by Emma Wolfe
I nodded and then took my plate and milk over to the table. The food tasted like heaven and helped calm my ragged nerves. Though I wasn’t sure why the thought of going to Smoky Hills Academy had my stomach in knots.
I had Rose, and that was all I really needed. Besides, I excelled at school. That was the part of my life I was actually good at. Teachers loved me. I was going to be fine.
After my breakfast was finished, I stood and dumped my dishes into the sink. Then I made my way back to my room to grab my backpack and shoes.
I’d decided on a pair of overall shorts and a white T-shirt. Plain and simple. I didn’t want to stick out. I didn’t want to make a statement. I’d learned it was easier if no one saw me. I liked it that way.
After slipping on my high-tops, I waved goodbye to Mom, closed the door to the apartment, and headed downstairs. The school was a thirty-minute walk, and until Mom could take me to get a bike, I’d be walking.
I didn’t mind. It was a beautiful morning. The sun was high in the sky, sprinkling its light on me as I walked under the huge, full trees that lined the sidewalk. The air was fresh and the temperature balmy.
Smoky Hills really felt like paradise.
I threaded my fingers through my backpack straps and kept my head down as I watched the pavement move under my feet. Growing bored, I pulled out my earbuds and slipped them into my ears.
Soon, I was humming along with my favorites and, every so often, getting interrupted by the navigation telling me to “turn left.”
A faded honk sounded behind me, and I hesitated. Did that come from the song?
The horn honked again, so I glanced over my shoulder. An audible groan escaped my lips.
Liam.
He was sitting behind the wheel of a black pickup truck. He slowly pulled up next to the sidewalk where I stood.
I shook my head and waved him on. But as I continued down the sidewalk, he rolled alongside me.
I stopped, planting my feet and sticking my hands on my hips. I shot him a disgruntled look as I pointed toward the road. I really didn’t want to get into his truck.
He shook his head, and before I knew what was happening, he jumped out of the truck and made his way toward me.
“What is your deal?” I asked. I’d finally put him out of my mind this morning, but seeing him there in his black T-shirt that hugged his chest, and his perfectly-fitted dark jeans, all the thoughts and feelings I had for him came rushing back.
Liam studied me for a moment before he growled and turned, resting his hands on the hood of his truck. “You distract me,” he said, dipping his head down.
I could see his shoulders rise and fall. Like he was taking deep, calming breaths.
“I what?” I asked.
He growled again. It was low and throaty with hints of irritation and pain. “You distract me.”
I stared at him. How did I distract him? He was the one always following me around.
“Maybe it’s because you always seem to be showing up. I can make it to school by myself. I can get groceries by myself. I don’t need you here. And your Boy Scout determination to help me is outright strange.”
As the last words rolled off my tongue, I realized what I’d just said.
Heat rushed to my cheeks, and I slapped my hand over my mouth. “I’m sorry,” I murmured.
Liam looked over his shoulder at me, his eyebrow quirked. When he didn’t say anything, I curtsied and quickened my pace. I needed to get the heck out of there. I mean, who says things like that? And who curtsies? I had officially gone crazy.
“Wait,” Liam said as his hand enveloped my elbow.
I turned to see a pained look in his eyes. Why wouldn’t he just leave me alone?
“Please, let me drive you. It’s still a twenty-minute walk to school, and the final bell rings in ten.”
Warmth rose up my arm. When I glanced down, I noticed his fingers were still firmly pressed against my skin, and he didn’t look like he had any intention of letting go.
Realizing that I was not only going to be late, but also had little chance of shaking my self-appointed bodyguard, I murmured, “Fine,” and started walking toward the truck.
He led me to the passenger door and pulled it open. Just as I moved to climb into the cab, he gripped my hand and helped hoist me up.
Same as Grayson had done yesterday.
“I can get in myself,” I said. I hated the way my heart picked up speed at his touch and the way I liked him taking care of me.
