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“I can just call one of the guys,” I snapped. “They can give me a ride. You cango.”
“And you’ll go to school late?” he asked. “That won’t look good on yourecord.”
“Graduation is a few weeks away. It’s not going to matter much longeranyway.”
“Come on, Harlow. Just let me give you a ride.” He sighed. “I wanted to talk to youanyway.”
“Why?” I demanded, clutching my phone in my palm. “Why doyouwant to talk tome? You barely know me. We’ve gone to school for how long and you’re just now trying to talk tome?”
“You don’t trust me,” hestated.
I shook my head in shock. “Wow,” I deadpanned, “did you figure that out all byyourself?”
He lowered his head and grinned sheepishly. When my expression remained placid, he sighed again. “I’m really not that bad,” he said, gesturing to the car. “It’s just a ride to school.Please?”
I stomped over to his shiny silver mustang, stood next to the passenger side door, waiting, my bag in hand. He chuckled as he pulled out his keys and hit the button on his key fob that unlocked the doors. The interior smelled like leather and pine, likely a mixture of the seats and the scented cardboard tree hanging on his rearviewmirror.
I stewed in silence as he crossed around the car. Before he reached the driver’s side door, I shot a quick text to Bellamy to tell him what had happened and then put my phone away. He seemed the least likely to be upset. Even though I hadn’t known the guys that long, it felt right to let someone know. I would just find out what Grayson wanted and then be done withhim.
“So, what kind of music do you like?” Once inside the car, Grayson turned the ignition and cranked the AC. I turned with my back against the door,staring.
“What do youwant?”
“To give a girl a lift to school. I am a gentleman, after all.” That was bull-crap. I raised an eyebrow, crossing my arms over my chest. “To be fair, no girl I’ve ever offered to help has been as resistant asyou.”
“Maybe I’m just immune to your charms.” I smirked. Around him I felt like I acted different too. With Knix, Marv, Bellamy, and Texas, I felt smaller – not difficult around Knix. Maybe smaller was the wrong word. I felt intimidated, maybe? They were so strong, had so much – Marv’s money, Texas’ smarts – I felt almost insignificant or unnecessary, despite their reassurances. Around Grayson, it felt okay to argue back, to snap at him. He took it so well, with a smirk or a grin. Though his eyes sometimes flickered with something much deeper, even heartbreaking, for the most part, he was cheerful and teasing. I questioned his morals though. And that is what had me repeating my question. “What do you want? You said you wanted to talk to me,why?”
He stared ahead. “That guy you were with the other day – the one after the fight. I was wondering why a girl like you would know him and Irealized…”
“Realized what?” I pressed when hepaused.
I watched his facial expression harden as he navigated the mustang. He was quiet for several moments. “I realized you’re probably more special than you think you are,” he deflected, shooting me a shark-toothed smile. Somehow, even though I knew to others it might have looked dangerous, to me, it looked like amask.
“If you were trying to impress me, Mr. Gentleman,” I replied, “maybe you should have jumped into thefight.”
“What would be the good in that?” The mustang slowed to a stop sign and turned out of the neighborhood. “For a chance at you possibly liking me? You don’t seem like the kind of girl who changes her mindeasily.”
He wasn’t wrong. I pursed my lips. “Why did you show up to mywork?”
“To talk toyou.”
“Why?”
He tilted his head. “Because I likeyou.”
“Why?”
Grayson glanced at me when he stopped at a red light. “Are you two? What’s with the twenty questions? How about I ask you some? What are you doing hanging around with those guys? Also, put on your seatbelt.”
I twisted, placing my back against the leather seat, and pulled the belt across me. “I don’t know what you mean,” I said. “And you’re the one who picked me up, intending to talk to me. It makes sense for me to ask you questions since you’re not being forthcoming with why the hell you showed up at my house thismorning.”
“You really like playing hard to get, huh?” heasked.
“I’m not playing,” I shot back. “Iamhard to get.” I shivered, unfolding my arms and rubbed my palms down mylegs.
He laughed the same deep, rumbling laugh he had the night before. “Okay, okay.” Grayson slammed on the breaks as a crazy girl in a yellow bug pulled out in front of us and slowed down. The streets began backing up and even in the coolness of the car, I felt trapped with him. “If you don’t want to talk about your boyfriends, who am I to pushyou?”
“The pushiest person I’ve ever met?” I said. “And they aren’t myboyfriends.”
