Chapter Three
“Let’s go!” I tell her for the fifth time.
She grabs her backpack and groans, then stands up and pushes her chair in. “What’s your freakin’ deal, Daniel? You’re never in a hurry to get to school.” She downs the rest of her orange juice. I’m standing at the door where I’ve been standing for five minutes, ready to leave. I hold open the front door and follow her outside.
Once we’re in the car I don’t even wait for her to shut her door before I’m putting it in reverse.
“Seriously, why are you in such a hurry?” she asks.
“I’m not in a hurry,” I say defensively. “You were just being really slow.”
The last thing she needs to know is how utterly pathetic I am. So pathetic I’ve been awake for two hours now, waiting until we could leave. I probably won’t even see Six until lunch if we don’t have classes together, so I really don’t know why I’m in a hurry.
I didn’t think about that. I hope we do have classes together.
“How was your date last night?” Chunk asks as she puts on her seatbelt.
“Good,” I say.
“Did you kiss her?”
“Yep.”
“Do you like her?”
“Yep.”
“What’s her name?”
“Six.”
“No, really. What’s her name?”
“Six.”
“No, not whatever nickname you gave her. What does everyone else call her?”
I roll my head and look at her. “Six. They call her Six.”
Chunk scrunches up her nose. “Weird.”
“It fits her.”
“Do you love her?”
“Nope.”
“Do you want to?”
“Ye—”
Whoa.
Hold up.
Do I want to?
I don’t know. Maybe. Yes? Shit. I don’t know. How screwed up is it that I broke up with a girl two days ago and I’m already contemplating the possibility of loving someone else?
Well, technically, I don’t think I really loved Val. I sort of thought I did on occasion, but I think if a person is really, truly in love then it has to be unconditional. How I felt about Val was definitely not unconditional. I had conditions for every single feeling I had about her. Hell, the only reason I ever asked her out in the first place is that for about fifteen seconds, I thought she was Cinderella.
After that experience in the closet last year, that mystery girl was all I could think about. I looked for her everywhere, even though I had no idea what she looked like. I was pretty sure she had blonde hair, but it was dark, so I could have been wrong. I listened to every single girl’s voice I walked past to see if they sounded like her. The problem was, they all sounded like her. It’s hard to memorize a voice when you don’t have a face to back it up with, so I would always find small things that reminded me of her in every girl I spoke to.
With Val, I actually convinced myself she was Cinderella. I was walking past her in the hallway one afternoon on my way to History class. I’d seen her in the past but never paid much attention to her because she seemed a little high-maintenance for me. I accidentally bumped her shoulder when I passed her because my head was turned and I was talking to someone else. She called out after me, “Watch it, kid.”
I froze in my tracks. I was too scared to turn around because hearing her use the term “kid” had me convinced I was about to come face to face with the girl from the closet. When I finally gained the courage to turn around, I was floored by how hot she was. I always hoped if I ever found out who Cinderella was that I’d be attracted to her. But Val was way hotter than how I’d been fantasizing.
I walked back up to her and made her repeat what she said. She looked shocked, but she repeated it anyway. When the words fell from her mouth again, I immediately leaned forward and kissed her. As soon as I kissed her I knew she wasn’t Cinderella. Her mouth was different. Not bad different, just different. When I pulled back after realizing it wasn’t her, I was a little annoyed with myself for not just letting it go. I was never going to find out who the girl was, so there was no point in dwelling on it. Plus, Val really was hot. I forced myself to ask her out that day and thus began “the relationship.”
“You just passed my school,” Chunk says.
I slam on the brakes when I realize she’s right. I kick the car into reverse and back up, then pull over to let her out. She looks out the passenger window and sighs.
“Daniel, we’re so early there isn’t even anyone else here yet.”
I lean forward and look out her window, scanning the school. “Not true,” I say, pointing to someone pulling into a parking spot. “There’s someone.”