I still didn’t know much about Liam though, and I wasn’t about to let him touch me whenever he wanted.
“Sorry,” he said. His voice was low and throaty.
I nodded as he slammed my door and jogged around to the driver’s side. I buckled in as he started the engine.
Soon we were driving down the street.
“Are you nervous?” he asked.
I turned to stare at him. How could he tell?
He glanced over at me with an apologetic look. “Your heart. It’s beating fast.”
My fingers made their way to my wrist, and I felt my pulse pounding against my fingertips. “How did you know that?”
He blinked as his jaw tensed. He rolled to a stop at the light and then glanced over at me. “I felt it when I helped you up.”
I furrowed my brow. “What?”
He cleared his throat. “When I helped you climb into the truck, I felt it.”
I glanced over at the door, trying to remember how he’d held my hand. But for the life of me, I couldn’t remember if he’d touched my wrist.
Feeling vulnerable, I clasped my hands in my lap and tried to calm my racing heart. From the corner of my eye, I saw Liam tip his head ever so slightly toward me.
Before I figure out what he was doing, Liam straightened and pressed on the gas as the light turned green.
“Do you do this for everyone?” I asked.
Liam glanced over at me and then back to the road. “Do what?”
“Give them a ride? Tell them where grocery shop? Make them eat your lunch?” I’d never had a guy show me this much attention in my entire life. The way he was acting reminded me of my best friend Tracy’s boyfriend. But Liam wasn’t my boyfriend.
Liam twisted his hands on the wheel, and I could see that he was thinking. Or plotting. I wasn’t really sure.
He sighed and nodded. “I’m sorry. You’re right, I’ve been super weird.” He kept his gaze on the road as he pulled into the school’s parking lot. Once he’d pulled into an empty spot, he turned to face me. “Can we just start over?”
I stared at him. His dark hair fell over his forehead, and his equally dark eyes felt as if they were piercing my soul. All I could manage to do was nod.
He extended his hand. “Friends?”
I smiled as I took his hand. His palm dwarfed mine, and I could feel the callouses on the pads of his fingers. I swallowed, physically reacting to his touch.
“Friends,” I managed.
Liam held my hand for what felt like an eternity. Just when I thought I was going to have to drag Liam to class with me, he dropped my hand and smiled.
“Perfect,” he said, grabbing his backpack and swinging his door open.
He called out to a few guys I recognized from over the weekend, and they waited for him to catch up. Soon, they were all swallowed in the throng of students entering the high school.
And I was the dork still sitting in Liam’s truck, staring at a guy I couldn’t quite figure out as my skin still tingled from his touch.
I groaned as I hopped out of the truck, swinging my backpack over my shoulder. I slammed the door and kept my head down as I followed the last few stragglers into the building.
My goal of starting off the school year as a nobody was off to a rocky start. I needed Liam Bronson to leave me alone, or else I wasn’t sure I was going to have enough brain power to make a good impression on my teachers. And if I wasn’t Cora Gray, straight-A student. Who was I?
I was pret
ty sure that Cora Gray, Liam Bronson fangirl, wouldn’t look so good on a college application.
9
Liam
The entire day at school felt like torture. I could sense Cora in every hallway, every classroom, every corridor.
I mean, I knew it would be hard not to search her out in every student that walked past me, but this wolf sense I was acquiring for her exact location was not good for my schoolwork and definitely not good for my sanity.
Add in having her in my home economics class, and I was a mess.
When the final bell rang at the end of the day, I blew out my breath and shouldered my backpack as I headed out of chemistry. I was ready for football practice.
Sure, it wasn’t the same as running all over the mountains, pushing myself to the brink of exhaustion, but it still worked up a good sweat. I needed a Cora cleanse, and ramming into guys at top speed sounded like the best way to do that.
“Ready for some practice?” Noah asked as I headed out of the doorway.
I growled a resounding yes and made my way to my locker. Just as I rounded the corner, two things stopped me dead in my tracks.
