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OK.
Becca waited after class to talk to Beamis. “I don’t think I can work with him.”
Something softened and hardened simultaneously in Mr. Beamis’s expression. “He’s threatened you?”
Becca thought of the way Chris had yelled at Tommy last Friday. Beamis had thrown him out of class. Did he think Chris would hurt her?
“No! He—he just—I don’t think I can see him outside of school.”
“This project will be mostly completed during class. Any additional work can be done here, in the library. You aren’t required to see him off school property.”
This wasn’t going the way she’d hoped. Sitting next to Chris had been an experience. She’d come to school ready to lay into him. But he’d frightened her from the doorway, looking dark and saturnine with his hair falling into his eyes.
Then she’d sat next to him, leaving her aware of every movement he made, every breath he took. Despite everything Lilah had said, Becca kept remembering Chris’s hand on hers in the water Friday night. The way he’d sat with her on the beach in the moonlight, almost embarrassed as he talked about what he could do.
His affinity to water made sense. He reminded her of the sea, alluring and mysterious, calm on the surface, with who-knew-what brewing underneath. They’d read about the Sirens of Greek mythology in English last year, mermaids who coaxed sailors into the water to drown. Maybe she only felt it because she knew of his abilities, but when she was near him, she longed to find water, to stand in it with him and let it slick her skin.
You need to stay away from me.
“Miss Chandler?”
Becca jumped. “Sorry.”
“So you will try to work out your differences with Mr. Merrick?”
“Yes.” She nodded. “I’ll try.”
She found Hunter waiting for her in the hallway. Becca hadn’t expected that.
She tucked her hair behind her ear. “You didn’t have to wait.”
“I didn’t mind.”
She hesitated, then headed for the cafeteria. “I wanted to ask about switching partners.”
“I figured.” Hunter fell into step beside her. He was quiet for a moment, a weighted pause like last night. “Rough class?”
She shrugged. The class hadn’t been rough at all. Chris had left her alone, once she’d told him to. He’d stuck to his side of the desk, huddled over his notebook, and he hadn’t looked her way once.
Really, this was one of the most peaceful History classes she’d had in a long time.
It took her all the way to the cafeteria to figure out what had changed.
For the first time since school started, Tommy Dunleavy hadn’t dared to throw a note on her desk.
CHAPTER 23
After school, Becca was starting the engine when Quinn said she wanted to spend the night again.
Quinn had stayed over after dress shopping, of course. And last night, Becca had found her friend in the kitchen, cramming for a Trig test and eating sugar cookies. That had been okay—Becca had giggled over Hunter and made popcorn, glad to have something to keep her attention off the “graffiti” on the front door.
But now she kind of wanted to throw on sweats and hole up in her room, to have a few minutes of peace where no one could find her, where the only problems she had to worry about were which iTunes playlist would best suit her mood or whether to paint her toenails purple or fuchsia.
Becca didn’t respond to Quinn’s announcement, just put the car in gear.
Quinn was digging through her purse. “You know, if you don’t want me to stay—”
“I always want you to stay,” Becca snapped. “Don’t be stupid.”