She shakes her head. “That’s the maintenance guy. I beat the freaking maintenance guy to school.” She opens her door and steps out, then turns and leans into the car before shutting her door. “Do I need to plan for you to be here to pick me up an hour early, too? Is your brain stuck in Eastern Time today?”
I ignore her comment and she shuts the door, then I hit the gas and drive toward the school.
I don’t know what kind of car she drives, so I pull into my usual spot and wait. There are a few other cars here, including Sky and Holder’s, but I know they’re at the track running like they do every morning.
I can’t believe I don’t know what kind of car she drives. I also still don’t know her phone number. Or her birthday. Or her favorite color or what she wants to be when she’s older or why the hell she chose Italy for her foreign exchange or what her parents’ names are or what kind of food she eats.
My palms begin to sweat, so I wipe them on my jeans, then grip my steering wheel. What if she’s really annoying around other people? What if she’s a junkie? What if . . .
“Hey.”
Her voice breaks me out of my near–panic attack. It also calms me the hell down because as soon as I see her sliding into the front seat of my car, my unjustified fears are replaced by pure relief.
“Hey.”
She shuts her door and pulls her leg up, turning to face me in the car. She smells so good. She doesn’t smell like perfume at all . . . she just smells good. Kind of fruity.
“Have you had your panic attack yet?” she asks.
Confusion clouds my face. I don’t have time to answer her before she begins talking again.
“I had one this morning,” she says, looking at everything else around us, unable to make eye contact with me. “I just keep thinking we’re idiots. Like maybe this connection we think we have is all in our heads and we didn’t really have as much fun as we thought we did last night. I don’t even know you, Daniel. I don’t know your birthday, your middle name, Chunk’s real name, if you have any pets, what your major will be in college. I know it’s not like we made this huge commitment or got married or had sex, but you have to understand that I have never thought the idea of having a boyfriend was even remotely appealing and maybe I still don’t think it’s all that appealing, but . . .”
She finally looks at me and makes eye contact. “But you’re so funny and this entire past year has been the worst year of my life and for some reason when I’m with you it feels good. Even though I hardly know you, the parts of you I do know I really, really like.” She leans her head into the headrest and sighs. “And you’re cute. Really cute. I like staring at you.”
I turn in my seat and mirror her position by resting my head against my own headrest. “Are you finished?”
She nods.
“I had my panic attack right before you got in the car just now. But when you opened your door and I heard your voice, it went away. I think I’m good now.”
She smiles. “That’s good.”
I smile back at her and we both just stare at each other for several seconds. I want to kiss her but I also kind of like just staring at her. I would hold her hand, but she’s running her fingers up and down the seam of the passenger seat and I like watching her do that.
“I should go inside and register for classes now,” she says.
“Make sure you get second lunch.”
She nods. “I can’t wait to pretend I hate you today.”
“I can’t wait to pretend I hate you more.”
I can tell she’s about to turn, so I lean forward and slip my hand behind her neck, then pull her to me. I kiss her good morning, hello and good-bye all at once. When I pull back, I glance over her shoulder and see Sky and Holder making their way off the track and toward the parking lot.
“Shit!” I push her head down between us. “They’re coming this way.”
“Crap,” she whispers.
She begins humming the theme to Mission Impossible and I start laughing. I start to crouch down with her, but if they reach my car they’ll see us whether our heads are down or not.
“I’ll get out of the car so they don’t come over here.”
“Good idea,” she says, her voice muffled by her arms. “I think you just gave me whiplash.”
I lean over and kiss the back of her head. “Sorry. I’ll see you later. Lock my doors when you get out.”
I open the car door just as Holder begins to head in my direction. I start walking their way to intercept them. “Good run?” I ask when I reach them.
They both nod, out of breath. “I need my change of clothes,” Sky says to Holder, pointing to her car. “Want me to grab yours?” Holder nods and she heads in that direction. Holder’s eyes move from hers over to mine.
“Why are you here so early?” he asks. He doesn’t ask it like he’s accusing me of anything. He’s probably just making small talk but I already feel defensive.
