Treasured Secrets (Coveted Saga #1) (The Coveted Saga) Read online

  She was so bubbly, like a little kid. "Your grandma told me. I tried to talk to you last night, but you were so swarmed with people that I never got a chance."

  Just as I was about to reply to her, another person jumped in the backseat. It was a guy - an incredibly jaw-dropping cute guy.

  "Sweet ride, Arisianna," he said, sounding too charming for such a mundane greeting.

  He had blondish brown hair in a shaggy cut that swept across his brow. He had brown eyes, and a tattoo was on his forearm of a star wrapped in barbwire. His biceps were bulging with definition. His shirt clung tightly to his sculpted abdomen. He smiled with teeth so white it was nearly blinding. Confidence exuded from him as he casually made himself comfortable in my backseat.

  I was completely dumbfounded by these two. They acted like it was perfectly normal to just jump in my car and start talking to me like they knew me. I had no idea who they were though.

  "Yeah… Thanks?" I was incredibly confused. "I prefer Aria, actually."

  He had to have heard the bewilderment in my voice, but he chose to ignore it, despite my attempts to make it obvious.

  He grabbed my iPod and changed the song as he read through some more. "Sweet tunes, too." He acted as if he had known me my whole life.

  "Who are-" Before I finish my question, he answered it. He was drumming on his knees with his hands to the beat of the song he had changed it to.

  "McKee. We would have met last night, but all the adults hogged you. Your grandma said we should show you the ropes, since you're new in town and don't know anyone in school. It's cool though. Most everyone is familiar with the Weislen/ Nelson/ Bradbury family."

  Bradbury was my grandma's maiden name. She still introduced herself with it. Iris Bradbury Nelson. She claimed that it was a special name and deserved to be heard.

  "Mmm... okay. So, I guess we should get in there," I said, wondering if they were planning on hanging out in my car all day.

  "Sure. We can walk you to your first class," Taryn chimed in with her bubbly little voice.

  "Yeah, what's your schedule look like?" McKee asked, still sounding casually charming.

  I found myself wondering if he and Taryn were a couple.

  "I have Calculus first, Spanish second, Economics third, and physical education last." I thought it was funny they gave me Spanish as a foreign language class, considering I was fluent.

  "Yeah, no sweat. I got Calculus first, too, and my sister has Spanish second, so that's covered. Third, I have English, which is right beside the Economics class, and last I have phys. ed. as well, so it looks like we should be good." His tone was chipper as he grabbed my bag to carry it for me.

  We all headed toward the school. I was trying not to fall face-first on my first day, but Taryn had the perfect sexy-swing walk down to an art. McKee had a confident and suave strut. Nice to know Taryn was his sister.

  He was very... um... too cute, and different from the guys I was used to back home. He still wasn't anywhere nearly as hypnotically beautiful as the guy I made myself look like a fool in front of.

  Taryn waved as she walked in the opposite direction from us. As we walked down the hallway, I saw girls glaring at me with envious, cruel stares. I guessed McKee was a coveted guy around there.

  A tall guy walked right up to us as we stopped at my locker, which I never would have found by myself. The school was frigging huge.

  The unknown guy was equally as sculpted as McKee, just not as handsome in the face. He was still somewhat attractive.

  His voice was evenly toned and stern as he spoke very seriously. "Is this the Weislen girl?" he asked, sounding haughty and imperious.

  He wasn't even speaking to me or looking at me. It was incredibly rude and obnoxious.

  McKee smiled and responded in his still upbeat voice. "Yep. She's cute, huh?"

  Holy crap.

  I blushed fiercely. The guy seemed unimpressed by McKee's comment about my appearance... and me. "Just remember what Iris said." Then he stormed off.

  "Who was that?" I could hear the frustration in my voice. I didn't appreciate the rudeness first thing in the morning.

  "Oh, that's Everett. He's cool, just a little intense. But you definitely want him on your side when you're in a bind." Then he raised his eyebrows up and down as he spoke. "So, you ready to start your first day, Aria?" The more confidence he leaked, the more girly I found myself acting.