Katie Blake, head cheerleader and the last girl I wanted to see, was leaning on my locker with her eyes glued to her phone as her minions lurked around her.
Our brief flirting episode last year was a mistake I was still paying for. She was convinced we were meant for each other. I knew we weren’t.
I find my fate, or I don’t. Period.
The second thing that stopped me was the girl I couldn’t seem to get out of my mind. She was standing a few lockers down from mine. She had her head bent, and from her tense shoulders and breathy sighs, I could tell she was frustrated.
I could feel her agitation. And I had to fight myself to keep from going over there and fixing whatever was bothering her.
I needed to keep my distance from her. Picking her up this morning had been a mistake. I could be strong. I knew I could be. I just needed to start right now.
So I muscled down my urge to rescue Cora and made my way to my locker. Katie looked up as I neared, pushing off the door and greeting me with a wide grin.
“Liam,” she said, letting my name roll off her tongue like honey.
I gritted my teeth and nodded. From the corner of my eye, I saw Cora glance up, and I instantly picked up the quickening of her heartbeat. I couldn’t help the smile that twitched my lips. It exhilarated me that she might be feeling things for me too.
“I missed you,” Katie said, leaning in and running her hand along my bicep.
Snapping my attention back to her, I realized that my smile may have given the wrong impression. Great. I’d been so careful not to indicate that I had anything other than platonic feelings for Katie. It was a relationship that wasn’t going anywhere, despite her desire to push it.
“What do you want?” I asked, turning to my locker.
I tipped my head ever so slightly to the left so that I could see what Cora was doing. She still had her head ducked down, and her fingers were spinning the dial over and over again. Every time she paused, I waited to hear the shifting of the lock, but nothing happened.
Either she had the wrong combination, or the lock was broken.
After another attempt, I heard her sigh. It sapped my resolve. I wanted to help—no, I needed to help. It was like I was born to protect her.
“Liam,” Katie’s whine broke through my concentration.
I glanced over to see her leaning against the locker next to mine. She looked annoyed, like she couldn’t believe I wasn’t hanging onto her every word. Her lips pouted, and she leaned in.
Close. Too close.
“I’m late for practice,” I said as I pulled away from her and flung my books into my locker. I packed the books I needed for homework that night and slammed the locker shut.
Cora had yet to succeed in opening hers.
Fed up with her building frustration, I walked over and gently pushed her to the side. She stumbled, but I caught her—like I’d ever let her fall.
“Liam!” Katie’s angry voice followed me, but I ignored her. I was done speaking to her.
Cora was the only thing on my mind.
Leaning in, I inhaled Cora’s scent. She smelled like lilacs and honey, and it called to me. My inner wolf begged me to wrap her in my arms, hold her to me, and never let her go.
“Let me,” I growled. The need to fix what was frustrating her was killing me. I peered down at her. At first, she looked annoyed. But when I deepened my stare, I heard her breath catch in her throat. She slowly nodded.
“Okay,” she whispered.
My body began to relax as I turned to her lock. I stood there, homing in on the sound of the tumblers. “Numbers?” I commanded.
Cora hesitated and then said, “7, 10, 15.”
I nodded, turning the dial. I made sure to wait for the sound of the lock engaging before moving on to the next number.
A few seconds later, I pulled up on the latch and opened the door. “Here,” I said, nodding toward her open locker and stepping to the side. I knew I should walk away, but I was already there, and I couldn’t bring myself to leave.
“Thanks,” she said, her voice soft as she glanced up at me.
I nodded. I wanted to look at her. To take her all in. But that would probably freak her out, so I just kept my head down and focused on the floor in front of me.
“Katie Blake, cheerleading captain.” Katie’s voice sliced through the fog, and I glanced over to see that she’d approached with her hand extended toward Cora.
Cora glanced at Katie and then over to me as if she were waiting for an explanation. I felt a growl grow deep inside my throat. I knew what Katie was doing. I just didn’t know how to get her to stop.