“Chunk had to be at school early,” I say.
He nods and grabs the hem of his shirt, then wipes sweat off his forehead. “You still coming tonight?”
I think about his question. I think really hard, but I’m drawing a blank about what could be going on tonight that I would need to go to.
“Daniel, do you even know what the hell I’m talking about?”
I shake my head. “No idea,” I admit.
“Dinner at Sky’s house. Karen invited you and Val? They’re having a big welcome-back thing for Sky’s best friend.”
That gets my attention. “Yeah, of course I’ll be there. Not bringing Val, though. We broke up, remember?”
“Yeah, but dinner is still ten hours away. You might love her again by then.”
Sky walks up and hands Holder his bag. “Daniel, have you seen Six?”
“No,” I immediately blurt out.
Sky glances toward the school, not having noticed the defensiveness in my immediate response. “She must be registering for classes inside.” She turns to Holder. “I’m gonna go find her.” She reaches up and kisses him on the cheek, but Holder’s eyes remain on mine.
They’re narrowed.
This isn’t good.
Sky walks away and I begin to walk right behind her, toward the school. Holder’s hand lands on my shoulder when I pass him, so I pause. I turn around, but it takes me a few seconds to look him in the eyes. When I do, he doesn’t look happy.
“Daniel?”
I raise an eyebrow to match his expression. “Holder?”
“What are you up to?”
“I do not know what you are talking about,” I reply innocently.
“You do know what I am talking about because when you are lying, you do not use contractions when you speak.”
I ponder his observation for a few seconds. Is that true?
Shit. It’s true.
I breathe out a heavy breath and do my best to look like I’m giving him a confession. “Fine,” I say, kicking at the dirt beneath my feet. “I had sex with Val just now. In my car. I didn’t want you to know because you and Sky seemed excited that we broke up.”
Tension releases from Holder’s shoulders and he shakes his head. “Dude, I could care less who you date. You know that.” He begins walking toward the school, so I follow suit. “Unless it’s Six,” he adds. “You aren’t allowed to date Six.”
I keep walking forward, even though that comment makes me want to freeze. “I have no desire to date Six,” I say. “She’s not really that cute, anyway.”
He stops in his tracks and spins around to face me. He holds up a finger like he’s about to lecture me. “You’re not allowed to talk shit about her, either.”
Christ. Hiding our relationship from him may be more exhausting than it is fun. “No loving her, no hating her, no screwing her, no dating her. Got it. Anything else you want to add?”
He thinks for a second, then lowers his arm. “Nope. That covers it. See you at lunch.” He turns and walks inside. I glance back to the parking lot in time to see Six sneaking out of my car. She gives me a quick wave. I wave back, then turn and head inside.
I walk my tray toward the table and internally rejoice when I see the only available spot is right next to Six. She glances at me as I walk up and her eyes smile, but only briefly. I set my tray down across from Holder and find my way into the current conversation. Everyone is discussing the dinner at Sky’s house tonight, but I’ve had dinner there before. Karen doesn’t know what real food is. She’s vegan, so I normally turn down meals at their house. Not tonight, though.
“Will there be meat?” I ask.
Sky nods. “Yeah. Jack’s actually cooking, so the food should be good. I also baked a chocolate cake.”
I reach across the table for the salt, even though I don’t need it. It gives me an excuse to lean in ridiculously close to Six.
“So, Six. How do you like your classes?” I ask casually.
She shrugs. “They’re okay.”
“Let me see your schedule.”
She narrows her eyes like I’m doing something wrong. I give her a look to let her know she has nothing to worry about. Even if I wasn’t into her, I’m not an a*shole. I’d still be making conversation with her.
“It sucks we don’t have any classes together,” Sky says. “Who do you have for History?”
Six pulls her schedule out of her pocket and hands it to me. I open it and make a quick scan of the classes, but none are the same as mine. “Carson for History,” I say, replying to Sky’s question. I hand Six back her schedule and give her a look to let her know we don’t have any classes together. She looks bummed, but says nothing.