  "I guess I have no choice. I've come too far to turn back now." I half smiled as we headed to class.

  It was so crowded. McKee pointed to the seat beside him. The teacher went on to explain the work we were about to do after he stumbled and stammered over my name. My mother thought it necessary to give all five of her children every multi-syllable, mouthful name she could find. I'm glad my dad found a way to shorten our exhausting travesties.

  I finished the assignment within twenty minutes.

  I realized everyone was still working, including McKee, so I pulled out a book to read while I waited. The teacher stared at me impassively, though I could tell he was measuring my actions.

  "Ms. Weislen, are you confused by the assignment?" he asked, showing his suspicion.

  Crap. All eyes on me.

  "No, Mr. Leeson. I’m… finished." My voice was shaky as I stuttered nervously. It was incredibly uncomfortable and extremely nerve-racking to be called out in the middle of class.

  His look seemed to become even more suspicious now. Several students turned to look at me, staring at me as though I was a beast with two heads. One girl even rolled her eyes at me and snorted derisively.

  I squirmed awkwardly in my seat when I became an unwilling spectacle. Finally, Mr. Leeson spoke with uncertainty in his voice.

  "Well, then you need to turn in your work." He sat back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest as he waited for me to bring my work up to him.

  I walked slowly, hoping not to trip and make this even more awkward and embarrassing than it already was. I handed him my work and went back to my seat with a bit more haste.

  I continued to read my book. A few minutes later, a shadow leaned over me, disrupting my light. I looked up and Mr. Leeson handed me back my paper, graded. I hadn't gotten a single question wrong.

  "Impressive, Ms. Weislen."

  He smiled at me admirably. I let out a sigh of relief. I looked over at McKee, who looked up just as I did and flashed me a smile.

  The bell sounded, finally, letting us know it was time to go. Mr. Leeson had assigned us homework, but I had already finished it and turned it in on my way out the door.

  He smiled at me, shaking his head and snickering slightly. However, this time he seemed pleased. I just smiled back.

  McKee came up and draped his arm around my shoulders, giving me a couple of butterflies. "I guess I know who my calculus tutor will be." Then he laughed. "Spanish is next though, and I had it last year. It's pretty tough."

  I laughed a bit at his comment before I responded. "I'm actually fluent in Spanish. So I should be okay, I guess."

  I didn't feel as confident about that as I should have. I didn't want to sound overly confident, and then find out I didn't know as much as I thought I did.

  "Wow. I'm thoroughly impressed right now. Why are you fluent in Spanish?"

  His arm was still draped around my shoulders, and the stares from the other girls were even more hateful than they had been earlier.

  I tried to ignore the death glares I was getting as I replied to him. "I lived in South America my whole life." I could feel myself blushing from his appraisal.

  "Did you have to get a green card or something to come here?" He nodded at Everett walking by. He was staring intensely at McKee and me.

  I could hear the distraction in my voice. "No, my mom…" I trailed off for a moment and then finally I broke away from thinking of Everett's peculiar behavior, cautiously watching him pass us completely before continuing. "My mom came back home every time to have us, so that we would be U.S. citizens. So I h
ave a birth certificate, a social security number, a driver's license, now... the whole nine yards."

  His lips turned down in a quizzical manner. "But no accent?"

  I shrugged, understanding his curiosity. It was a valid point.

  "Well, my mom and dad grew up in the states. They were the ones who taught me to speak, so I guess I just adopted their dialect instead of the locals. Not to mention, there were a lot of other Americans in the village I lived in."

  "Not much of a South American tan either," he said, motioning to my golden skin.

  It was true. I didn't have the deep, rich tan the natives did, but I wasn't pasty either. It almost felt as though he was questioning my honesty. I didn't like that.

  "No one in my family tans very well. This is about as dark as we get."

  He nodded in acceptance of my answer and then spoke casually as he leaned up against the lockers. "So where in South America did you grow up?"

  I started to feel interrogated.