“Cora,” she replied as she gingerly took Katie’s hand.
I could feel the tension that Katie emitted as she sized Cora up. And all I could think about was grabbing Cora and taking her far away from there. Far away from Katie and her disapproving stare.
“Did you just move here?” Katie asked.
Cora nodded, flicking her gaze over to me for a moment. “My mom’s the new vet.”
I could hear the uncertainty in her voice. She didn’t trust Katie—which was wise. She shouldn’t.
“Come on, we’ll be late for practice,” I said as I nudged Katie’s arm. As much as I wanted to stay next to Cora, I didn’t like how Katie looked at her. She was plotting something, and I knew I wasn’t going to like it.
“Right. Practice,” she said, linking arms with me and leaning her head on my shoulder. “We’ve gotta keep up appearances if we want to make Homecoming King and Queen.”
Even though her head was on my shoulder, I could tell Katie was still staring at Cora.
Cora just pinched her lips together and raised her eyebrows. “Yeah, you should probably get going then,” she said as she turned to her locker and started rifling around.
Grateful for the chance to get Katie out of there, I started to turn, but Katie pulled me back. I growled this time, low and deep. She was really getting on my nerves, but there was no way I was going to leave her alone with Cora. If she was staying, so was I.
“Hey, why don’t you try out?” Katie asked. Then she tsked. “I mean, if you’re up to it.”
“Try out what?” Rose Jordan asked as she approached Cora, standing next to her.
I tried to hide my smile, but I couldn’t. I liked that Cora had found Rose. Sure, Rose was quirky, but she was nice, and I knew she would treat Cora well.
“Cheerleading,” Cora muttered under her breath as she tipped her head toward Rose.
Rose snorted. “Seriously, Katie? Stop being mean and get a life.” Rose shook her head as she flicked her hair over her shoulder and turned to focus on Cora.
Katie scoffed and looked up at me. “Did you hear her?” Katie asked.
I shrugged. There was no way I was sticking up for her. I was just there to protect Cora. If Katie was rude and
then got called out for it, that was her problem.
“Well, it’s not like you would be any good at it,” Katie hissed as she tightened her arm around mine and began to march off.
My inner wolf wanted to tear Katie limb from limb. There was no way I was going to let her say something like that to Cora and get away with it. Even if it did cause a scene.
“Hey, that’s not cool,” I said, keeping my feet firmly planted and refusing to budge.
Katie seemed to realize I wasn’t going anywhere. She stopped and stared at me with her lips parted. “I’m sorry, what?”
I growled deep. “Apologize to her. Even if Cora might not make a good cheerleader, that doesn’t mean she’s any less than you.” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop myself. Heat rushed to my cheeks as I dropped my gaze for a moment to gather my thoughts.
Katie scoffed and glanced over at Cora. I could feel her hesitation as her gaze roamed over Cora’s figure. It made me angry, Katie judging Cora like she was, but it was my fault. I engaged when I should have backed off.
“I mean, you do look light. It would be easy to throw you,” Katie finally relented.
I glanced up to see Cora’s confused expression. She was studying me and then Katie like she wasn’t sure what was going on.
“Thanks?” she said with a hint of uncertainty in her voice.
I nodded and started to move down the hallway. Katie sighed as she slipped her arm from mine. “I should go. Coach Betty will be pissed if I’m late.”
I could hear the strain in her voice. I could only imagine that this forever-in-love idea she had about the two of us had fallen flat today. And that was a good thing. I mean, we weren’t ever going to be anything. She might as well figure that out now.
“Yeah, see ya,” I said, heading toward the guy’s locker room.
Once I got there and the smell of sweat and rancid socks hit me, my nerves began to relax. I was minutes away from taking all of my aggression out at practice, and from the way my heart was pumping, I needed this.
If I didn’t get some energy out, I’d probably go insane and do stupider things than I’d already done.