“You’re not supposed to be running the halls after the bell rings, Mr. Lane,” Vice Principal Joseph says as he comes up from behind me.
“Sorry, sir. I was just heading that way,” I assure him. Sam Joseph is an okay guy. Sometimes, I think he takes his job a little too seriously, but then, I don’t have to deal with the shit he does if things go bad.
“Where are you supposed to be?” he asks.
“I’ve got study hall in Mrs. Fincher’s room,” I tell him.
“I expect trouble out of your brother, but definitely not you, Reed.”
“Yes, sir. Sorry,” I mutter, turning away.
As I walk away, I think about the new girl. Callie Street. She had a beautiful laugh and when she let it out, her eyes light up. A guy could get to craving that sound. I don’t have my license yet, and there’s a chance she will find that lame as hell. Still, I like her enough to risk asking her out. It would be embarrassing to explain that I have my permit, but my parents can’t seem to find the time to take me to get my license. If my brother wasn’t a fuckwad that would probably put the moves on Callie, I could get him to drop us off somewhere. Maybe I’ll just wait until I see if Mom or Dad will take me next week. Dad took Mitch right away, but I think that was just so Mitch could do all of the errands and shit that took Dad away from his bottle.
It’s a long shot, but it’s all I can do.
3 Callie
Thank God the day is almost done.
That’s the only thought I have as I sit down at a picnic table outside with my small, packed lunch from home. I have an apple, a peanut butter sandwich and a water. It’s not gourmet, but it’s good. The only problem is that I have zero appetite. I just want today to be over and to be home in my room, ignoring everything.
I hate living in Texas. Having only been here a week, some would say I haven’t given it a chance, but I have. I hate the heat, I hate being the new girl at school, and I really hate that my parents decided to move us here without so much as talking to me about it. It’s my senior year in high school. I should have been able to stay in New Hampshire, so I could finish it out with all my friends. It’s supposed to be the best year of my life and if today is any indication, it’s going to be hell instead.
The only bright spot in the day was meeting Reed. He was sweet. I’ve had two classes with a Mitch Lane and I’m pretty sure that’s Reed’s brother. Mitch is extremely hot. He’s got this laid-back attitude that draws you in. His laugh is beautiful. I’m not the only one that’s noticed, either, because in each class almost all the females shamelessly flirt with him. He flirts right back, too, and definitely enjoys their attention. He and Reed are as different as night and day. Reed is good looking, but he screams good guy, whereas Mitch is the quintessential bad boy. He wears it like a badge of pride.
He hasn’t talked to me, but he did give me a sexy smile that I’m not ashamed to say made my toes curl. Reed is nice, but his brother is hot in Wrangler jeans and a faded t-shirt—he makes my heart skip a beat in my chest. He has soft brown hair and blue eyes—a big contrast to Reed’s. His voice is also deeper, almost graveled and when I heard him talking to his buddies, it was like a physical touch. It’s crazy, but I’m definitely attracted to him. He has a dangerous vibe about him and even though I know that shouldn’t turn me on—it does.
“You sure are thinking about something awfully hard there, Dizzy.”
I look up to see Reed staring down at me, that same charming smile on his face. I shake my head. “Am I stuck with that nickname now?”
“It’s adorable, just like you,” Reed laughs. “Care for some company?”
He really is so sweet. Most guys wouldn’t ask, they’d just sit down. I find myself wishing he would, too. If he did things like that, I might be more attracted to him than his brother.
I’m a freak.
“Sure,” I respond.
“How’s your first day of school going?”
“Eh. I’d still rather be in New Hampshire.”
“Yikes, we’re going to have to show you what’s great about Texas,” Reed jokes.
“Little Brother is right. Kelly, right?” I look up, my heart squeezing in my chest. It’s Mitch, Reed’s brother! And he’s talking to me. I can feel my face heat with excitement.
“Callie,” I murmur.
“Callie. I like that. You’re in my Civics class,” he says, sitting down beside me without asking. Reed is across from us, and close up, the difference between the brothers is startling. Right now, however, Mitch has all my attention.