Free The Hit List by Nikki Urang Page B

situation. The first teacher pushes Justin toward an office. Derek follows with a smirk on his face.
    I stare in horror at the girl across the hallway. A tear runs down her cheek before she runs away. This whole school has gone bat shit crazy over this game.
    Luke flirts with some blond chick outside our studio. She giggles when he tucks her hair behind her ear. He doesn’t seem at all disheartened by my rejection. He’s flirted with every single girl I’ve seen him talking to since I met him.
    I storm past them, sick of seeing flirting everyway I go, and push through the doors of the studio. Luke glances at me, a frown creasing his forehead. “Later, Candace.” He follows me into the studio.
    Candace giggles again. “Bye.”
    I roll my eyes.
    “Hey, it’s about time you got here,” Luke says.
    “There was a distraction on my way here.” I don’t meet his eyes because I don’t want him to see how angry I am, but I’m sure he can hear it in my voice. It’s not like he was doing anything important before I got here anyway. I don’t want to deal with any male at this school. They’re all playing that game and it’s sick.
    Luke paces the floor on the opposite side of the room. He won’t cross the invisible line in the middle of the room. “The teachers like us to be warmed up before they get here.”
    “Okay.” I’m not in the mood for Luke and I refrain from telling him exactly what I think of him.
    My phone vibrates against the side of my arm, through my bag. I pull it out and stare at the number I should have deleted a year ago, but I could never bring myself to do it. Patrick.
    How’s L. A.?
    No “Hi.” No “Sorry I haven’t called in all this time.” Not even a “Hey, how’s your hip doing after I dropped you?”
    “How’s L. A.?” Fucking pathetic.
    I don’t even know what to say to that. He was dead set on forgetting about me before I even left New York. Why the hell does he suddenly care about me now?
    I shove my phone back in my bag and set it down in the corner of the room, out of the way. Luke walks to the stereo system and plugs in his iPod. I head to the front of the room and sit down, blinking back the tears.
    My hips and legs tighten as I stretch out my muscles. I take a deep breath and focus on the feeling. The cool floor feels nice against my skin and it helps to calm my racing heart and relax my muscles, allowing me to push further into the stretch.
    Luke walks to the stereo. “You better make sure you’re on time from now on. I need you to help me win Fall Showcase. Which means you need to be on time and give everything you’ve got in rehearsal.”
    I stare at the imperfections in the floor beneath my face.
    “How’s L. A.?” It blows.
    Latin beats fill the small studio. Half the song is in Spanish and I don’t understand it. I wonder if Luke played it intentionally. He glances back at me, flashing me a brilliant smile, and sits close to me to stretch. I refrain from rolling my eyes at him. It’s not a question anymore. Clearly, he did.
    The song is on repeat and it plays five and a half times before our teacher comes in. Finally. I’ll be singing it in my sleep.
    “I’m Miss Tasha. I’ll be your partner teacher.” She holds out her hand for me to shake. “Nice to meet you, Sadie.”
    Miss Tasha has short blond hair. She’s small, but her muscles are toned. She’s probably stronger than me. She looks younger than most of the other teachers, probably in her early thirties.
    “Miss Tasha,” Luke says, nodding in her direction. “You’re looking lovely today.”
    Miss Tasha rolls her eyes at him, like she expects nothing less coming from Luke, but a faint blush rises to her cheeks. She’s flattered.
    “Seriously? Is there anyone you won’t flirt with?” I’m so sick of him. I wish I could push him down the stairs.
    Luke looks at Miss Tasha. “Someone’s feisty today.”
    I’m about to tell him exactly how feisty I am when another guy walks into the