Текст книги "Unspeakable"

Автор книги: Michelle K. Pickett

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Текущая страница: 4 (всего у книги 21 страниц)

Oh, I need to stop this now. Jaden, Jaden, Jaden… nope, that doesn’t help. Brody. Why does that feel right?

Brody shifted from one foot to the other. “What? No snarky comeback? Did I catch you at a loss for words? This must be a first for you.” There was that amused grin. I was beginning to like it, even if it did irritate me.

His deep—just throaty enough to be sexy—voice grabbed my attention. “Oh, sorry,” I said with a wave of my hand. “I was visualizing duct tape across your mouth.”

His smile widened. “First, you tell me to shut up in class and now you want to duct tape my mouth. I’m beginning to think you don’t like my conversational skills. If I wasn’t so confident and didn’t have a healthy sense of self-esteem, it could really hurt.” He put his hands over his heart.

I shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t mind that you’re talking as long as you don’t mind that I’m not listening.” Putting my money in the machine, I made my purchase and walked away. I heard him chuckle behind me. I couldn’t help but smile on my way to my seat.

Wait… when did trading jabs with him go from dislike to mildly funny?

“What are you grinning about?” Jenna asked me when I sat down across from her and next to Jaden.

“Nothin’,” I said too quickly, looking at her over the rim of my drink.

“Uh-huh.” She smiled at me before looking across the room at Brody. Seconds later, my phone chimed.

Jenna: He’s looking at you.

Me: He’s not and I don’t care.

Jenna: Yes, he is and yes, you do.

Me: Ugh!

Friday—biology lab. I hated biology labs. I never had a partner, so I had to do double the work. Now Brody was my partner, and I wasn’t sure if labs would be any easier or not. I’d have a partner, but it wasn’t one I particularly liked. Right? Right. I definitely didn’t like him. He was a player. A conceited, self-absorbed bad boy. But… we’d been trading insults back and forth all week and somewhere in there they went from “I hate you” to “you might be tolerable.”

He called me a bimbo. He’s definitely not a person I’m going to be friends, or anything else, with. We’ll do the assignment and that’s it.

Standing at my closet, I looked through my dozens of shirts to pick out my thought for the day. I loved T-shirts with sayings on them. I usually bought one every time I went to the mall or one of those weird magazines came in the mail with pages and pages full of them. I had a closet full. It didn’t matter what my mood was, I had a shirt to match it. Grabbing a long-sleeved T-shirt, I slipped it on with my jeans. I finished my hair and makeup and drove to school.

“Willow, you’re gonna have to wear a regular shirt one of these days, you know?” Jenna said when she saw me shoving my stuff in my locker.

“Nah, I have dozens of these. I bet I can go six weeks without wearing the same one twice.”

“Let’s not try it. Be normal. Wear something without a sarcastic comment plastered across your boobs.” She grabbed my arm to turn me around and I flinched, sucking a sharp breath through my teeth. Jenna jerked her hand back and looked at me with wide eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I just fell and hit my arm against the porch steps. It’s nothing.” Jenna narrowed her eyes at me, but she kept her thoughts to herself. “Anyway,” I continued, “I’m dating Jaden and I’m around Brody all day. I have to let out my sarcasm somehow. So I use my shirts.” I threw up one arm and let it slap against my thigh.

“Oh, so dramatic this morning.” Jenna rolled her eyes. “You must have doubled up on the caffeine when you drove through Starbucks,” she said with a laugh.

I smiled and grabbed my books. “See you in history.”

I got to biology before Brody so I grabbed the microscope and slide set we’d need for our lab, starting to set it up. I smelled him as soon as he slipped into his seat beside me.

“Hi Brody,” I said, not looking up.

“How’d you know it was me?”

I felt a blush crawl across my cheeks. “I smelled you,” I said quietly.

“What are you, a cocker spaniel?”

I looked up and shrugged a shoulder. “You wear the same cologne every day.”

“And you wear the same kind of T-shirt every day. What does today’s say?” I turned so he could read it. “Huh. ‘If you knew what I was thinking, you wouldn’t be smiling.’ Interesting. And what are you thinking, Willow?” He braced one hand on the table, his other on the back of my chair, and leaned in to me.

