
    ‘Well … he does have a pretty cute smile,’ I said. ‘But we’re so different. I don’t know anything about rugby, or skiing or wakeboarding or …’
    ‘No-one’s going to test you,’ Annabel interrupted. ‘Stop panicking for five seconds and chill out. You like Saia and, from the way he’s been smiling at you, I can tell he’s into you too.’

By Thursday our plans for Ryan’s party seemed to have taken over everything. Annabel, Kimmi and I talked nonstop about what we’d wear, what we’d say and what we’d do.
    Annabel and Ryan messaged each other so often they were practically an item. Kimmi had been dreaming about Marco every night, which she took as a sign that things would work out at the party.
    Things with Saia were going well, too. Texts were flying back and forth between us, and even though I’d been worried about us not having anything in common, it turned out we did: we both had too much homework and too many annoying teachers. Saia always managed to cheer me up when things at school were bugging me. I could imagine his adorable smile every time he texted me, and I loved the way he always finished his texts with ‘xx’. It was so cute!
    But with all the talk of the party, Kimmi and Annabel had completely lost interest in the Wild Club. We hadn’t even started working on the banner for the slushie stall. The girls had also gone right off the idea of