  "It's kind of hard to explain." I didn't know why, but I didn't really feel comfortable explaining. Thankfully, I didn't have to try to explain. His arm slid off my shoulders as Taryn ran up to us excitedly.

  "My turn. Spanish is this way." She grabbed my hand, dragging me away from McKee. I waved at him. He smiled before disappearing into a classroom.

  Spanish was even easier than calculus had been. As soon as the bell rang, Taryn jumped up and ran to my side.

  "I'll just walk you to economics since it's on the way."

  I was somewhat disappointed about that proposal, given that McKee said it was right beside his class. I assumed he would walk me there.

  I wasn't used to being around guys I was attracted to. In Haluali, there were only a few my age and they were more like brothers. There really were quite a few American kids like me there - children of the fellow scientists from my mom and dad's team.

  I never had any romantic feelings towards any of them. So this was different from anything I'd felt before. I really wasn't sure how to be attracted to someone, so I wasn't sure what it was that I was feeling. It wasn't the heart-stopping, drooling disaster I had encountered with the mystery guy.

  I was lost in thought as we stopped by the lockers. I felt two hands grab my waist and whirl me around. It was McKee. My stomach did a slight somersault as I stared into his amazing eyes. They glistened with excitement as he spoke with such a cool tone.

  "Are you ready for lunch?"

  I had forgotten all about lunch, and apparently, so had Taryn. I'd been so nervous all day that I hadn't even felt hungry until he mentioned the promise of food. I was hoping my stomach wouldn't growl while I spoke.

  "Yeah, I'm famished."

  I looked around to see where Taryn went. Then I saw her come swishing back up. Her perkiness was still intact as she replied with a bit of silliness in her tone.

  "Yeah, I just remembered it's lunch time. Come on, let's grab some grub."

  We headed to the cafeteria. McKee led us through the line. He kept finding ways to touch me. I wasn't complaining though.

  I grabbed an orange and some fruit salad - comfort food that reminded me of home. I paid for my food and headed toward the table where McKee and Everett were sitting. But I suddenly felt an uncontrollable compulsion to turn around.

  Chill bumps flooded me without mercy, and my heart tried to explode. It was him. The guy I had spent hours trying to get out of my head.

  Even from across the room, his eyes looked mesmerizing. His skin was smooth and toned. His lips were perfectly shaped and his body was brilliantly sculpted. He wasn't muscled up with bulk like McKee, but he had lean muscle.

  His lean body glided across the floor so eloquently. His hair looked so soft and styled very sexy with some messy touches.

  He had on a light blue, button-up shirt, but it was undone so that it showed the black tee underneath. He had on fitted blue jeans that looked as if they had been made specifically for him.

  He was biting into a pear as he sat down with some other guys. I supposed he felt me staring at him, because he turned around and his eyes became locked with mine. I wasn't sure how to react. I was frozen and staring like a fool... again.

  I'd secretly been begging for a chance of redemption, and here I was squandering it away. I definitely understood the whole deer in headlights thing now.

  He just confidently stared back with a small, cocky smirk. I forgot there was even anyone else in the cafeteria. Finally, a voice snapped me out of it.

  "Aria? Are you okay?" It was Taryn. "Did you see something?" Her tone almost sounded alarmed.

  I could feel myself still distracted by Mr. Marvelous as I replied, "Umm… yeah. I mean… Who's that guy?" My eyes pointed to the marvel I had just been staring at - or mindlessly gawking at, rather. He wasn't looking at me anymore, thankfully.

  She smiled and her bubbly tone returned. "That's Tallis Verdan. He started here last year. His brother graduated from here a few years ago, but Tallis just transferred here from New York. He was living with some relatives for a while because his parents travel a lot.

  "His brother was living with someone who lives around here. But now his parents have taken up a permanent residence in the area. His dad is an entrepreneur of some internet business, and they're loaded. I'm talking, filthy rich. He's a bit of a heartthrob, but he's not really dateable."

  I wasn't exactly thrilled with her last sentence. "Why isn't he dateable?" I asked, staring at him uncontrollably again.