That I love how my name rolls off your tongue in that low voice that you seem to only use when you’re talking to me—half whisper, husky and smooth at the same time. That it confuses me that, all of a sudden, I’ve gone from hating you to being intrigued by you. That I want to scream and cry that I have this secret hanging over my head, ruining my life, because I want you, not Jaden.

“Hmm?” he whispered, leaning closer to me, and I realized I’d been staring at him too long.

“I’d love to explain all my thoughts to you, Brody, but I don’t have any crayons,” I said finally, giving him a small smile.

He grinned and turned to the equipment I’d laid out for our lab. “Good to go?”

I nodded, and we got started on the lab. We didn’t talk the rest of the class period other than what was needed to complete the assignment. There was an uncomfortable vibe between us. Each time our hands or arms would brush against each other when we reached for a slide or turned a page in the textbook, goose bumps would break out over my skin. I was thankful I’d worn a long-sleeved shirt so he couldn’t see. I was having a hard enough time hiding my shaking hands, and my voice that seemed way to breathy and soft. He seemed completely unaffected, naturally.

I’m such a fool. What am I doing? I can’t fall for him. I’m with Jaden. Jaden who, with just a few words, could destroy everything.

Jaden always liked an audience. He was the captain of the football team, after all. He thrived on attention.

We were sitting at a table in the school cafeteria, Jenna, Tim, and I, along with Jaden and his dumbass friends from the football team. I never took the time to learn their names since they didn’t bother to call me anything but ‘Jaden’s girl.’

“It’s an away game tonight,” Jaden told me.

I speared a piece of cucumber in my salad and inspected it. “I know,” I answered.

“Hi, Willow,” some friends from class called as they walked by.

I smiled and waved. “Hi, guys!” That was when I saw him.

Oh please, please don’t say anything. Just keep walking, Brody. Don’t say anything, don’t stop, and don’t wave.

“Hey, Willow. See you in class.” Brody raised his hand as he walked by.

“What the hell?” Jaden yelled.

“It’s nothing. Leave it alone.” I put my hand on Jaden’s arm, trying to divert his attention.

“The hell I’ll leave it alone.” He threw my hand off. My injured arm hit the edge of the table. I gritted my teeth and grabbed it, holding it to my side. “What’s going on between you two?” he yelled, standing up.

Brody’s face registered surprise and then anger. I looked at him and shook my head, pleading with my eyes for him to leave it alone. Brody looked between Jaden and me. “Are you okay?” he asked me. Brody looked at where I held my arm and raised an eyebrow.

“You don’t need to worry about her,” Jaden shouted. He reached out and shoved Brody’s shoulder.

Brody looked down where Jaden’s hand had been. I prayed he would walk away. Then I saw his hands ball into fists.

Oh, crap. Crap. Crap.

Brody took a step forward. I stood up so fast my chair flew backward, hitting the floor with a clang. Jenna reached out for my arm.

“Willow, stay out of it!” she called.

I reached out and grabbed Jaden’s arm. It was rigid. I looked at Brody. A vein pulsed in the side of his neck.

“You’re messing with the wrong girl, Victor,” Jaden said through clenched teeth.

“I think Willow can make up her mind who she wants to be friends with without asking your permission.”

Jaden took a step toward him. Brody stood his ground.

Oh, this can’t happen. Back down, Brody, please.

“No! Jaden!” I stepped in front of him. “Stop it!” He pushed me out of the way with one arm, like a windshield wiper swiping a bug away. I stumbled backward. One of his friends reached for me. I ducked under his arm and ran in between the two testosterone-filled idiots who insisted on fighting with all the ‘B’ lunch students watching.

“Stop! Brody, just go.” I looked over my shoulder. “Please.”

“Yeah, Victor, run along.” Jaden twiddled his fingers at Brody.

“Jaden, stop it!” I yelled. “I’m freakin’ fed up with your crap!”

“Watch your mouth, Willow.” Jaden moved his arm, and I flinched away.

