The It Girl Read Online Free PDF Page A

sporting career has gone downhill ever since.
    Anyway, Sophie dragging in her parents didn’t faze our PE teacher, who stuck to her guns and told them Jess was captain, fair and square. Upsetting the most popular girl in our grade didn’t exactly do much for Jess’s popularity, but Jess got over that pretty quickly.
    Our friendship was actually born that day, right after Sophie and her parents stormed out of the gym having not got their way. Jess was waiting for her best friend, Danny, and I was waiting for Dad to come to get me to pick up Mom from the airport (who came to stay for a week to see the new house and ask me unending questions about my first week at the new school).
    We were standing in silence a few feet apart, and I noticed she looked pretty down. I guess because Sophie and her sidekick, Josie, had made it clear what they thought about Jess being made captain. I offered her a cookie, but she just shook her head in a “stop bugging me” way. I nodded, and we stood in silence again.
    â€œYou had a bad day?” I asked after a few minutes.
    â€œYeah.” She sighed, folding her arms. “Pretty bad.”
    I was thoughtful for a moment. “Want me to do a tap dance for you?”
    She blinked at me. “What?”
    â€œTo cheer you up. Here.” I put my bag down and launched into what was not really a tap dance, because I’ve never done tap dancing and I wasn’t wearing tap shoes. But it always made my dad laugh when I attempted it in our living room, so I thought it might go down well.
    Jess watched me, baffled. And when Danny came along to walk home with her, I stopped. She didn’t say anything but threw me a big smile over her shoulder as they left. The next day when I arrived at school, preparing for yet another terrifying morning of being the new girl no one was interested in, they both came over to me and asked if I needed showing around the place.
    Ever since then Jess and Danny have really taken care of me at school. They showed me the ropes, like where to stand in assembly so you don’t get spat on by over-enthusiastic teachers during announcements, and how to get the lunch ladies to give you second helpings.
    Jess even picks me to be on her team in PE despite knowing I’m completely useless. I did tell her last semester that she didn’t have to do that, and I wouldn’t be insulted as I know I’m one of the worst.
    â€œWhatever, Anna,” she’d replied breezily. “It’s not a pity thing. I like having you on my team. It’s more of a challenge to win that way. And you know I love a challenge. Plus you provide excellent comic relief.”
    She can say what she likes—I know she picks me because she doesn’t want me to be last.
    Yep, it definitely would have been good right now to be Jess, but I wasn’t. I was me. It stank. I walked into class apprehensively, noticed that the room hushed, and went to sit down in my chair. Immediately a shadow fell over my desk, and I blinked up to see Sophie Parker staring down at me with her arms folded, her light gray eyes narrowing at me, and her glossy highlighted hair falling neatly around her shoulders.
    â€œHannah, isn’t it?” she said.
    â€œUm. Anna.”
    â€œRight. Jess Delby’s best friend.”
    Uh-oh.
    â€œSo I heard about what happened yesterday, obviously. What you tried to do to my best friend. What is wrong with you? You could have really hurt her.”
    â€œDon’t exaggerate, Sophie. Josie had her hair singed and that was it,” a voice piped up from the corner.
    Sophie spun around to see who had dared defy her, and Connor Lawrence, leaning back in his chair looking very pleased with himself, stared right back at her mischievously through his dark bangs.
    Great. I groaned inwardly. Of all the people to come to my defense, it had to be someone like Connor Lawrence. He has fewer friends than me. And I only have two. (Three