“I didn’t.” And I won’t. Every day that I stay in this tiny town I’m playing with fire. My bio-mom’s dealer, Gerald, is owed a debt. I refused to pay it with the currency she offered and pissed him off in the process. At the very least, he’s gonna want payback. For the moment, I’m safe. He’s locked up on a violation of probation charge for three more months, giving me time to graduate and get out of dodge. I don’t know where I’m going yet but leaving is my only option.
Ms. Cherrybroom sags back into her seat and drops her pen. It rolls off the desk, landing near my feet. “I worry about you, Piper. We’ve made such great progress this year.” Her long manicured nail taps the leather armrest of her chair. She’s plotting, choosing her next words carefully because she knows our time’s running out.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
My phone vibrates at my side, signaling my alarm. I slip the strap of my bag onto my shoulder and stand. “Time’s up.”
“Piper, I know our session is done but please, don’t leave yet.”
“Same time next month?”
P.E. can kiss my ass. I hate running almost as much as I hate being touched. And for some God forsaken reason, Coach Riley has decided to end the year with endurance sprints. He can suck a nut a die.
I extend the time on my counseling excuse pass and skip the rest of first period, physics, and my next class, P.E. Settling under the largest oak tree behind the football stadium, I pull out my phone and open the Kindle app. The air is a crisp seventy-eight degrees today. Hot by anywhere else’s standards but comfortable considering Florida frequently hovers in the high nineties before humidity. I sit on a few fallen leaves that the groundskeeper hasn’t raked yet and lean against the tree trunk.
“Shouldn’t you be in class?”
Good Lord that accent is sexy. No wonder Melody and her friends all but stalk Rex. I set my phone in my lap and fight the smile forming. I don’t want to feel the fluttering in my stomach or the racing of my heart. I want to make it through the next seven and a half weeks with no hiccups. All boys—specifically this one— are a hiccup. But what I want and what my body wants are two different things.
Stupid hormones.
“Shouldn’t you?” It’s the lamest rebuttal in the world, but it’s all I’ve got. The banter I’m used to entails slinging insults and normally begins with a derogatory comment. Rex is different from the guys who usually talk to me, meaning I should probably play nice.
There’s a small grunt, followed by a faint chuckle. A few moments of soft shuffling later, Rex is next to me. Heat bounces off his skin, setting mine on fire— that’s how close we are. I turn my head to look up at him because yes, even sitting down he’s a head taller than me. Rex runs his fingers through the grass—always green because winter only vacations in Florida. He pulls, separating a few blades from their roots, then lets them fall back to the ground. “I like your tattoo.”
“Thanks,” I say pulling the sleeve of my sweater down. Even though I’m proud of the artwork, I’m ashamed of what’s underneath it. Hiding my ink means Rex can’t ask to look at it, which also means he won’t ask about my scars.
Instead, he asks, “Want to have lunch with me today?”
Do I what? You don’t eat lunch! You disappear, hiding your gorgeous face from all us fangirls trying to sneak a peek at it. I mean, have you looked in a mirror lately!?
Rex chuckles.
Oh gosh, I didn’t say that out loud. Did I? Maybe he’s laughing at something else, like the beyond embarrassed look on my face. Or maybe he has a weird tick where he laughs before a sneeze or something. Yeah, that’s it. Any second now, he will sneeze. Please sneeze.
“It won’t kill you to hang out with me, Piper.” I bring my legs in, crossing them, then push my skirt down so he can’t see my underwear. I need to calm down. Rex is just a boy. A ridiculously hot boy who just asked me out on my first date. No big deal.
Yeah, right.
“It might. You know, kill me.” It won’t. Death’s a bitch, just like Life. I swear they’re best friends and have made a pact to never give me what I want. Two strikes, three of you count the time I cut the wrong way. I should have been out, but no. I’m still here. Mocked by Death and laughed at by Life. The story of my life ladies and gentlemen.
Rex has got a smile that’s almost as irritating as it is cute. “If it does, I’ll just have to give you CPR and bring you back to life.” My cheeks heat at the thou
ght of Rex’s mouth on mine. I bet he’s a good kisser. Yeah, because he’s had lots of practice. I push those thoughts away and roll my eyes, feigning indifference. I don’t know how it’s possible, but his grin grows, stretching ear to ear. Dude’s got a big mouth, like Chord Overstreet from Glee. It’s not unattractive, just different. “If you’re worried I want to do something sexual, I don’t.”
I want to believe him, but experience has made me weary. “Sure you don’t.”
Rex looks me dead in the eye. Bright blues meeting my grays. “You don’t trust me?”
“Hell no.” I say a little too quickly. Rex’s lips press into a tight line. He nods and turns his gaze to the parking lot.
Shit. I think I hurt his feelings. I reach out and set my hand on his arm. A zing of electricity passes between us, but I do my best to ignore it because he’s made no indication that he feels it too. Hell, for all I know this crazy attraction is one sided. Truthfully, that would be the best case scenario. “It’s nothing personal, I don’t trust anyone.”
Rex cocks a brow. “Not even Cooper?”