The bell rings, cutting him off. He appears pretty grateful for it.
Moments later, the teacher walks in, along with Jaxon, who hurriedly takes a seat in the desk across from Blaise’s. His attempt to rush into class doesn’t go unnoticed, as most of the people in the room sneak a glance at him. They do the same thing with Blaise. The more I observe the attention they’re getting, the more I question if it isn’t because of how good-looking there are, but because they’re the town troublemakers.
As Jaxon pulls out his book, he offers me a coy smile, which I return with the dirtiest look I can muster.
His gaze nervously drops to his desk, which sort of makes me feel bad. Out of the four of them, Jaxon seems a bit shy. But I keep the apology to myself as the teacher announces the start of class.
I rotate around in my seat, putting my back to Blaise and Jaxon, and try not to think about any of the Porterson brothers.
When the teacher calls out my name, the entire class snickers.
My jaw ticks, and before I can even comprehend the consequences of my action, I kick my foot back and straight into Blaise’s shin.
He groans, cursing under his breath. Then I feel him lean forward, his breath hot against my skin.
“So, you like it rough?” he whispers. “Good to know.”
I shield my forehead with my hand as I lower my head, my cheeks flushing.
When his chuckle tickles my ear, I consider kicking him again, but after what he just said, I keep my feet glued to the ground, knowing reacting will give him more satisfaction than anything else.
No, if I want to get him back for outing my sisters’ and my secrets, I’m going to have to find a non-violent way to do it.
And I will get my revenge.
Because no one messes with the Harlyton sisters and gets away with it.
10
HADLEY
When the bell rings,I gather my books and hurry out of class, taking the front exit instead of the back and running smack into a solid chest. To add to my embarrassment, I accidentally step on their toes and elbow them in the stomach.
“Sorry,” I mutter, my gaze snapping up to meet Rhyland’s gaze.
Great, out of all the people to run into.
The corners of his lips kick up into a half-smile. “It’s okay. And I’m sorry, too.”
“I don’t know why you’re apologizing.” I shift my books in my arm. “I’m the one who ran into you.”
“Yeah, but I wasn’t really watching where I was going either.” He offers me a charming smile.
I almost smile back until I note the abundance of staring being aimed in our direction.
“Man, they don’t let up, do they?” I mumble through a weighted sigh.
“Yeah, people around here have a bad habit of staring at my siblings and me.” No arrogance is evident in his tone, just a simple matter of fact that he seems sort of sad about.
“I’m sure they do. But this time, I’m pretty sure they’re staring at me.” I turn around, ready to head to my next class and get the hell away from all the gawking.
“Wait.” Rhyland jogs after me, tucking his books under his arm. “What did you mean by that?”
I throw him areallylook. “Like you haven’t heard the rumors.”
He shakes his head. “I try to not listen to rumors, so no, I haven’t.”
I can’t tell whether he’s lying or not. “Maybe you should ask your brother then.”