Brody reached out, pulling me against him. “Don’t raise your hand to her. You hit her, and I will end you. Make no mistake about that,” he said quietly. His hand around my arm, he walked out of the cafeteria, pulling me with him.

“I expect you to be home tonight, Willow. If you’re not at the game, you’re home,” Jaden yelled after us. “We’ll finish this later, Willow.”

“Great,” I groaned, trying to pull away from Brody. “What are you doing?” I yanked my arm away and turned back to the cafeteria.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“Back inside.”

Brody stepped in front of me. “What? Why? He was going to hit you!”

“He wasn’t going to hit me.” I tried to step around him.

“He pushed you against the table!”

I shook my head, looking at the floor. “Not intentionally.”

Brody blocked the door to the cafeteria. “Don’t go back in there—”

“Don’t you see you’ve just made things worse by dragging me out of there?” I yelled. “He’s gonna see it as an embarrassment in front of his friends, and I’m the one who’s gonna pay for it! So thanks for your help. I know you meant well, but just stay the hell out of it!”

Breathe. Just breathe

Saturday night, Jaden and I were at The Dive. As usual, it was packed with people from school, most I knew, but some were just familiar faces. We said our hellos as we walked to the back where the quiet tables were. I saw him almost instantly when we walked in. It was as if my eyes sought him out and once they found him, they wouldn’t let him go. We hadn’t spoken since our conversation in the hall outside the cafeteria, not even in class. I tried not to look at him. If Jaden saw me glance in Brody’s direction, it would start another scene like the one in the cafeteria, so I kept my gaze on the floor and let Jaden pull me through the crowd.

When we walked by his table, I couldn’t help raising my eyes just for a second. Our eyes met and butterflies swirled in my stomach, a feeling I hadn’t had with Jaden in months. I tried to push that thought from my head as I forced my eyes away from his.

We sat at a table in the very back of the restaurant. The waitress came over to take our drink orders.

“We’re ready to order,” Jaden said.

“Okay, go ahead.”

“I’ll have a Coke, a Big Splash Burger with everything, and a side of fries. She’ll have a Coke and the Mini Splash Burger, no pickles, no onions, extra cheese. And a side of fries.”

“Mustard, ketchup, mayo?” the waitress asked.

“Mayo on both,” Jaden answered, handing the menus to the waitress.

Ugh. I hate it when he orders for me. I can order my own damn food. And I hate mayo. How can he not know that by now? And I want a stinkin’ order of onion rings. Onion rings!

“Did you like the movie, Jaden?” I asked, trying to divert his attention from our waitress’ ass.

“Yeah, it was okay.”

Okay? I just sat through two hours of bombs blowing up, appendages flying off, blood and gore splattering everywhere, all of which would have been fine if there had been a plot, and all he says is it was okay? Great. Lovely.

“Did you like it?” he asked, not looking at me.

“Yeah. Loved it, especially the part where the guy was wandering around, looking for his arms. That was classic.”

“Yeah.” He laughed. “That was great.”

Note to self– sarcasm is ineffective on Jaden.

“I need to use the restroom. I’ll be right back.” Sliding out of the booth, I turned to the restrooms, catching a glimpse of Brody and his date.

Brody’s dating Kara? I know her. She’s nice. They’re sharing an ice cream sundae. How sickening sweet can you get? Ugh… I’m totally jealous. Oh. Kill. Me. Now. I can’t be jealous. I’m with Jaden. Jealous, possessive, overbearing Jaden.

Walking down the small hallway where the restrooms were located, I pushed through the door into the ladies’ room. I didn’t need the restroom. I just wanted a minute alone. Bracing my hands on either side of the sink, I stared at myself in the mirror.

How did this happen? What did I do to get here? This is my life, but I don’t remember making the decisions that brought me here. If she hadn’t done it… but she did… and now we’re both screwed. Suck it up. Stop whining.

After washing my hands, I checked my makeup before pulling the door open to leave. I froze when I stepped into the small hallway. I’d never realized how small it was until I was standing there with him. He filled it, not only with his body, but also with his very presence. Butterflies swarmed my stomach.

