AllFreeNovel
Share Us
During the rest of the class, I tried my hardest not to pay attention to Maddox. It was the longest fifty minutes of my life as I fought hard not to fidget in my chair. He continued to stare, and I could feel it – feel him smirking and silently taunting me.
My fingers clenched and unclenched around my pen, and when the bell finally rang for lunch, I let out the deepest sigh of relief.
“Maddox, I’m going to need you to stay back for two minutes,” Mrs. Levi announced, with a hard look.
“Can’t, Teach. Got stuff to do.”
“You either stay or you have detention for two weeks. Decide, Mr. Coulter.”
There was one very important fact about Mrs. Levi, and it was why she was my favorite teacher: she took no bullshit from anyone. She wasn’t intimated by Maddox or who he was.
All the students looked back and forth between Mrs. Levi and Maddox, holding their breath and waiting.
“Class, you may leave for lunch.”
There were groans and whispers as everyone got up and started piling out of the classroom. Everyone had been waiting for drama – with Maddox in the middle of it. Ha!
I stood up too, following the herd. Curiosity got the best of me, and I looked back over my shoulder, one final time. Maddox was still sitting back in his chair, his arms crossed over his broad chest. His gaze followed me as I walked out of the class, and by me, I meant my ass.
I noticed Colton Bennett, twin number one, standing beside Maddox’s chair. They muttered something to each other, and Colton’s gaze found mine before he chuckled at something else Maddox said.
Maddox might be on my shit list, but… I had a feeling I was on his now, too.
***
Riley waved at me as I stepped into the loud cafeteria. She was already sitting at a table, and I smiled, walking to her. “Hey!” She spoke through a bite of her chicken sandwich. “I got you one, too.”
“Thanks, babe.” I settled opposite her and took the sandwich she offered. It was our thing. Sometimes, I would buy her lunch, and other days, she’d return the favor.
“So, what exactly do you need help with in Math?” I munched on my cold sandwich and watched Riley pout.
“Everything,” she mumbled, pouting even harder. “It makes no sense to me! The only genius who can help me is you.”
I raised an eyebrow at her. “Why do I have a feeling this friendship is only one-sided?”
“Bitch, yes, I’m using you for your abilities to teach me Math.”
It was a lie; we both knew that. Riley and I stared at each other for a second before we chuckled.
We became friends during junior year, after Jasper – another football star of Berkshire Academy -- broke her heart. That was a tamed way of putting it. They dated for six months; he was the perfect gentleman at first. When she finally gave him her virginity, he broke up with her two days later. She later found out Jasper had been cheating on her all along, and he only dated her to win a fucking bet. He spent the rest of the year spreading stupid rumors about her. She lost her cheerleader friends and sweet Riley…? She became another outcast. I was there and watched her crumble – going from Miss Popular to a nobody.
What happens when outcast number one meets outcast number two? Of course, they became best friends. I was the new student, and Riley was my first friend. It was a done deal.
“So… I heard whispers in the hallway,” she started, eyeing me closely.
“Huh?”
“About a girl who dumped coffee on Maddox Coulter this morning.” Riley left the sentence hanging before taking another bite of her sandwich.
My heart thudded in my chest, so hard and so fast. Choking back a cough, I quickly sputtered, “Dumped coffee on him? Excuse me! He bumped into me and spilled my coffee down the front of me.”
Riley sat back in her chair, taking the last bite of her lunch. “I didn’t say it was you, but thanks for confirming that,” she replied around a mouthful. “Your name was mentioned once, but I didn’t want to believe anything until I heard it myself from you.”
Sweet Lord! Rumors were already going around?
“So, he bumped into you?” Riley pushed, looking quite amused at this sudden turn of events.
“Yes,” I hissed under my breath. “He didn’t even apologize! My shirt got wet, but thank God, I had a spare in my locker.”
“Why am I not surprised? Do you think Maddox is the type of guy to apologize? Think again, babe. I’ve known him since elementary school. Coulter doesn’t apologize. Ever. Everyone bows down to him.”
I huffed in response, and Riley shrugged. “He’s the golden boy.”
To the people of Berkshire Academy, he was a god amongst mortals.
