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“Axel, I didn’t know you were having lunch here. You’re usually training at this time.” A blast of Gucci perfume clouded my nose as I glanced at the brunette from the library, who looked like she’d just stepped out of a photo shoot. She crooked her head my way, staring down her nose at me with her lips upturned unnaturally, maliciously. “You look very familiar.”
We both knew what she was implying. Was she going to call me out again? Call me a freak? I stared at her, measuring my words and thinking of what I would say, especially if she were his girlfriend. If so, this scenario looked bad.
“What do you want, Jeanette?” Axel asked in a bored tone. However, his fingers tightened around mine, subtly tugging me down until my butt hit the booth. He didn’t release me, as if he sensed I was about to spring up and bolt like a rabbit. Which I was seriously thinking about.
“Oh, I wanted to say hi and meet your friend.”
He gazed at me with a heart-melting smile. “This is Natalie, my date for the formal this weekend.”
My jaw dropped, and I gave him an accusing look, which he rewarded me with a squeeze to the wrist in warning.
Jeanette’s eyes narrowed into two slits. She slapped her hand down on the table, almost hitting my hand, and glared at me as if she were going to rip into me.
“Whatever you’re about to say, Jeanette, I would think about it very carefully.” His tone was casual but laced in steel, like the calm before a storm.
Eventually, she pursed her lips like she’d swallowed something distasteful before giving me another death glare. “Have fun with yourdate.” She flipped her hair, scrunching her nose before she strutted away.
“Why did you do that?” I asked in disbelief, yanking my hand away.
“What?”
“I already told you I couldn’t go.”
“It’s called manifestation.”
“No, it’s not.” I shook my head. “I think arrogance is the correct word.”
He shrugged without care. “You say arrogance; I call it being self-assertive.”
Our gazes held in a silent stand-off before I looked away.
“You know, you’re bruising my ego by turning me down.” There was nothing in his expression that showed his ego had taken a hit.
“I doubt it.” Holding my tray in one hand, I rose, slinging my backpack over my shoulder. “My earlier statement stands, but thanks again for lunch.” I started to turn, but he clasped my arm, drawing me to a halt and almost causing me to dump the remnants in my tray on the floor.
“At least tell me you’ll consider it.”
At this point, did it matter what I said? It’s not like he could actually force me to go. “Okay. I’ll consider it,” I lied.
Natalie
“No. No. Nooooo!” I covered my mouth with my hands, staring numbly through the windshield at the car in front of me. “This can’t be happening. This isn’t real. It’s just a bad dream, and I’ll wake up in my bed…”
“Natalie.”
“I’ll just count backward from ten and take several deep breaths, and everything will be fine.”
“Natalie…”
“I’m just going to put the car in reverse, and we can go home. Maybe we can stop by the all-night café by our dorm and grab some key lime pie.”
“Natalie! You’re freaking me out!” Lizzie squealed from beside me, shaking my arm. I slowly turned to her as a weird calmness overtook me. Why was my roomie looking at me like there was something wrong? She gripped both of my shoulders. “Oh, my god. You’re suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. I should call 911.”
“Seriously, Lizzie? I’m okay.”
She peered through the windshield, and my gaze followed hers, landing on the car in front of us—the parked BMW convertible that was crushed against my car. Realization began to settle in at what I’d done. Oh, my god, I hit a parked car.
“I should have stayed home tonight,” I groaned. “Why did you convince me to go out?”