“Can you speak Italian very well?” Breckin asks Six.
“Not well at all. I speak better Spanish than I do Italian. I chose Italy because I had enough funding and I’d rather have spent half a year there than in Mexico.”
“Good choice,” Breckin says. “The men are hotter in Italy.”
Six nods. “Yes they are,” she says appreciatively.
I immediately lose my appetite and drop my fork onto my plate. It makes a loud clanking noise, so naturally everyone turns to look at me. It’s quiet and awkward and everyone is still staring, so I say the first thing on my mind. “Italian men are too hairy.”
Sky and Breckin laugh, but Six purses her lips together and looks back down at her plate.
God, I suck at this.
Luckily, Val walks up and takes everyone’s attention off me.
Wait. Did I just say luckily? Because Val walking up is not a good thing.
“Can I talk to you?” she says, glaring down at me.
“Do I have a choice?”
“Hallway,” she says, spinning on her heels. She heads toward the exit to the cafeteria.
“Do us all a favor and go see what Val wants,” Sky says. “If you don’t meet her out there she’ll come back to the table.”
“Please,” Breckin mutters.
I’m watching all their reactions and I don’t know if they’ve always reacted this way when it comes to Val or if I’m only recognizing it for the first time because I finally have clarity.
“Why is everyone referring to Tessa Maynard as Val?” Six asks, confused.
Breckin points over his shoulder in the direction Val walked off in. “Tessa is Val. Val is Tessa. Daniel can’t seem to call anyone by their actual name, if you haven’t noticed.”
I watch as Six inhales a slow breath, then looks directly at me. She looks really disgusted. “Your girlfriend is Tessa Maynard? You have sex with Tessa Maynard?”
“Ex-girlfriend and had sex,” I clarify. “And yes. Probably coincided with the same time you were falling in love with a hairy Italian.”
Six’s eyes narrow, then she quickly looks away. I instantly feel bad for what I said, but I was only kidding. Sort of. We’re supposed to be mean to each other. I can’t tell if I really hurt her feelings or if she’s just a really good actress.
I sigh, then stand up and head toward the cafeteria doors in a hurry so I can get back to the table and somehow make sure Six really isn’t pissed at me.
I make it out to the hallway and Val is standing right outside the cafeteria doors. “I’ll take you back under one condition,” she says.
I’m curious what the condition is, but it doesn’t really matter at this point.
“Not interested.”
Her mouth literally drops open. It’s not even that cute a mouth now that I’m looking at it. I don’t know how I fell for it all those other times.
“I’m serious, Daniel,” she says firmly. “If you screw up one more time, I’m done.”
I let my head fall backward until I’m looking up at the ceiling. “Jesus, Tessa,” I say. She’s not really worthy of my nicknames anymore. I look her in the eyes again. “I don’t want you to take me back. I don’t want to date you. I don’t even want to make out with you. You’re mean.”
She scoffs, but stands frozen. “Are you serious?” she says, dumbfounded.
“Serious. Positive. Convinced. Enlightened. Take your pick.”
She throws her hands up in the air and spins around, then walks back into the cafeteria. I walk to the doors and open them. Six is staring at me from our table, so I make a quick glance around at the rest of the group. No one is paying attention, so I motion for her to come out into the hallway. She takes a quick drink of her water, then stands, making up an excuse to the rest of the table. I step out of view while she makes her way to the exit. When the doors open I immediately grab her by the wrist and pull her until we reach the lockers. I push her against them and crash my mouth to hers. Her hands immediately fly up to my hair and we rush our kisses like we might get caught.
And we really might.
After a good solid minute, she pushes lightly against my chest, so I pull away from her.
“Are you mad?” I ask her, almost blurting out the question between heavy breaths.
“No,” she says, shaking her head. “Why would I be mad?”
“Because Val is Tessa and you obviously don’t like Tessa very much and because I had a jealous moment and called Italian men hairy.”
