“Apparently it’s a big deal around here. At least that’s what he told me when he invited us. It’s his party.”
“He?” I question.
“Rory. He’s the one who followed me out of the coffee shop.” She really never misses anything.
“He asked you on a date?”
“He tried,” she admits.
She has a way of dancing around answering questions that always gets her what she’s after. She didn’t want to outright shoot Rory down, which means he’s going to be a mark.
“He was handsome,” I point out, earning me another one of her shrugs.
I’ve never seen my mom interested in any man. Sure, she went on a few dates here and there, but she had a motive with them. I always wonder if one day she’ll find someone. Especially now that I’m older.
“He’s extremely rich too, and you know what that means.”
“Did he seem like a jerk?”
“Not really.” Her eyebrows furrow as she considers it. “He’s a hard one to read.” I can tell she’s annoyed with that fact. “I’m sure I’ll get a better feel for him at the party.”
Uh oh. She’s gone and found herself a challenge. Now she won’t be able to stop until she can decipher what kind of man he is. It will bug her otherwise, and she won’t let it go.
“Eat, then we’ll go get our nails done and find us both a new dress. We’ll get something special for the party. I think you could use a girls' day after what happened at school.”
That does sound nice, and it might actually take my mind off what tomorrow might be like at school.
It suddenly dawns on me that the guy I ran into at the coffee shop the other day was with Rory. I wonder if that means he’ll be at this party. A mixture of panic and excitement builds, because if I’m honest, I haven't been able to stop thinking about him.
He was kind of a jerk, but a handsome one at least. It was an accident when I ran into him, so he didn’t have to be so rude. Then he shouted at me as I was leaving, which was a little over the top in my opinion.
I really am embarrassing myself all over Craven Cove. There’s no way it could get worse. Or could it?
Chapter Four
Apollo
“Mr. Crew, how can I help you?” the study hall teacher, Mrs. Shaw, asks as she looks at me over the top of her glasses.
“I need to use the restroom.”
She looks at the clock on the wall and then back at me. “You’ve only got fifteen minutes left.”
What I want to tell her is that I’m not going to survive fifteen more minutes without losing my fucking mind in here, but I keep that to myself. The entire rowing team had to come to school at six o’clock this morning as part of our punishment. Principal Nolan was pissed and wanted us suspended, but our coach was able to work out this deal.
Every day this week we’ve all come to school two hours early to help clean the gymnasium and then spend the remainder of the morning in study hall. This way we won’t miss classes, but we’ve had to make up for what she called our shenanigans. The only problem with this punishment is sitting in this room and waiting for it to be over. I would have been happy to stay in the gym and scrub toilets if it meant getting out of this. I don’t do well being still this long, and my muscles are twitching to move.
Leaning close to Mrs. Shaw so that it looks like I’m embarrassed, I lower my voice. “It’s number two.”
“Oh.” She looks around and then back to me like I might somehow be about to let loose in the middle of the classroom. “Fine, take your bag and go.”
Giving her my best pleading look of thanks, I nod and grab my backpack. With my back to Mrs. Shaw, I wink at Jackson, and he gives me the middle finger. I hurry out the door and smile to myself, but I know this will only save me for today. It’s not like I can fake it every day this week, so I’m going to have to figure something else out.
The classroom they’ve decided to use for our study hall is on the far end of the campus. It faces the teachers’ parking lot and nothing else. Even though most students are getting here around now, the hall on this end is empty. As I get to the end, I take a right and almost run into someone.
“Shit,” I say right before I reach out and stop the person from falling. As I help her get steady on her feet, I look down and realize who it is.
“You,” she says, her eyes narrowing.
“You,” I answer in surprise. I glance down at her body and then immediately look back into her eyes. I don’t need the distraction her curves are offering. “You were a lot wetter last time.”
Her cheeks flush, and she blinks. “Excuse me?”
“At the pep rally yesterday. Or have you forgotten about getting doused with a bucket of water and then me coming to your rescue?”
“And how did you manage to rescue me?” She crosses her arms over her chest, but all it does is show off her ample cleavage in her low-cut V-neck tee.
I lean forward and put the palm of my hand on the locker behind her. She rests her shoulder against it, and right now we’re completely alone. This dark-haired beauty has been on my mind since the coffee shop, and I want answers.
“What’s your name?” I run my tongue along the edge of my top teeth and wait while she watches me.
“Celeste.”
She doesn’t offer anything else and then raises her chin in defiance. Why does her stubborn attitude make my body warm?
“So explain to me how you rescued me yesterday, because I’m pretty sure the guy that gave me this shirt isn’t standing in front of me.” She holds up a dark blue shirt with the name of a band across it.
“Ah, I’ll have to thank Emerson for thinking on his feet.” Her eyebrows bunch, and it somehow makes her look adorable. “I was the one with the microphone and no shirt.”
She looks down my chest like she’s picturing me naked, and I have the urge to flex. I’ve never been knocked on my ass by a girl before, but this one right here might be the one to do it. I can’t stop thinking about her.
“Oh” is all she says, and my smile is big.
“Oh? Is that your way of saying thank you?”
“Thank you,” she mumbles, like she doesn’t want to admit it. Then she sighs and shrugs. “Okay, seriously thank you. That saved my ass.”
“What are you doing on this end of the building so early?” I glance down the hall and see someone go into the teachers’ lounge up ahead. It won’t be long before the bell rings.
“Um, I think I’m lost?” She looks around and then down to the piece of paper I didn’t realize she was holding.
“Let me help you out.” I take it from her and then notice she’s biting her lip. “Don’t worry, Celeste, your secrets are safe with me.” I wink at her, and she tucks her chin and stares at her Converse. I think maybe she’s trying to hide her blush. “You’ve got Darth first period. He’s actually on the other side of the campus.”
“Oh no.” She looks at her watch and then to the double doors up ahead that lead outside.
“It’s okay, I’m headed in that direction. I can show you the way.”