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The urge to turn and meet his gaze pounds through me. Instead, my attention stays riveted to my boyfriend. His eyes are already narrowed, and from across the vast space that separates us, I see the storm clouds gathering on his face.
Jasper doesn’t need an excuse to go after Austin, but this will definitely do the trick. And the boy standing much too close knows it. It’s as if he’s deliberately poking at Jasper to rile him.
Why can’t these two just leave each other alone?
“I’m not afraid of him,” he says.
That much is apparent.
I’m beginning to suspect Austin has a death wish.
Instead of commenting, I force my feet into movement, walking toward the center table with my tray. If my hands are trembling from his nearness, I do my best to ignore it and hope he doesn’t notice.
What I know is that if I continue to stand here, looking as if we’re engaging in a conversation, it’ll only make the situation worse. Even though I don’t glance over my shoulder, I’m unnervingly aware of Austin’s towering presence shadowing my every movement. With each step, my heart picks up its tempo, thrashing painfully against my ribcage.
Once we reach the table, I settle on the bench next to Jasper. Austin drops down across from me with his lunch. A low growl emanates from within my boyfriend’s chest as his body tenses like a tightly coiled spring. Any moment, he’s going to leap across the space and a brawl will ensue. I can feel it brewing in the air.
Unwilling to chance eye contact, my gaze stays trained on my tray. It feels like the safest option.
“No one wants you here, Hawthorne,” Jasper snaps. “Why don’t you get lost? Better yet, go back to Chicago where you belong.”
A heavy silence follows that comment as the tension continues to ratchet up.
I still, watching Austin from beneath the thick fringe of my lashes.
“Oh, I think there’s at least one person who wants me here,” he says almost conversationally, as if they’re discussing the weather.
Air seeps from my lungs until there’s nothing left.
Jasper’s jaw locks and the muscle in his cheek twitches a mad beat as his arm snakes around my shoulders to haul me close. “Really? Who would that be?”
Austin’s gaze flickers to me.
Oh god.
That’s all it takes for the atmosphere to become oppressive as other people turn and stare. The last thing I want is for a fight to erupt. And I certainly don’t want to deal with Jasper frothing at the mouth afterward.
What I can’t figure out is why Austin is deliberately trying to piss him off. It seems shortsighted. Especially when he’s already been suspended once this year. He’s lucky he didn’t get expelled when they got into a fistfight in the hallway the first week of school.
One more infraction and Austin will be tossed out of Hawthorne Prep. It doesn’t matter if one of his ancestors founded the prestigious academy or that his father recently died of a heart attack. In fact, I’m pretty sure Mr. Pembroke, our headmaster, would be delighted to escort Austin off campus one final time.
“Me,” Summer says, settling next to him with her tray in hand. “Iwant him here.”
Jasper glares but wisely keeps his mouth shut. It’s obvious from the way he smashes his lips into a thin, bloodless line that he wants to take her head off. If the slender, dark-haired girl weren’t dating Kingsley, he’d probably rip her apart with his bare teeth.
No one wants to incur the wrath of Kingsley Rothchild. Not even the teachers. They pretty much give him free rein. He spears a penetrating look in Jasper’s direction, almost daring him to step out of line.
Jasper’s arm tightens around me until it becomes painful. Almost like he’s trying to squeeze all the air from my body. Unable to stand another moment of the suffocating atmosphere, I shoot to my feet. The need to leave before the situation explodes into a mass casualty event thrums through me.
“Where do you think you’re going?” There’s an edge to his voice that’s sharp enough to cut glass.
I blurt the first thing that comes to mind. “I need to talk with my mom.”
When the edges of his lips curl down, a shiver creeps along my spine. “It can’t wait? You need to take care of that right now?”
“Umm, yeah. I forgot to grab the spare set of keys before I left the house this morning. She’s staying after school for a meeting or something.”
He glances at my untouched tray. “You didn’t eat.”
