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“Sure.” She forces a smile on her face. “And once my mom gets your charges dropped, it’ll be over.”
The weight of her words hangs heavy on my mind. Elodie is right. Soon there will be no reason for her to obey me any longer. I’ll be off the bench, and the charges will be dropped. UCLA is still an uncertainty, but as more time passes, I’m starting to realize it’s only one of many options.
“Well then,” I say. “Guess our time is almost up, huh?”
She nods. “I guess so.” Her eyes dart around again, as if she wants to be anywhere but here. Except, we both know that’s not true.
“In that case.” I grab her hand and pull her close, watching with bated breath as a smile forms on her lips. “Let's make the best of it. Since your car’s still at the shop, come somewhere with me after school, then I’ll drive us home.”
She giggles and narrows her eyes. “Like a date?”
I laugh. “Nooo. Not a date. I’m your stepbrother, you sicko.” I poke her side again, this time letting my hand linger there as she shakes her head at me. “I’m fucking with you, Freckles. I just wanna celebrate the potential good news…with you.”
She squints at me. “What’s the catch, Cromwell?”
She doesn’t trust me. Naturally so. “No catch,” I tell her, squeezing her waist as the bell rings. “Just an evening away from life’s noises.”
The second bell rings, warning us to get to class. Elodie looks at the ceiling where the sound is coming from. “We should get going before we’re late.”
I tighten my hold on her waist and bring us together. “So, is that a yes?”
She shrugs her shoulders, grinning. “It has to be. I’m not allowed to tell you no.”
Biting the inside of her cheek, she steps past me and heads down the hall. I spin around to watch her walk away, dragging my fingers through my hair and wondering what the fuck this girl is doing to me.
It’s when she looks back with that full smile on her lips that I realize she just might be feeling the same way.
CHAPTER 26
ROME
I’m pacing back and forth in front of the exit doors while students rush out, all but one.
Where the hell is she?
Panic begins to set in when I imagine Gage cornering her at her locker, trying to win her over.
Just as I go to walk back through the doors to track her down, and possibly save her from him, I spot her coming down the hall.
I backstep, holding the door open until she comes out the exit. “What took you so long?” I ask in anticipation.
With her eyebrows practically on her forehead, she grips the strap of her bag that’s flung over her shoulder. Looking around, it’s as if she is taking note of all the people surrounding us. They’re not paying us any attention, but Elodie seems oddly nervous as she continues to walk with her eyes fixed on the parking lot.
“Were you waiting for me?” She doesn't even look back at me as she talks, and I try not to let that get on my nerves.
I jog to keep up with her long strides. “We had plans, remember?”
“Don’t you have practice?” She still won’t look up as she walks to my car.
“I’m skipping tonight.” Just to prove a point that no one is paying attention to us, I toss my arm over her shoulders.
She turns her head slowly to face me, confusion written all over her face. “You’re skipping to hang out with me?”
“Sure. Why not?” I drop my arm to fetch my keys.
Elodie stops walking, doing a quick ninety-degree turn. “What’s really going on, Rome? You don’t even like me. So why are you being nice all of a sudden and skipping practice to hang out with me?”
Her skepticism is disheartening, though I can’t say I blame her. I’ve been a complete jackass to Elodie. I’ve bullied her, forced her to do things she didn’t want to do, embarrassed her and lied to her. Part of me wonders if she’ll ever see the sincerity in my actions now that I don’t hate her solely for the air she breathes.