She laughs. “We’re acting, Daniel. I was actually a little impressed. And kind of turned on when you got jealous. But highly unimpressed with the fact that Val is Tessa. I can’t believe you had sex with Tessa Maynard.”
“I can’t believe you had sex with pretty much everyone else,” I reply teasingly.
She grins. “You’re a jerk.”
“You’re a slut.”
“Will you be at my dinner tonight?” she asks.
“That’s a really dumb question.”
A smile spreads slowly across her face and it’s so damn sexy I have to kiss her again.
“I should get back,” she whispers when I pull away.
“Yes, you should. So should I.”
“You first. I’m supposed to be in the administration office clearing up an issue with my schedule.”
“Okay,” I say. “I’ll go first, but I’ll miss you until you get back to the table.”
“Don’t make me puke,” she says.
“I bet you’re adorable when you puke. I bet your actual puke is even adorable. It’s probably bubble-gum pink.”
“You’re seriously disgusting.” She laughs and reaches up to kiss me again. She pushes against my chest, then slips out from between me and the locker. She puts both of her hands on my back and pushes me toward the cafeteria doors. “Act natural.”
I turn and wink at her, then walk back through the doors. I casually make my way back to the table and take a seat.
“Where’s Six?” Breckin asks.
I shrug. “How should I know? I was busy making out with Val in the hallway.”
Sky shakes her head and lays her fork down. “I just lost my appetite, Daniel. Thanks.”
“You’ll have your appetite back by dinner tonight,” I say.
Sky shakes her head. “Not with you and Val there. You’ll probably be sucking face next to my food. If you drool on my chocolate cake you aren’t getting any.”
“Sorry, Cheese Tits,” I say. “But Val won’t be at your dinner tonight. I’ll be there, though.”
“I bet you will,” Breckin says under his breath.
I glance over at him and he looks at me challengingly.
“What’d you just mumble, Powder Puff?” He absolutely hates it when I call him Powder Puff, but he should know I only give nicknames to the people I like. I think he does know that, though, because he doesn’t really give me too much shit about it.
“I said I bet you will,” he repeats louder this time. He turns to Sky, who is seated right next to him. “Six, right?”
Sky nods. “Six or six-thirty.”
“I’ll be there at six,” Breckin says. He looks back at me and smirks. “I bet you’ll be there at six, too, right, Daniel? You like six? Is six good for you?”
He’s on to us. F*cker.
“Six is perfect,” I say, holding his stare. “My absolute favorite time of day.”
He smiles knowingly, but I’m not worried. I have a feeling he’s going to have just as much fun with this as I am.
“All cleared up?” Sky asks Six when she returns to the table. Six nods and takes her seat. Her hand brushes across my outer thigh when she adjusts herself. I press my knee against hers and we both pick our forks up at the same time and take a bite of food.
Having her here just inches from me and not being allowed to touch her is complete torture. I’m beginning to think I’d rather just lean over and kiss her and take Holder’s ass beating than have to pretend I don’t want her.
Since the moment she disappeared into her house last night I’ve felt more restless than I’ve ever felt before. I’ve been fidgeting all day. I can’t stop tapping my fingers and shaking my leg. It feels like I want to scratch at my skin when she’s not around, like I’m coming down from a high.
That’s exactly what this feels like. Like she’s a drug I’ve become immediately addicted to but I have none in supply. The only thing that satiates the craving is her laugh. Or her smile or her kiss or the feel of her pressed against me.
God, it’s so hard not to touch her. So hard.
She begins laughing loudly at something Sky said and the craving becomes almost intolerable because of the intense need I have to catch that sound with my mouth.
I drop my fork onto my plate and lower my head into my hands and groan. “Stop laughing,” I say quietly.
She’s obviously laughing too loud to hear me, so I turn toward her and say it again. “Six. Stop laughing. Please.”
Her jaw clamps shut and she turns to look at me. “Excuse me?”
About that same time, Holder kicks the shit out of my knee. I scoot back and immediately pull my leg up and rub the spot he kicked. “What the hell, man?”
