Tora’s eyes remain narrowed on me for a moment longer before the hard glare begins to fade. “Nothing,” she says, letting it go. “I’m fine.”
I nod, moving in a little closer. “Good. I was worried about you.”
“Are you kidding me, right now?” she snaps, raising a pissed off brow and making me hold back a chuckle. “Are you have bipolar or something? One minute you’re using me in your twisted games to get at Nate, and now you suddenly care if I got hurt or not?”
I grin down at her. “I’ve told you this a million times; I’m not the asshole you keep assuming me to be. Yes, I have a problem with your boyfriend. Me wanting to kick his ass isn’t going to change, but that doesn’t mean I have a problem with you too. I think you’re a cool chick, Tora. I didn’t like hearing that you got hurt. You didn’t deserve that.”
Tora looks taken back for a moment before slowly nodding her head. “Um…thanks,” she finally says, clearly unsure of what to make of the situation.
Not wanting to overwhelm her, knowing that she’s bound to get all sorts of people approaching her today, I nod and rake my eyes quickly over her body, double-checking that she is in fact ‘fine.’ I give her a tight smile before realizing that I’ve probably overstayed my welcome, not that I had any in the first place. “Yeah,” I say, shoving my hands in my pockets and turning away.
I walk away before looking back over my shoulder. I guess that went mostly well. She didn’t curse me out or anything so that’s a good sign.
A small body slams into mine and I launch out to catch the girl before me. “Shit,” I gasp, catching her just in time before she goes falling to the ground, only to realize she’s fucking stunning with her natural blonde hair and bright blue eyes, though I have absolutely no idea who she is. “Sorry.”
The girl narrows her eyes on me as she pulls her handbag back up to her shoulder and shrugs out of my hold. “Be more careful,” she reprimands, somehow making me feel like a child getting an ass whooping from an angry parent, though I have no idea how she does it. The girl is tiny, and fuck, she has a body to kill for.
Before I can even ask her name, she’s gone, hurrying down the hallway and getting lost in the crowded corridor. I look back once again before deciding it’s a lost cause. A girl who looks like that is probably taken and I don’t do chicks who come with baggage. In fact, I stay far away from that shit. I’ve already got enough trouble in my life. I don’t need any pissed off boyfriends coming to teach me a lesson. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s involved with one of Nate’s guys. All I know is that I’ve got to know more about her.
Chapter 3
Elle
My whole freaking chest hurts. Body slamming Jackson Millington first thing in the morning before I’ve had my coffee really wasn’t something I needed today. I didn’t realize he was so big, and damn, he smelled good too.
He’s the new quarterback of Broken Hill High so I shouldn’t have been surprised by how strong and tall he is. I had to tilt my head all the way up just to see his face, and my God, getting up close and personal with him was something I wasn’t prepared for. He has this sharp jaw that had me melting inside and eyes to die for, but more importantly, his hands on my upper arms, stopping me from falling face-first onto the ground had shivers taking over my skin. I couldn’t shrug him off fast enough.
I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’ve been a cheerleader for most of my life with many footballer friends over the years. They’ve all been in incredible shape, so I can’t understand why seeing Jackson up close like that was such a shock. I should be used to this, though maybe I’m a little out of practice. After all, I’ve been out of the game for a few months now and my self-confidence has taken a major dive.
Who cares, right? I have absolutely no intention to have any guys in my life. I don’t want that kind of drama anymore. I’ve been doing my best to avoid social activities at all costs unless it’s partying with my girls and letting loose.
It’s still strange calling them my girls. Being a part of their group is sort of a new thing for me, but I’ve never been so grateful. I think I might even go as far as to say that these girls have saved my life.
Only a few short months ago, I was a stranger to the person I am now. I was the typical cheer captain. I didn’t care about anything or anyone but myself. I didn’t have respect for my peers, I had no real friends, and I used the people around me to further my own agenda. To put it bluntly, I was a bitch, like a hardcore, mean bitch who didn’t let anyone stand in my way.