  "Well, he's social and has friends and all, but he tells girls he's not into dating in high school. He says it's because he doesn't want to waste his high school years tangled up in a teenage love drama. Like he's so much better than the rest of us." She rolled her eyes while speaking in a melodramatic tone before gesturing toward the table where McKee was already sitting.

  I nodded my head, acknowledging what she said. I guessed it was sensible enough. We sat down beside McKee who put his arm around my chair, but no butterflies stirred this time.

  Then it felt like someone was staring at me.

  I turned to see it was Tallis who was staring. His eyes were intensely staring into mine, then he cracked a slight smile again and turned back around. I was mesmerized by him. He was so… perfect.

  The bell rang, bringing me back to reality and making me look away, when I turned around again, he was gone. How long did I stare? My food was still untouched.

  “Looking for something, Aria?" McKee's voice was light as he spoke with an odd look on his face.

  "She's looking for Tallis Verdan," Taryn answered for me. She did it with a dramatizing tone that very obviously implied I had a crush.

  McKee frowned slightly, not pleased with his sister's comment. "Economics time," he said dryly. He was a little cold all the way back to the lockers.

  I got to economics and saw Tallis walking into the class in front of me. I took a deep breath, and butterflies rushed through my stomach as I started through the door. McKee grabbed my hand, jerking me back.

  "You'll need this." He handed me my bag. "You left it in the cafeteria." Then he turned and walked away swiftly, disappearing into the class next door.

  I walked in to see the class was already full. Only one seat was left, and it was right behind Tallis. It was almost a heady rush just thinking about taking a seat so close to him.

  He never even looked up when I walked by. It was as if I was suddenly invisible to him, despite the staring competition we had just had in the cafeteria. I saw Everett across the room. He seemed just as unpleasant as he had earlier.

  The teacher started roll call, making his way down list. "Tallis Verdan?"

  Tallis raised a hand up in acknowledgement, but kept his eyes glued to whatever he was reading on his table.

  It was all I could do not to stare at the back of his head. Then the teacher got to my name, and struggled just as my other two teachers had.

  "And our newest member, Aree-see-ann-aah Weislen?" he said with uncertainty of his pronun
ciation.

  My voice was riddled with nervousness as I spoke. "I go by Aria, actually." I said, trying to hide my embarrassment while slinking down in my chair.

  "Aria. Much easier. I'll change that right now."

  As the teacher made his notation on his book, I avoided the scrutinizing stares of the other students. It had been the same in every class.

  I had noticed that Tallis lifted his head slightly when my name was called. He didn't turn around though.

  I finished my work and handed it in - first of course, despite how distracted I was. Tallis finished quickly as well. He was walking up as I was walking back. We met between the rows of tables, and we had to turn sideways, facing each other as we passed.

  Our eyes locked again, and he faintly smiled at me. One hand held his paper and his free hand grazed my side as if he were politely supporting me as we passed. His hand felt like fire on my side for the brief moment it was there. I felt my whole body blushing. It was nothing like I'd ever experienced before.

  His soft blue shirt dangled loosely at his side, and my hand grazed its tip when I was almost by him. Even the touch of his shirt sent a thrilling sensation coursing through my body.

  As he was walking back to his seat, he was staring at me very deliberately. I met his gaze and felt helplessly captivated again. A very subtle smirk stayed on his face, and I could feel the rest of my body turning as red as my face.

  He was obviously accustomed to the attention I was paying him, and again, I couldn't stop staring. I felt so ridiculous. He sat back down in front of me and pulled out a book to read.

  About fifteen minutes later, the bell rang, and I just about leapt from my seat. Tallis had already stood up, and he leaned back to let me pass first. I was so flustered by that incredibly long class, being stuck behind him, that when I had to pass him again, I fell right on top of him, knocking him back into his seat with me almost straddling lap. I felt my face beam an even brighter shade of red than before.

  Panic rang out as I finally spoke. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to. I'm so embarrassed." I could feel my skin burning with humiliation.