Tray tilted his chair to place his back to the wall, his sideways sprawl on his chair allowing him to see me and the front of the room at the same time.
I pretended not to notice him.
Not even when he looked directly at me.
Which, yeah, was awfully distracting. The male had a presence about him that just seemed to consume the room. And his attitude told me he knew it, too.
Definitely cocky with a hint of rebel underneath. Hence, the leather jacket. Something I just realized Professor Montgomery hadn’t commented on.
Strange.
She was usually a stickler for the dress code, having just—
“You don’t care for showers?” he asked softly, his voice pitched too low for anyone else to hear.
I blinked at him, startled by the mental interruption.
“Fascinating,” he added with a subtle sniff of the air. “You smell delicious to me.”
My eyes widened. “Excuse me?” I matched his pitch, not wanting to call attention to myself. The professor would not take kindly to us whispering during her lecture.
Tray opened his bag, pulled out a piece of paper, and doodled on it before sliding me the note. “Here’s my number. For our assignment.”
“I don’t have a phone,” I replied, passing it back. “We’ll need to meet through other means.”
His brow drew downward. “Who doesn’t have a phone in this century?”
“Me.” Because my stepmother insisted I didn’t need one.
“Is there something the two of you would like to share with the class?” Professor Montgomery demanded.
“Nothing important, just asking her if she needed to borrow some soap,” Tray drawled. Which earned a snicker from Charlie and a glower from me. “You know, to help with the showering problem.”
Professor Montgomery turned an uncomplimentary shade of red. “I realize this is your first day, Mr. Nacht, but I will not tolerate bullying or disruptive behavior in this class. One more outburst or unruly comment will leave me no choice but to send you to the headmaster. Am I clear?”
“I thought I was being helpful,” he replied, lifting his hands in surrender. “Feedback duly noted.”
My head hit the desk. Imbecile.
And Professor Montgomery snarled. “Headmaster Jeffries’s office. Now.”
“I’ll need someone to give me directions,” he said, collecting his stuff into a bag and standing.
“Ms. Cinder,” the professor said through her teeth. “Please escort our new student to Headmaster Jeffries. Perhaps it will give you both time along the way to arrange your future interviews.”
Why the hell am I looped into this jackhole’s punishment? I wondered, flabbergasted. “Seriously?” I said out loud, lifting my head.
“Seriously,” she snapped.
I clenched my jaw and grabbed my stuff. As if I would ever leave it alone for Charlie or his minions to mess with.
“Fine.” I pulled the strap over my shoulder. “You.” I hit him with my best glare. “Follow.” I didn’t wait for his agreement, my tone already implying I wouldn’t accept anything less than obedience.
I stomped toward the door, ignoring the professor along the way. Because yeah, I’d definitely be reevaluating my “favorites” system after this.
Tray woofed at my back, pretending to be a dog and eliciting a round of laughs from the class.
I lifted my eyes to the ceiling in response.