Hey.”
Brynn’s head shot up from her locker at the unfamiliar male voice.
She nearly dropped her geometry book.
It was him.
She’d seen him several times since that day on the football field. Had felt his eyes on her across the cafeteria, across the courtyard.
It should have been creepy, but it was oddly exhilarating. And not just because he was a junior and one of the most popular guys in school.
It was like he saw her. Knew her.
“Hey,” she said back, keeping her voice as level as possible even though she kind of wanted to puke. She’d never been good at talking to guys. Mostly because they’d never wanted to talk except to ask if she was related to Mr. Ed. Or to tell her there was a wait list on the swings.
She’d like to think that most of them had grown out of their meanness by now, but she wasn’t taking any chances.
Much better to keep her distance.
Her heart still pounding, she closed her locker and began walking in the direction of class. She realized too late that she was walking in the opposite direction as her geometry classroom, but she couldn’t very well turn around now. Not when he was already following her.
“I’m Will,” he said, easily matching her pace, watching her face as she walked.
“Congratulations,” she said, not glancing up at him.
Stop being a bitch, her mind ordered.
But it was as though her brain was putting up walls, trying to protect her from this too-gorgeous guy who couldn’t possibly be interested in her. The dry sarcasm was just there. Keeping her safe.
He let out a little laugh. “And you are…”
She didn’t answer. Too afraid that she’d say Dumpy Dalton by accident. Because sometimes preemption was the best defense.
“It’s Brynn, right?”
“Ding ding ding, give the boy a prize.”
His hand lightly touched her elbow, and she had the strangest urge to lean into this boy she didn’t even know.
She swallowed nervously and came to a halt.
“You’re nervous,” he said softly, giving her a sweet little smile.
Well, duh, the hottest guy in school is talking to a nerdy, quiet freshman, so…yeah, I’m nervous.
“Nervous or uninterested?” she heard herself say.
His head snapped back a little, and his eyes were considering, as though to say, so it’s going to be like that, then?
She forced herself to meet his gaze, as she silently answered back. Yeah, it’s going to be like that. Don’t pretend that you’re interested.
He gave a curt nod, his expression somewhere between irritation and disdain.
“See you around, Princess.”
“Whatever,” she muttered, flipping her hair over her shoulder.
She felt his eyes on her back all the way down the hall, and she wanted to turn around and apologize. Wanted to turn back and ask for a do-over. Wanted to explain that she didn’t know how to act around a boy who was nice to her.