Free The Recruiting Trip (The University of Gatica #1) by Lexy Timms Page B

gave Aileen a glance.
    Aileen remembered seeing her at the track meet earlier. She closed the outside door and leaned against it.
    Jani headed across the living room. “Aileen’s offered to let us get ready at the hotel. It’ll be fun. Grab your stuff and let’s go.” She disappeared in the kitchen. “Aileen, my room’s at the back. Just let me grab my stuff. Have a seat. TV remote’s around there somewhere.”
    Aileen sat on the arm of the coach, unsure what to do. She watched Linda roll her eyes and shake her head. She went chasing after Jani. Aileen tried not to listen but with the thin walls, it was hard not to.
    “I’m not going! That girl’s in high school! She’s like what? Sixteen?”
    “Eighteen, almost nineteen. She’s cool.”
    “I made us drinks! We can’t feed her vodka and Kool-Aid! She’s going to be a stick in the mud. Seriously, why did you tell coach you would take her tonight, of all nights?!”
    “I wanted to and coach asked me. She’s a really, really good hurdler. Tyler Jensen wants her at the school as well. He did dinner with coach and her last night. Then Aileen said he was working out in the weight room this morning and took her back to Wavertree.”
    “So?”
    “Linda, you’re impossible! Stay here and get ready then. I’m going with Aileen. It’ll be fun to get ready at a hotel.”
    “How am I going to get the party then?”
    Jani laughed. “That’s your problem. I’m leaving and you are welcome to come with us. Take your drink as a traveller.”
    An exasperated sigh muffled through the walls. Aileen assumed it came from Linda. She wished she had just had Jani drop her off instead of going through this. She didn’t like annoying anyone.
    The two girls appeared, Jani with a backpack and Linda with a sour look on her face. She stomped by Aileen and slammed the door to her room.
    Aileen glanced, wide eyed at Jani. “You can bring me back if it’s easier.”
    “No!” Jani shook her head and dropped into the seat close by Aileen. “Linda’s just being a bitch.”
    “I heard that!” Linda yelled from her room.
    “Well stop acting like one so I don’t have to tell people!” Jani shouted back.
    Aileen cringed. These girls were crazy.
    Jani leaned her head against Aileen’s side. “She’ll be totally fine when we get to your hotel. Just wait. She’s all nails and hissy-fits and then calm as a kitten.”
    True to Jani’s words, when they finally got back to the hotel and started getting ready, Linda relaxed. She warmed up to Aileen and began joking and laughing as they did their hair.
    Aileen wasn’t sure if it was because of the Kool-Aid vodka Linda was drinking, or something else. She seemed completely different than Jani, who was genuinely friendly and nice. Linda had an edge about her that struck Aileen as hard. She had a feeling that if you crossed Linda, she would never let it go. Maybe it made her a better competitor.
    Aileen showered and changed in the bathroom. She blow dried her hair quickly, wearing it wavy instead of straight. It would take too long to straighten and she didn’t want to hog the bathroom. She slipped into her black dress and assessed her figure in the mirror. The dress had three quarter sleeves and an open neck. It ended just by her knees and hugged her body in all the right places. She liked the black against her blond hair. She had a pair of fitted high black boots that went perfect with them.
    All she needed was her silver necklace that Becky had bought her at Christmas. It was half a heart that fit perfectly into one Beck wore around her neck.
    She stepped out of the bathroom to grab it.
    Jani whistled at her. “Whoa, girl. You. Are. Smokin’!”
    She glanced down, it wasn’t sexy or even remotely slutty. Linda on the other hand had a black skirt on that barely cover her assets. Her matching turquoise blue tank top was covered in glitter.
    Jani had a red dress on that clung tightly to her. She was so tall, the dress probably