“Hey.” He gave me a small grin.

“Hey, Ace.”

“I just wanted to check on you after yesterday in the cafeteria. You okay?” Brody asked, his eyes searching mine.

“Yes. Thanks.” I started to walk away, but stopped and turned to look at him. “And thanks for yesterday. I know you were trying to help.”

He nodded once and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.

I smiled and walked back to my table, trying to put Brody Victor out of my head.

Jaden and I ate our dinner. Then he left me alone in the booth to visit with every football teammate that came through the restaurant. Thankfully, I’d brought my e-reader with me. But there was a time if I’d brought it with me, it would’ve stayed, unused, in my purse.

“How’s your hamburger? I’m sorry I got mayo. I’ll remember next time not to order yours with mayo.” Jaden reached across the booth and caressed my fingers with the pad of his thumb.

I took a sip of Coke and tilted my head to the side. “It’s good. Even with the mayo.” I grinned.

Jaden’s fingers moved over my hand, drawing invisible circles on my skin. His blue eyes stared into mine.

I took another sip of my Coke, chewing on the end of my straw. “What?” I asked when he continued to stare.

“I just like to look at the prettiest girl here.”

He opened his mouth to say more when he was interrupted by three guys from the football team. They pushed their way into the booth with us. One next to Jaden, and two next to me. I was flattened against the wall to make room for them.

“Hey, bro, what’s going on?” one of the guys asked.

Jaden’s jaw worked, and I saw his pulse beating in a vein bulging on his neck. “Kind of on a date.”

“Oh. Sweet,” one of the other stinky guys said. They smelled like they’d just walked off the field after hours of football practice and forgot to put on deodorant. I was gasping for fresh air where I was trapped between the wall and the armpit of one guy. “You wanna hang?”

“Did you not just hear me? I’m on a freakin’ date. And you weren’t invited. So there’s the door.” Jaden jerked his thumb toward the front of the restaurant.

“Whoa! My man, Jaden. You must be getting some happy-happy if you don’t wanna hang with your dawgs. That’s cool. We’ll catch ya on the flip.”

The three guys eased out of the booth and said their goodbyes. I watched Jaden’s eyes track them as they made their way from table to table, laughing and joking with other guys from the football team.

I squeezed Jaden’s fingers. “Do you want to go say hi to your football friends?”

Jaden turned to me and smiled, his dimples winking at me. “Now why would I want to spend time with them when I have you? I’m with them all the time. They’re crude, rude, and stink. You’re sexy, smart, and smell good. I’m definitely happier here.”

I sighed at the memory and flipped on my reader. By the time Jaden took me home, I’d read three chapters. Three very long chapters.

Jaden pulled in my driveway and put the car in park. He leaned over the console and kissed me gently, cupping my cheek in his hand. He took the kiss deeper, skimming his hand down my side, gripping my hip and pulling me closer to him to trail kisses down my neck and across my chest.

“Willow!”

Breathe. Breathe. I’m fine. I’m strong. Breathe.

“Get your ass in the house now!”

Jaden let go of me with a frustrated groan. “I’ll text you later.”

“Okay. Thanks for tonight.”

“Sure.” As soon as I got out of the car, he pulled out of the driveway and drove away.

I hurried to the house. “Hi, Mom.”

“Hi, honey. You know how I feel about you and Jaden sitting in the car making out.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“Did you have a good time?” She smoothed my hair from my face, a lit cigarette dangling from her lips.

“It was okay.” I shrugged a shoulder.

She took a long drag on her cigarette and blew the smoke out of the side of her mouth. Looking at the floor, she nodded. “He isn’t the catch everyone thinks he is, is he?”

“He’s okay. I mean, you know. He’s good.” I kissed my mom on the cheek. “I’m really tired. I’ll see you in the morning.” I climbed the stairs to my room and eased the door closed behind me, clicking the lock in place.

Breathe. You’re home. Just breathe.

Heading into my bathroom, I washed my face and brushed my teeth for bed. I changed into a pair of pajama pants. I slipped out of my shirt and looked at the bruising on my arm and shoulder. It was deep shades of purple and black. I let out a breath and pulled my sweatshirt on over my head, trying not to move my arm any more than I had to. Popping two painkillers, I went into my bedroom and crawled in bed.

