14
Jessica
I slammed my book on our desk and glared at the misty-eyed boy who had skipped school for almost an entire week. He jumped, but his expression remained starkly neutral. “What’s wrong, Jessica?”
I shuddered. Did he just use my full name?
He leaned forward, and his green eyes flew over me. “Jessica? What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong?” I collapsed into my chair, my hair whipping against my face. “Are you joking?”
He smiled, and anger flooded my veins. Why the hell was he smiling?
“You could tell me what’s wrong,” he said. “Then I’ll start joking.”
I held my hand up in his face. “Quit the bullshit,” I said.
He raised his brow. “You still haven’t told me what’s wrong.”
“Give me the chance.”
“I already have,” he said, lowering his voice. “But I’d calm down if I were you. The entire class is staring.”
He was right. Everyone lifted their eyes from their labs to gawk at our table. Even Robb and Crystal were watching.
I gripped the table and turned my back to them. At least there was one positive thing about sitting at the front of the classroom. “Maybe if you were listening to me, you wouldn’t have noticed what others were doing,” I said, and he leaned back, raising his brow.
“I’ve been under the stare radar for a few years now,” he said. “I think I can sense when it’s happening.”
Because you’re an asshole. “Can you try to talk to me like a normal human being for a minute?”
His shoulders rose, and his face flushed. In a second, he turned his torso away and leaned his elbows against the table. Had I said something?
He sighed, running his hand through his brown hair. “Just tell me what’s bothering you already.” He was no longer the witty Welborn he was a minute ago.
I bit my lip, shoving my guilt away. “I need to get this project done,” I whined. “Please.” I want to find my parents.
He studied me, and his face twisted. His dark brown hair fell dangerously close to his eyes, yet their green color pierced me. I was completely transfixed, my eyes locked with his, and I felt a twinge of familiarity dig into my soul. My stomach churned, and my cheeks burned.
“Why?” he asked, breaking our eye contact. My chest sunk.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I snapped, feeling my illogical emotions take over my words. Why was I feeling this way?
He raised his brow and flipped his pen through his fingers. “Why do you want to finish it so bad?” he asked. “It’s one grade.”
“One grade that’s important to my family—”
“So it isn’t important to you?” he asked, and I lost all capability of responding.
What was going on here? Something was wrong with me.
“It’s important to me,” I said curtly. “It’s ridiculously important, and I can’t finish it without you.” Unfortunately.
He turned away. “I guess I can help.”‘
“What?” I asked, expecting him to crack a sarcastic joke. There was no way he was suddenly agreeing.
“You’re acting as if you were expecting me to decline,” he said.
“I was.”
He sighed, leaning on his hand. “Helping one person can’t be that big of a deal,” he said. “Plus, I’m assuming you have a reason behind this irrational need to conform to this institution.” He leaned over, yanking a stack of papers from his backpack. As the bell rang, he shoved them into my hands. “I typed up our lab report last night.”
Who was this guy, and where was Eric Welborn?
“Uh—thanks,” I said, skimming it. He’d done extra work.
“Turn it into the teacher,” he said, standing as kids rushed for the door. “See you later.”
He threw his bag over his shoulder, brushing past without another word. I stared at his back, awestruck, and found my voice at the last second. “Welborn!” I called out to him before he disappeared into the crowd, and he spun around, meeting my eyes. “Where are we meeting?”
Everyone stopped to stare, but he ignored them. “There’s a new coffee shop in town,” he said. “Meet at seven.”
“How am I supposed to know where that is?” I asked, and he tilted his head toward Crystal and Robb.
“I’m sure your friends can help you,” he said, waving over his shoulder as he walked away. “See you around, Jessica.”
I was still frozen at my desk, my heart thundering in my ears, when Crystal grabbed my arm. “What the hell was that?” she asked, and I blinked.
“I have no idea.”
“He took a shot at us,” Robb said, shoving his hands into his pockets. “I don’t like that guy.”
“You’re the one who stood up for him,” I said, and Crystal hit his arm.
“Don’t ruin her accomplishment anyway,” she said. “I thought she’d never get that boy to talk; he doesn’t talk to anyone.” She flipped her purse open, and her pen came out. “How’d you do it?”
I grimaced at her potential rumor column. “I have no idea.” The last thing I wanted was Eric to stop talking to me, because my gossip about him was printed in our school newspaper.
Robb rolled his eyes. “So he’s in a good mood,” he said. “He’s probably has a new girlfriend.”
“Yeah, right.” Crystal giggled, but Robb ignored her, leaning over to scan the papers in my hands.
“Isn’t that the lab from last week?” he asked, and I stared at it again, somehow unable to comprehend how much Eric had changed.
“I guess so,” I said, planning to talk to the teacher about the late assignment after I checked off my next task. “Do you think you could drive me to the coffee shop tonight?”
Robb’s dark eyes lit up. “Of course, Jess.”
“Thanks,” I said, pushing past them to turn it in. Maybe this project wouldn’t be so bad after all. Even better, maybe Eric would be a good person, and his friendship with Crystal and Robb could heal. But I doubted it.
As much as I wanted to believe in Eric’s nice side, I’d only seen it once and didn’t trust it. All of a sudden, he was kind and—normal. But his eyes. His resonating stare fluttered through my memory, and I shivered. I hadn’t seen kindness in his pupils. I only saw intensity, and, I hated to admit it, but he was beyond intimidating. He was overwhelming.