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My spine stiffens as Zack’s words roll over me. My lower belly also clenches. Even after last night’s big reveal, I can’t deny that he still has an uncanny ability to stoke my libido.
I turn slowly to face him and stare at his chin. Not daring to lift my gaze to his eyes.
His lips quirk into a half grin. “Hey, Samantha. Kat.”
“El Presidente.” Kat gives a dramatic bow. “What a surprise to see you. I didn’t take you for a pancake feed kind of guy.”
“It was on the official schedule Samantha sent out.”
“And you’re someone who sticks to other people’s schedules?”
“I used to be.” His lips curve down. “I used to go along with one person’s schedule and plan for my life completely. Not because it was the right thing to do. But because it’s what I was expected to do. I let that person make decisions for me. I let them take control of everything I did. I let him use his money and influence to make my life easier with private coaches and tutors. I didn’t bat an eye until I realized he was also using that money and influence to give me accolades I didn’t deserve. Like the class presidency.”
I suck in a breath and meet his gaze then. “Your dad really did fix the elections?”
He nods, his eyes growing impossibly sad. “I didn’t find out until the end of our senior year. I overheard him bragging about it to one of his golf buddies. So the next day, I ‘forgot’ to turn in my final assignment for AP American. That knocked my A down to an A minus.”
“Thus ensuring our friend Samantha finished first in class?” Kat asks.
“Exactly.”
“So you did it to piss off your dad?” I ask.
“No. No.” He shakes his. “No, that wasn’t why I did it.”
“Then why?”
“I did it because I realized if my dad had greased some pockets to get that outcome, he probably did it for others too. How could I be sure I earned any of my grades based on my own merit and not because he was paying for it?”
“You earned good grades because you were smart.”
“I earned them because I wanted to keep up with you.” He takes a step toward me and after hesitating a moment he reaches for my hand. I let him take it. “Almost from the moment we met in our Honors English class Freshman year I felt drawn to you.”
“Really?”
“Really.” He squeezes my hand. “You started arguing with the teacher about the reading list for the class.”
“Yeah, I remember that reading list,” Kat scoffs. “They were all written by dead white dudes.”
At both of our glances she pulls a face. “I think I see someone across the room that I should talk with. I’ll see you later.”
Once she’s gone, I face Zack again. This time it isn’t with trepidation or anger. But I’m still too confused by the complete change in everything I thought I knew to feel settled.
“You were drawn to me?” I ask.
“Completely.” His grin is back and my heart flutters. “Of course, you wouldn’t give me the time of day. So I had to do something to catch your attention.”
“Is that why you started competing with me on everything? Because you wanted to get my attention?”
“It seemed better than pulling your hair.”
I chuckle at that. “And all this time, I thought you did it because you believed you were better than me.”
“It’s something I meant to tell you last night.” He cups my cheek, and my pounding heart speeds up. “You never had to prove you were better than me. I always knew.”
The last of my resistance slips away. While our history is more convoluted than I could have ever imagined, it also isn’t as bad. In a way, it’s kind of funny. It definitely isn’t boring.
I suppose that bodes well for our future.