I’d just turned the light out when my cell phone chimed. I thought about ignoring it, but if it were Jaden, he’d have a fit if he thought I was ignoring his messages. With a frustrated groan, I grabbed the phone off its charger and pressed the message button.

Brody: I’m sorry for stopping you at The Dive.

Me: Why?

Brody: Did Jaden see?

Me: No. Kara’s nice. Don’t be a jerk.

Brody: Not all reputations are deserved.

Me: ?

Brody: Never mind. Goodnight, Willow.

Me: Night.

Brody is gonna cause me so much trouble.

Monday. Crap. Shut up, stupid, annoying alarm.

I slammed my hand on top of my clock until the incessant beeping stopped. Rolling out of bed, I stumbled to the shower. I washed with a body soap that promised to energize and invigorate. It lied.

Mondays should be illegal. I think that would make a great T-shirt. I’m so gonna go to the mall and have one made. Maybe today. Right after I have a nap.

I pulled on a black, long-sleeved tunic with a cowl neck and black leggings, lined my eyes in black liner, used midnight eye shadow and painted my nails in onyx polish. After adding my black boots and black leather messenger bag, I was totally rockin’ the vibe I was going for. I slipped my earrings in, a hoop with a skeleton key dangling from it in one ear and a hoop with a heart-shaped lock dangling from it in the other ear, grabbed my keys, and ran out the door.

“Who died?” Jenna asked when I walked into school twenty minutes later.

“Here.” I handed her a Starbucks caramel macchiato and slipped off my sunglasses.

“Holy wow. Are you working the Goth look today or what?”

“No. I’m working the I-hate-Monday-mornings-and-I’m-mourning-the-death-of-the-weekend look.”

“Well… you’re working somethin’. Thanks for the macchiato.”

“No problem. See you in history.” I slipped on my sunglasses and walked to biology, standing in the hallway sipping my Starbucks before going into class.

“What are you doing?”

I looked up to see Jaden standing in front of me. “Drinking my caffeine before class starts,” I said, holding the cup up so he could see it. “I’m not allowed to take it in the classroom. You want to do something this afternoon?”

“Like what?” he asked, narrowing his eyes at me.

“I didn’t know there were limits on what you were willing to do to spend time with your girlfriend.”

“Well…”

“Forget I said anything.” Dropping my half-full cup into the trash, I walked into the classroom. I flung my bag on the table before dropping onto my seat.

Jaden, being the idiot that he was, followed me. If he’d been smart, he would’ve taken the hint that I was done talking when I threw away a half cup of caffeine.

“What do you want to do?” he said with a sigh, as if it was a major imposition to spend time with me.

“Nothing, Jaden, I don’t want to do anything. I told you to forget it.”

“So now you’re mad at me?”

“Nope.” I started to pull stuff out of my bag. I was so irritated I grabbed things I didn’t need. I had a pile of five highlighters and was still pulling more out, slamming them on the table between Brody and me.

“Then what’s the matter, Wills?”

“Don’t call me that. Nothing’s the matter. It’s Monday, okay. I hate Mondays. I’m in a crappy mood. Just forget I said anything.” I pushed my bag away and threw my sunglasses on top of it, leaning back in my chair.

“Are you PMSing or something?”

“What? Seriously, you did not just ask me that! Just leave.”

“See ya at lunch.” Jaden bent down to kiss me. I turned my head at the last second, and his lips landed on my cheek. “Now you’re starting to piss me off.”

“Whatever.” I watched him leave the classroom. “Ugh!” I put my hands together like I was strangling him, shaking them back and forth.

Brody chuckled beside me. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Did your hamster die or something?” he asked.

I blew out a frustrated breath. “No one died. I’m mourning the death of the weekend.”

“Oh. That’s cool.”

“I’m so glad I have your approval of my dress code,” I snapped.

