Me: Touch me again, and I’ll make you regret it.
He reads it and smirks.
Why the hell is he smirking for?
Arkin: Keep telling yourself that. We both know you came harder than you ever have.
I must be sort of shell-shocked because I stare at it for long moments.
A second message pops up before I can type out a response.
Arkin: Admit it. Your girlfriend has never made you come that hard.
Arkin: In fact, I think you’re hard right now.
My cock twitches in response, and I release a quivering breath. Yeah, right. I’d sooner streak naked down the street than admit that I’m rocking a hard-on at the breakfast table.
Me: You fucking wish. Now fuck off!
He just chuckles silently and puts his phone down. I’m inwardly seething as my cock strains against my zipper. It’s uncomfortable, and I need to readjust myself. But I refuse to give him the satisfaction, so I suffer through it while finishing my cereal. Still, I don’t stop glaring at him and he keeps smirking with that secretive smile of his, which makes me want to wipe it off his stupid face. Why does he get under my skin like this, and why am I this irrationally angry around him yet also turned on?
The driveto college is awkward and tense. I’m still seething and stealing glances at Arkin in the backseat. Neriah is oblivious.Shoes on the dash and a banana flavored lollipop in her mouth, which she twirls while readingSnuffby Terry Pratchett.
What bugs me the most about seeing Arkin in my car is how big he is. I thought the same thing last time, too, when he was in the front passenger seat. It pisses me off that I can’t look in the rearview without his fucking shoulders taking up most of the space.
He’s like a damn tank who could easily be mistaken for a rugby player. And for some infuriating reason, I can’t stop looking; I’m two seconds away from ripping off the rearview mirror.
He’s staring out of the passenger window, watching the world go by. And then, as if he can feel my eyes on him, he turns his head and looks at me.
Neriah flips a page, the paper rustling softly in the silence as a dimple deepens on Arkin’s cheek.
Forcing my attention back on the road so we don’t crash, I grind my molars. We’re almost there, and then I can get away from him… Just five more minutes until I don’t have to be in a confining space with him again for the rest of the day, forced to suffer through these confusing emotions.
When we arrive, my friends are already waiting for me.
After parking in my usual spot and unfastening my seatbelt, I escape the car before my sister has time to even shove her book back into her bag.
While Harrison and I do our ridiculous handshake, I pretend I’m not hyper-aware of the doors shutting behind me.
As usual, Neriah walks off without a bye, and Harrison and Ryan say hi to Arkin more enthusiastically than I’d like.
I mean, I don’t care what my mum says. Ryan and Harrison aremyfriends, not Arkin’s. He’ll have to find his own.
I walk off toward the building, feeling out of sorts and kind of weird, like I have spiders crawling all over me or something.Harrison and Ryan are loud and rowdy—nothing new there—but I can’t focus on anything they say because I’m aware of Arkin tagging along like a fucking lost puppy. Who said he could walk with us? What does he think is going on here? That he belongs to our friendship group or something?
Fuck that.
As we enter through the large doors, I nudge my head to our left, where Janice, the receptionist, blows a big, pink bubble with her gum that explodes and covers her nose. She’s cool. Just turned twenty-one. The headteacher is her uncle, and that’s how she got this job.
“The receptionist will get you your paperwork. Now fuck off.”
Ryan’s eyes bug out while Harrison covers his chuckle with a cough.
Arkin stares at me unblinkingly, his backpack slung over his shoulder. He glances at Janice and jiggles his knee.
He’s nervous. The realization makes something coil in my chest that I don’t want to name.
“What’s wrong, princess? Are you scared?” I taunt, low and sharp.