Holder looks at me like I’m clueless. “What the hell is wrong with you? I told you not to be mean to her.”
Ha. He thinks I’m being mean? If he only knew how nice I want to be to her right now.
“You don’t like my laugh?” Six says. I can tell in her voice she knows how much I like her laugh, but she’s enjoying the fact that Holder is clueless to what her laugh does to me.
“No,” I grumble, scooting back toward the table.
She laughs again and the sound of it causes me to wince.
“Are you always this grumpy?” she asks. “Do you want me to go get your girlfriend and bring her back to the table so she can put you in a better mood?”
“No!” Sky and Breckin yell in unison.
I look at Six. “You think my girlfriend could put me in a better mood?”
She grins. “I think your girlfriend is a pathetic idiot for agreeing to date you.”
I shake my head. “My girlfriend makes incredibly wise decisions. I can’t wait until tonight when I get to show her just how smart she was when she decided to lay claim to me.”
“I thought you said she wasn’t coming to dinner,” Sky says, disappointed.
Six’s hand slips under the table and she begins to gently rub at the spot on my knee that Holder just finished kicking.
“Jesus Christ,” I mutter, leaning forward. I put my elbows on the table and run my hands up and down my face, attempting to appear unaffected by the fact that it feels like Six just crawled her way inside my chest and is wrapping herself around my heart.
“Is lunch over yet?” I say to no one in particular. “I need to get out of here.”
Holder looks at his phone. “Five more minutes.” He looks back up at me. “Are you sick, Daniel? You’re not being yourself today. It’s starting to freak me out a little bit.”
Six’s hand is still on my knee. I casually lower my hand and slide it under the table, then place it over hers. She flips her hand over and I lace our fingers together and squeeze her hand.
“I know,” I say to Holder. “I’m just having a weird day. Girlfriends. They have that effect on you.”
He’s still looking at me suspiciously. “You seriously need to make up your mind when it comes to her. It’s past the point that any of us feel sorry for you, because now it’s just irritating.”
“Doesn’t help that she used to be a slut,” Six says.
“Six!” Sky says with a laugh. “That was so mean.”
Six shrugs. “It’s true. Daniel’s girlfriend used to be a big, fat slut. I heard she had sex with six different guys in just over a year.”
“Don’t talk about my girlfriend that way,” I say. “Who gives a shit what she did in the past? I sure as hell don’t.”
Six squeezes my hand, then pulls hers away and brings her hand back up to the table. “Sorry,” she says. “That wasn’t nice. If it helps, I heard she’s a good kisser.”
I grin. “Phenomenal kisser.”
The bell rings and everyone picks up their trays. I notice Six isn’t in any hurry, so I take my time as well. Sky kisses Holder on the cheek, then walks off with Breckin toward the exit. Holder picks up both their trays and lifts his eyes to mine. “I’ll see you tonight,” he says. “And I hope to hell the real Daniel shows up, because you aren’t making a whole lot of sense today.”
“I know,” I say, pointing briefly at my head. “She’s got me all screwed up in here, man. All screwed up. I’m losing my mind.”
Holder shakes his head. “That right there is exactly what I’m talking about. You seem more affected by Val today than you ever have. It’s just weird.” He walks off, still looking confused. I feel sort of bad for lying to him, but it’s his own fault. He shouldn’t try to tell me who I can date, then I wouldn’t have to hide it from him.
“That was fun,” Six says quietly. She begins to pick up her tray, but I intercept it. I take a step toward her and look her hard in the eyes.
“Don’t you ever insult my girlfriend again. You hear me?”
She tightens her lips to hide her smile. “Noted.”
“I want to walk you to your locker. Wait for me.”
Her smile becomes harder for her to hide as she nods her head. I take both of our trays and place them on the tray pile, then walk back to the table. I glance around us and don’t really see anyone paying attention, so I quickly lean in and kiss her briefly on the lips, then pull away.