“Well, there is one thing. If Jaden doesn’t want guys looking at you, then you shouldn’t wear that push-up bra.” He put his elbow on the table and rested his cheek in his upturned palm. His teeth bit into his bottom lip, his eyes traveling from my chest to my eyes and back again.

“Ugh, you’re a pig and completely lacking in the IQ department.”

“Not that I care what you think, but I’m a member of the honor society.” He twirled his pen on the table.

“That’s not a surprise,” I murmured. I laid my head on my book and closed my eyes.

“No?”

“I’d heard they’d lowered their standards.”

He chuckled. “You’ve got a mouth on you.”

I opened one eye and looked at him. “Most people have mouths. Just thought you’d want to know that little fact, you know, before the next honor society meeting.”

Brody smiled and turned to face the front of the class where the teacher had started droning on about the earthworm dissection we’d be doing.

Sounds like so much fun, except for the poor earthworm.

“You want to go to the mall?” I asked Jenna as we walked out of school that afternoon.

“Always.”

“Good. I have a T-shirt to make.”

She threw her arms in the air and sighed. Loud. “Willow, if I’d known you were making another corny T-shirt, I’d have said no,” she said, her hands falling with a thwack against her thighs. “You must’ve had a babysitting job, and now you want to throw your hard-earned money away on a stupid T-shirt.”

“Don’t hate the T-shirts,” I said with a laugh. “Besides, you’re gonna like this one. But first, a makeover.”

“Oh, thank the good Lord. Your makeup is killing me.”

An hour later, we left the boutique. We’d been scrubbed, exfoliated, peeled, plucked, moisturized, and had our makeup reapplied. I had to admit they did a much better job than I did. No black eyeliner. Instead, a soft sable that blended better with my hair and fair skin. And even though I always promised myself I wouldn’t buy anything when Jenna and I got makeovers, I bought the eyeliner and shadow the make-up artist used—and it was way overpriced. Naturally.

Now if I can just take her home and have her put it on for me every morning before I go to school, I’d be doing okay.

“All right, let’s go get this shirt you’re so excited about,” Jenna said, stuffing a gigantic piece of soft pretzel in her mouth.

“Attractive, Jenna.” I winked at her.

“Yeah, like you looked so sexy inhaling that corndog a minute ago.”

I laughed and bumped my hip into hers. “After my T-shirt, I say we get slushies and really overload our bodies with junk food.”

“Sounds good. The pretzel I ate is lonely.” Jenna patted her stomach and pouted. I rolled my eyes.

Fifteen minutes later, I was armed with a new purple, long-sleeved T-shirt that read ‘Mondays should be illegal,’ and Jenna and I were on our way to the food court to satisfy our slushie craving. We walked around a corner and I came face-to-face, or rather face-to-chest, with Brody. I stopped just before I ran into him.

“Oh! Hi,” I said.

“Hey.”

“You’re, um, shopping?” It seemed odd that he’d be mall hopping by himself. Most guys avoided the mall like it housed a flesh-eating virus.

He shook his head. “No, I’m just running an errand for my mom.”

I looked at the bag he was carrying from a well-known and very upscale cosmetics store. “Well, you’re either running an errand or you’re a drag queen when you aren’t at school.”

“How’d you know?” One side of his mouth curved up in a crooked grin.

“Lucky guess,” I said with a laugh.

“Are you leaving?” Jenna asked.

“Yes,” Brody answered, still looking at me. I felt my checks pink from a blush, and he smiled.

“We’re about to leave, too, but first, we’re going to satisfy our slushie craving. Come on and have one with us.” Jenna grabbed Brody’s arm, pulling him toward the food court. He looked at me over his shoulder. I schooled my expression.

I’m gonna kill her. I’m going to hurt her and then kill her. I cannot believe she just invited him to have a drink with us. She will die a long, painful death. I think I’ll put that on a T-shirt before I leave.

“So…” Jenna started after we sat down with our drinks.

Brody and I both looked at her, waiting for her to say something epic to break the awkward silence.

“What did you buy?” Brody nodded at my bag.

“Oh, um, a T-shirt.”

