Bones (The Ark Trilogy) by Jesse Daro

Author:Jesse, Daro, [Jesse, Daro,]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2013-04-25T04:00:00+00:00

***

“How bad is it?” Leigh wanted to know, as she slid onto the bleacher between Whitney and Emery. J.J. sat down on the end. The gym was packed, flooding his senses with the human scent of sweat and soap. The bone handle of his dagger was reassuringly cold against his spine.

“Bad,” Whitney said. Like Leigh, she was dressed in their school colors, #11 painted on one cheek, for Marshall, #4, for Seth, on the other. “Topher and Gabe are still sick as dogs. Marshall said Coach is furious with them. He doesn’t care if their drinks were spiked, he told them to go home and get some sleep, and instead they went to a party. He threatened to bench them and Alfaro and pull in two replacements from the second string.”

“Are they forfeiting?” Leigh tugged anxiously on a curl. Their mother had joined McLain a few rows over. J.J. saw her glance at them.

“No. They can’t – they’re done if they forfeit. Coach is putting Angelo at center, Marshall and Seth at guards, and they’re hoping that will make up the difference.”

J.J. leaned around Emery. “Why don’t they just ask Quinn to play?”

Leigh gave him The Look. “Quinn is a girl, J.J. Boys and girls play for different teams.”

“That’s dumb,” J.J. said.

“And who says chivalry is dead?”

J.J. turned around slowly. Quinn was sitting on the bleacher behind his. She had on athletic pants, a Lady Knights hoodie, and her UA beanie, yet J.J. saw her in the sand, dress rucked up around her thighs. She looked at him coquettishly through coppery lashes. The effects of whatever she had been drugged with last night appeared to have worn off. “Want to buy me a Coke, player?”

“You’ll miss tipoff,” Emery protested. The Knights were trotting onto the court. J.J. hadn’t really paid attention to which team they were playing. Some military school. Marshall was shaking hands with their captain, a brown-haired boy with hawkish yellow eyes about his height. CROSS was printed on the back of his red-and-white jersey.

Quinn stood up. “We won’t be long,” she said.

There didn’t seem to be much choice but for J.J. to follow her.

The corridors of Sacred Heart Academy were black stone cut by stained-glass windows. At the concession stand, J.J. bought two Cherry Cokes from Yena Lee’s mother, and they walked over to a flight of stone steps that led into the school proper. Quinn sat down on the bottom one. The doors at the top were chained. J.J. padded up and paced in front of them, heel-toe.

“I’m going to give you the benefit of a pretty big doubt and assume there’s a reason you haven’t called me,” Quinn said.

J.J. sipped through his straw. The soda was too sweet, like syrup, but at least it was cold. “I didn’t know I was supposed to call you,” he said.

“Don’t be a jerk, Sullivan.”

Quinn pursed her lips in that yes-you’re-cute-but-don’t-think-that-matters expression she had perfected with him. J.J. smirked. “Okay. I didn’t know how to say what I wanted to say to you.

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