“Want me to take you home to get your stuff, or what?” he asks, turning up the heat as we pull out of the lot.
But another thought has climbed into my mind, a petty, evil plan that Veronica would have concocted in her moments of cunning and social domination.
“Can you take me to school?” I ask.
“To Willow Heights?” he asks, his brows rising. “Don’t you need to get your stuff first? And change? Not that there’s anything wrong with what you’re wearing. Girls at my school where that shit all the time. Not that it looks like shit. It looks good. Really good. I mean, girls at my school don’t look likethatwhen they wear what you’re wearing. Damn, that still came out wrong, didn’t it?”
I interrupt him with a laugh, and he laughs, too, sounding both relieved and nervous. “I don’t usually wear this to school, since it’s not exactly dress code approved,” I admit. “But I think I’ll be okay this one time.”
“Okay,” he says, giving me a doubtful look.
I want to bask in this guy’s admiration for the whole ride to school. This is exactly what I wanted when I moved here, what I imagined I could have. Flirting with a cute boy with nothing promised. To be wanted would be enough.
But I can’t do that now. I owe it to Royal to find out anything and everything I can that might help him. So, I take a deep breath, hide my smile, and turn away from the window.
“So, you must be pretty close with the Darlings, huh?”
“Just the one,” he says, smiling in a casual way that none of the Darlings could pull off. Colt fakes what this guy has for real—in spades. Damn it. Maybe I should have gone to public school. The thought makes me shiver, though. I’ve never gone to public school a day in my life. They’d eat me alive. At least I know how to play the game at Willow Heights.
Sort of.
“How come she goes to Faulkner Public?” I ask. “Your girlfriend.”
He shoots me a grin that’s half pride and half embarrassment. “Because I go there.”
“Ah,” I say, nodding. “So you’ve been together a while?”
“Yeah,” he says. “Pretty much all our lives.”
I can’t tell how he feels about that, as he’s looking at the road ahead again. And I need to get info about the Darlings from him, not worry about his relationship. “Oh,” I say, forcing a laugh. “How does her family feel about her dating a guy from this side of town?”
This time, he laughs. “I think they’ve come to terms with it.”
I know there’s something more, that he’s laughing at me for some ignorance, but again, I don’t have time to worry about him.
“Well, that’s good,” I say. “Does she have any brothers at Willow Heights? Maybe I know them.”
“Oh, I’m sure you know him,” he says. “Isn’t that why you’re asking? You’ve got a thing for one of them?”
I shrug. “Every girl at Willow Heights has a thing for the Darling cousins.”
He glances at me, and I can tell he’s deciding whether or not to give me what I want. Then he turns back to the road, resting his palm over the top of the steering wheel. It makes me notice the muscles running up his tan forearm, the bulge of his bicep against the sleeve of his black T-shirt, the way his shoulder knots with muscle. I can see why he’d be good enough for a Darling.
“Her brother’s Preston,” he says. “And I’m sure I’m breaking ‘bro code’ by telling you this, but if you’re looking for something serious with him, I’d keep right looking, because you won’t find it there. Don’t get me wrong, he’s not a bad dude. If you just want to score for the bragging rights, I’m sure he’d be all over that.”
He checks me out from the corner of his eye, not trying to hide his appreciation.
“You are, huh?” I ask, keeping my tone light. “What makes you so sure?”
“Well, he’s a seventeen-year-old guy,” Chase says, shifting in his seat and shooting me a smile. “And you’re a pretty bangin’ chick from out of town.”
“Who said I’m from out of town?”
“You did,” he says, laughing. “It was the first thing out of your mouth.”
I can’t help but laugh. The fact that he’s still interested even though I’m in sweats and wearing no makeup makes me all warm inside. It’s nice to be flattered. And after being around Devlin, where I can’t tell where I stand from one sentence to the next, this guy makes it so sweet and simple. If only he weren’t dating a Darling. If only I felt something for him, instead of just nice that he thinks I’m hot.
“I’m not after a hookup,” I assure him. “I’m just curious.”