Free Hunters of Chaos by Crystal Velasquez Page A

hallway of the dorm. For a few moments we let the silence stretch out between us, until Coach Connolly blew her whistle. At last Doli reached down and clamped her hand around my forearm. With one strong tug, she pulled me to my feet. “Come on, Ana,” she said. “Let’s team up for this relay race and show these girls how it’s done.”

    After class ended and we’d showered and changed back into our uniforms, Doli and I walked out of the locker rooms together. She was practically bouncing up and down, she was so excited. “Did you see how we left those other teams in the dust?” she said. “Tammy hadn’t even finished her first lap when you crossed the finish line.”
    It was true. We made a pretty powerful team. Even I found it hard not to gloat. “Aw, give the other girls a break,” I said with a laugh. “I was the only one with a future Olympian on my team.”
    â€œTrue, true,” said Doli, taking a bow, her arms spread wide. “But I think I’ll wait till later to sign autographs, if you don’t mind. Right now, I need food! Want to get something to eat?”
    â€œMore than anything,” I replied. All that running had worked up my appetite. “But do we have to go to the dining room? My legs are so shaky, I’m not sure I could make it that far. Not to mention I’m not in the mood for sushi or Cornish game hen. Doesn’t this place have any regular food?”
    Doli laughed. “No problem. There’s food in the kitchen back at Radcliff, and I know how to cook a little bit. How do grilled cheese sandwiches sound?”
    â€œLike heaven!”
    We walked back to the dorm, chatting like old friends the whole way. It felt good to find someone I could really talk to. After Doli made the sandwiches, we sat in the kitchen devouring them and talking about life at Temple until we heard someone clearing her throat.
    I looked up to see Nicole standing in the doorway with her arms crossed, an annoyed expression on her face. “There you are, Ana. I’ve been looking for you. Why didn’t you come eat with us in the dining room?”
    When I didn’t respond right away, Doli jumped in. “We had a real craving for grilled cheese after our relay races. You should have seen it. We rocked that—”
    â€œExcuse you, but I was talking to Ana,” Nicole said, sneering. “Don’t you have some studying to do, Doli? You’ve got to maintain that C average if you want to keep your scholarship, right?”
    I was mortified. I couldn’t believe how awful my roommate was being to my new friend. I registered a glimmer of hurt in Doli’s eyes, but she quickly steeled herself, snatched up the rest of her sandwich, and rose to leave.
    â€œDoli, wait,” I called. “You don’t have to go—”
    But she was already halfway up the stairs. “I’ll see you later, Ana,” she called without turning back.
    After she had gone, I glared at Nicole, waiting for the apology I was sure would come. But she said nothing.
    â€œWhat is wrong with you?” I cried after a moment. “Why were you so rude just now?”
    Nicole blinked in surprise, touching her hand to her chest. “ Moi? Rude? I don’t think so. You were the rude one for standing us up. I mean, seriously. Major faux pas, Ana, ditching us for Doli Haskie of all people. What are you doing ?”
    â€œI was having a nice lunch with a friend until you showed up,” I snapped. Having lost my appetite, I dumped the rest of my sandwich in the trash, circled around Nicole, and sped up the stairs to my room. But of course it wasn’t my room, it was our room, and she was right on my heels.
    â€œDon’t you get it?” she continued. “I’m trying to help you. Hanging out with Doli is social suicide.”
    â€œSays who?”
    â€œSays Lin Yang. She can’t stand Doli, and that’s