Sun Catch Her (Book 1: Three Rivers Deep series) COMPLETE

Chapter Twelve | B

"You two are related?" I squeaked.

"Aurora, this is Trevor. And jeez, no, we're not related for real. I'm adopted," Reese said of the big guy filling the chair beside me. Trevor gave my attention a wide grin, clearly happy to be noticed. "Thank God," she added a moment later, watching with some misgiving at the way her sort-of cousin was ogling little five-foot three me.

He ran a large hand through his wavy brown hair as he exclaimed to the other guy in the seat next to him, "See, I told you Dandoy! The new girl's got that Asian, runway model look."

I looked like a model to him? Despite my obvious lack of height? "Models are giraffe tall," I pointed out as Reese rolled her eyes. And I wasn't Asian. I was Scot-Irish German, on my mother's side. I hadn't a clue about my father.

With rusty, curly, unkempt hair, and a splash of freckles across his face, the one dubbed Dandoy craned his neck to see around Trevor and wink at me. "Hey, Aurora, right? Are you going to eat those peas?"

"Um, no?" I blinked at the mountain of peas already sitting on his tray. A soupspoon came my way to help itself to my untouched pile.

Moments later, a single, hand-tossed pea went sailing through the air to smack a girl on her shoulder at the next table over. The few tables on the patio were beginning to fill. The lunchroom monitor was pulling double duty by coming out to do a sweep of the patio.

The girl Dandoy's pea hit giggled when she glanced up, her attention captured. Brown eyes peered coyly through long brown bangs. She was obviously with the guy sitting next to her, the one built like a football player. In fact, the whole table of guys she sat with seemed to be testosterone-buff athletes. Five big guys and a little brown-haired girl.

I blinked at the spoonful of mash potatoes that came sailing back to land just short of Dandoy's tray. Ah, unrequited love.

The rest of lunch was uneventful. There was idle chatter of an upcoming trig test, talk of the autumn dance that Reese still needed to go dress shopping for, and an upcoming movie release she was dying to see. Reese kept me at the center of conversation, her gestures sweeping, pulling me along. Trevor snuck peeks at me, each glance percolating with curiosity at my quietness. Micah would nudge my foot, his eyes full of encouragement. I guess he knew how backward I could be while surrounded by so many people. I tended to close myself down when too many sets of emotions were going off all at once. Sometimes it gave me a headache, or even influenced my emotions, making them not my own. I wasn't a fan of that.

All the while Reese was leading the conversation at our table, my irritation was growing at the flying food being exchanged between our "star-crossed lovers." Miss Juliet was a pretty bad shot. I found myself intercepting more than the occasional wayward pea. Micah's hand shot up from time to time to block the mushier projectiles without even looking. Color me impressed.

Well, it's about time. I eyed the group across from us with annoyance, watching them take the food-flinging Juliet with them as they made motions to leave. I still had a heaping scoop of mashed potatoes occupying the middle compartment of my tray, and they so didn't want me to use it. Trust me, my aim was excellent.

From the corner of my eye, I caught the movement of Dandoy's hand pulling back, readying for one last shot. My eyes went wide as I recognized the orange projectile. Where had he gotten a gumball?

And then we all spotted the carton of chocolate milk he was aiming for, left behind on the table.

"No!" we all shouted at him. Too late.

I and the others watched in horror as the gumball went flying in a perfect arc to peg the milk carton. Skidding across the table with the force of the blow, the carton hit the top of a chair to explode its chocolaty contents all over the back of Juliet.