“Another sarcastic saying on the front?” he asked. I bit my lower lip to hide a grin. His eyes followed the movement. “What does it say? Oh, lemme guess. It says, I date dumb jocks.”

I sighed. “That comment really shows your maturity level, Brody.”

“Yeah, my advanced maturity level must shock and amaze you considering who you date.”

I stood up. “Let’s go, Jenna.”

“I’m not done—”

“Bring it with you.”

“See you tomorrow,” Brody called.

I wonder if it’s too late to be homeschooled.

“You guys so like each other. It’s amazing,” Jenna said as soon as we got in the car.

“What the hell are you talking about? We can’t stand each other!” I nearly screeched.

“Nope. That’s chemistry. You’re fighting it. When you stop fighting, there are gonna be fireworks… like I said before, you need someone to rock your world. Turn it upside down. Brody Victor is gonna do that and more.”

The next day, Brody and I snapped at each other like always. In biology, Jaden walked me to class. When he left, Brody asked, “Is it hard carrying on a conversation with him? I mean, it must be like talking to a toddler all day.”

“You know, Brody, you are the best proof that reincarnation does occur, because no one could be that big an idiot in just one lifetime.”

After that, we didn’t talk to each other for the rest of the day. We dropped our books on the table, flipped through pages harder than necessary, slapped our pens down, shoved our things in our bags, and made it known to each other, and anyone around us, that we were not happy to be near one another. It wasn’t until independent study that we spoke to each other.

I had my ear buds in, listening to music, when he walked up to the table where I worked. Taking out an ear bud, I looked up at him. “What?”

“Do you mind if I sit with you?” Brody asked.

I shrugged a shoulder, looking away from him, which was hard considering he was so very easy to look at.

He pulled out the chair next to me and sat down. “Calculus, huh?”

“Mm-hmm.” I popped a baby carrot in my mouth.

“Oh, you’re a rebel. You’re not supposed to have food in here.” He smiled.

“Why do you think I sit in the back, genius? Want one?” I held out my container filled with veggies and dip.

Brody looked at it like it was poisoned. “What is that?” He made a face and glanced up at me.

“They’re vegetables. Surely, you’ve seen one or two before. You know, they’re those things your mom makes you eat.”

“Not the veggies. The other gunk.” He took a celery stick and poked at my dip.

“It’s hummus. Do you want some or not? I’m not sitting here all day while you play with my food.”

“I’ll take a pass. Thanks.”

“Whatever.” I dipped a piece of broccoli in the hummus and ate it. Brody watched me with his nose scrunched. “It’s good,” I said, my mouth full.

“Okay. I’ll take your word for it.” He opened his calculus book and pulled out his notes. “Did you understand the chain rule we went over today?”

“Yes.” I tried not to look at him.

“I hate to admit it, but I didn’t completely get it.”

“Oh.”

“Willow, do you think you can use more than one-word answers when you talk to me?”

I put my pencil down and looked at him. “Maybe.”

Brody laughed. “You don’t like me much, do you?”

“Not particularly.”

“Whoa, was that a two-word answer? Progress.”

I rolled my eyes and put my ear buds back in, hoping to end our conversation and focus on my assignment.

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched him look at his textbook and tap his pencil against his notebook a few times before he looked at me. He reached out and pulled an ear bud from my ear.

“Hey!”

“Would you mind helping me out?” he asked.

“Really? You’re asking me to help you with your homework? You, a member of the honor society, are asking me, a bimbo jock chaser, for help?” I looked at him with an arched eyebrow.

He cleared his throat. “Yeah, I’m sorry about the bimbo comment. That wasn’t cool.”

“Ya think?”

Brody lifted his book and looked at me. “Please?”

I sighed. “I can explain it to you, but I can’t learn it for you.”

He tilted his head to the side and considered what I’d said before laughing loudly. “I deserved that,” he said when he stopped laughing. “I promise, I’ll try to keep up.”

“Let me see what you’ve got.” I leaned over to look at his calculations and nearly groaned. He smelled so good. He looked beyond good. I had the overwhelming urge to touch him.

Focus. Calculus. The chain rule. Think about that and block out Brody. Yeah, like that’s gonna happen.