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The classroom filled, chatter and laughter pouring in as Mr. Townsend stood, hovering over his desk and going through his notes.
But Roxie didn’t even have time to clear out of her seat before they were there. Drifting through the door, tall, magnetic, and always together.
I turned my head toward the window, closing my eyes behind my glasses and holding my breath as I quickly pulled my earbuds out of my jacket pocket and stuck them in my ears.
Anything to look unapproachable.
Please, please, please…
The prayer was too late, though. I could feel Roxie, Jack, and Drew’s eye rolls as they sighed and grabbed their shit, vacating their seats without even being asked, like it was my fault these guys insisted on completely crowding me no matter where I sat in this damn room.
Kai Mori slid into Jack’s seat ahead of me, while Damon Torrance took the seat diagonally from me.
I didn’t have to look up to see their dark hair, and I could always tell who was who without checking because Kai smelled like amber musk and the ocean, while Damon smelled like an ashtray.
Michael Crist had probably planted himself somewhere close, but it was the last body, passing me in the aisle and planting himself in the seat next to me in what should’ve been Roxie’s seat, that made my heart beat faster.
I could feel his eyes on me as I stared out the window.
If I knew we were going to share classes when the administration decided to move me to senior English a few weeks back—a year ahead of schedule—I would’ve said no. No matter what my brother wanted.
I was pretty sure they only moved me, because I was “difficult” last year and they thought challenging me would put a cork in my mouth.
They were all finding out that wasn’t true.
“You’re out of uniform,” I heard some girl whisper.
And then I heard Will Grayson’s voice heating the back of my neck. “I’m in disguise,” he told her.
“That piece of shit has a hard-on for you or something,” Damon added. “Every time he sees you, he wants to get you alone.”
I clenched my fingers around my notebook and pencil.
“In his defense,” Kai chimed in, “it was you who put the ‘Sorry, I hit your car’ notes on people’s vehicles all over town with his phone number on them.”
Damon snorted and then burst out laughing, while Will breathed out a self-satisfied chuckle.
Assholes. My brother’s phone rang all damn night last night because of that prank. And when he’s aggravated, he shows it.
“So, what do you say, Em?” Will prodded, finally engaging me like he could never stop himself from doing. “Is your brother hot for me? He’s certainly on my ass enough.”
I remained silent, absently opening my notebook as people got situated in their seats and talked around us.
Everyone in this school hated my brother. Their money and connections had no effect on his willingness as a police officer to hand out speeding tickets, parking tickets, investigate noise complaints, or shut down parties and drinking as soon as he got a whiff of anything going down.
My brother was a jerk for doing his job, and when they couldn’t come at him, they came at me.
I saw Will dig something out of his pocket, and I watched him unwrap a piece of candy and lift it to his mouth, peeling the sweet off the paper with his teeth.
His eyes never left me.
“Take out your earbuds,” he ordered me as he chewed.
I narrowed my gaze.
“And stop acting like you’re listening to music and that’s why you can’t be bothered to deal with the people around you,” he bit out.
Every muscle in my body tensed, and when I didn’t listen, he tossed his wrapper onto the floor and leaned over, yanking the cord and pulling the earbuds out of my ears.
