Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 88080 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88080 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
He sits down in the desk behind me, playfully tugging at a strand of my hair. “It’s fine. I’ll go over it now.”
I nod, frustrated with myself.
“Relax,” he murmurs, one of his big hands moving my hair to the side. His fingers massage one shoulder. I don’t relax. After his last comment, it feels too intimate.
Pulling out of his hold, I shoot him a warning look over my shoulder. He winces, horror washing over his features.
“Roux…”
“It’s fine. I’m just having a bad day. Can we do the quiz so I can leave?”
I’ve wounded him. I feel like a bitch about it too. His brows furl and his lip pouts out as he burns his stare into the paper. He clears his throat and shakily reads me the first question. I answer each question easily, and by the time we finish, I feel terrible. He’s quiet as he stands and walks over to his desk. Quickly, I gather my things and walk over to him.
“I’m sorry,” I blurt out. “I didn’t mean to snap at you.”
He studies me for a long beat. His hand reaches for me and he jerks it back. “It’s fine. I’ll talk to you later.”
The dismissiveness in his tone guts me. I can’t lose my only friend at the moment. It’s not his fault I’m stressed over Charlotte and Jordy.
I walk right up to him and hug him, needing him to understand I’m not spooked by his friendliness. He’s stiff at first, but then returns the hug. His fingers stroke through my hair. It’s relaxing, but that makes me cringe when I think about it too hard.
“I’ll call you after the party,” I promise. “Maybe tomorrow we can go to Josie’s.”
We pull apart and he’s back to smiling. I’m happy I fixed whatever it was I almost broke. I have enough broken relationships right now to have one more.
The door creaks open and we step apart on instinct, knowing if someone caught us this close they wouldn’t understand the friendship we’ve developed. My head sweeps to the side, thankful to see it’s just Kayden.
A seriously pissed off Kayden.
Oh shit.
He storms into the room, his furious glare pinned on Wes. “Let’s go, babe.”
“Kayden,” I hiss. “I’m not your babe.”
“You’re not his, either,” Kayden snaps, nodding his head at Wes.
“Stop it.” I pin him with a firm stare.
Wes, despite being a teacher and the authority here, doesn’t back down. He flashes Kayden a smug, challenging look.
“Stop it.” This time, my words are for Wes. To Kayden, I say, “Let’s go.”
He laughs at Wes, happily threading his fingers with mine. I just need to get him out of here. I’m not sure if he still carries a gun, or even if he does at school, but I’ll be damned if I let things escalate between him and Wes. I don’t want Wes getting fired or hurt.
I glance over my shoulder at Wes. His jaw works furiously as he watches us leave. I give him a reassuring smile before jerking my hand from Kayden’s and stepping into the hallway.
“You can be such an asshole. You know that?” I storm toward the stairwell, not waiting for Kayden.
He catches up to me, slinging an arm over my shoulders. “You love me.”
“I don’t,” I snap. “Not like that.”
His face pinches, reminding me of the old Kayden I really did have feelings for. When he’s not being an arrogant thug, it’s hard not to like him.
“I’m sorry. That was harsh,” I say, stopping at the top of the stairs. “I’ll go to the party tonight with you.”
His eyes light up and he grins.
“As friends,” I continue.
“I’ll take anything with you at this point,” he says, never losing his smile.
“You’re so over the top,” I say with a laugh. “Seriously, though, I want to see Charlotte. I heard she’ll be there.”
“She will be. Her dumbass cunt of a boyfriend too.” He scowls. “I’ve been keeping an eye on her whenever I see her at these parties. For you.”
“Thank you,” I say, exhaling a breath.
We start down the stairs and at the bottom, he pulls me to him, hugging me. I allow the embrace because I miss our friendship. I want him to be like he used to be before Renaldo got his claws dug deep into him.
“I’ll keep you safe too,” he promises. “I won’t drink with you there. No one will touch a hair on your head. Everyone knows Roux Hirsch is Ramirez property.”
I pull away, swatting at him. “Had to go and ruin it, huh?”
“Just statin’ the truth, baby.” He grins at me, which makes me laugh.
Something catches my stare from behind him. In a dark classroom. Tom. Creepy peeping Tom. He holds a finger to his lips. I shiver and turn on my heel.
“Can you give me a ride home?” I mutter, eager to get the hell out of there.