“Daniel Wesley, you’re gonna get caught,” she says with a grin. She turns and begins walking toward the exit, so I discreetly place a hand on her lower back and walk next to her.
“God, I hope so,” I say. “If I have to sit through another lunch like that, I’ll lose my shit and you’ll end up on your back on top of the table.”
She laughs. “What a way with words you have.”
We exit the cafeteria and I walk her to her locker. It’s on the opposite hall from mine, which couldn’t be more inconvenient. We don’t have a single class together and I won’t even see her in the hallway while we’re at school. I know I haven’t even been dating her for an entire day, but I already miss her.
“Can I come over before dinner?” I ask her.
She shakes her head. “No, I’ll be helping Karen and Sky prep. I’m going over there right after school.”
“What about after dinner?”
She shakes her head again while she switches her books. “Sky crawls through my window every night. You can’t be in my room.”
“I thought your window was out of commission.”
“Only to people with penises.”
I laugh. “What if I told you I didn’t have a penis?”
She glances at me. “I would probably rejoice. My experiences with people who have penises never end well.”
I shake my head. “That’s not something my penis wants to hear you say. He has a very sensitive ego.”
She smiles and shuts her locker, then leans against it. “Well, maybe you should go home after school and stroke his ego a little bit until he feels better.”
I cock an eyebrow. “You just made a masturbation joke.”
She nods. “So I did.”
“I have the coolest girlfriend in the world.”
She nods again. “So you do.”
“I’ll see you at dinner.”
“So you will,” she says.
“Can we sneak off and make out while everyone’s eating?”
She squints her eyes as if she’s actually contemplating it. “Don’t know. We’ll play it by ear.”
I nod and lean my shoulder against the locker next to hers. We’re just a few inches apart and we’re staring at each other again. I love how she looks at me like she actually enjoys staring at me.
“Give me your phone number,” I say.
“As long as you aren’t planning to text me pics of your ego stroking after school.”
I laugh and clutch at my heart. “Dammit, Six. I love every single word that comes out of your mouth.”
“Cock,” she says dryly.
She’s evil.
“Except that word,” I say. “I don’t love cock.”
She laughs and opens her locker again. She takes out a pen, then turns and grabs my hand. She writes her phone number down, then puts the pen back in her locker. “I’ll see you tonight, Daniel.” She begins backing away. All I can do is nod, because I’m pretty sure her voice just hardcore made out with my ears. She turns and disappears down the hallway just as something appears in my line of sight.
I look to the eyes that are now glaring at me.
“What do you want, Powder Puff?” I ask him, pushing off the locker.
“You like her?”
“Who?” I ask, playing dumb. I don’t know why I’m trying to play dumb. We both know who he’s referring to.
“I think it’s adorable,” he says. “She likes you, too. I can tell.”
“Really?”
He laughs. “You’re too easy. And yes, I don’t know how, but I can tell she likes you. Y’all are cute. Why are you hiding it? Or better yet, who are you hiding it from?”
“Holder. He says I can’t date her.” I begin walking toward class and Breckin falls into step with me.
“Why not? Because you’re an a*shole?”
I stop and look at him. “I’m an a*shole?”
Breckin nods. “Yeah. I thought you knew that.”
I laugh, then start walking again. “He thinks it’ll screw everything up since we’re all best friends.”
“He’s right. It will.”
I stop walking again. “Who’s to say things won’t work out with me and Six?”
“Didn’t you just meet her? Like two days ago?”
“Doesn’t matter,” I say defensively. “She’s different. I have a good feeling about her.”
Breckin studies me for a moment, then he smiles. “This should be fun. I’ll see you tonight.” He turns and walks in the opposite direction, but he stops and faces me again. “Call me Powder Puff again and your secret is out.”
“Okay, Powder Puff.”
He laughs and points at me. “See? Such an a*shole.”
He spins and heads toward his class. I pull my phone out of my pocket and open up Val’s contact information. I hit delete, then add Six’s number into my phone. I’ll wait until I make it to my classroom before I text her.
Don’t want to seem desperate.