by K. F. Breene
“Sorry, what?”
“Did you end up finishing your calc homework yesterday?”
“Oh.” A wave of nervous flutters filled my stomach. “Yeah. I finished it in class. I forgot to turn it in, though, so I stopped by the classroom after school really quickly and explained.”
“Mr. Morris was okay with that?”
“I blamed it all on Braiden. Shamelessly, I might add.”
She laughed as we moved up to the first array of options, a greasy pan of mac ’n’ cheese that looked like it had been reheated and re-served for three days running, dried-out carrots, and cardboard-like pizza. I grimaced.
“Don’t look now, but—”
I immediately looked out over the crowd.
“I said don’t look. Honestly, Ella, why do you always do that?”
“I have a problem with impulse control, you know that. What am I not supposed to be looking at?”
“Don’t look now, but behind you, by the door—I said don’t look now.” Scarlet scoffed and grabbed a slice of pizza. Bobby stood facing Buffy, his arms crossed. Buffy’s expression was somewhere between bored and apologetic.
“Buffy is breaking up with Bobby,” Scarlet finished in a whisper.
The girl next to her jerked before giving Scarlet an incredulous expression. “As if! They are, like, the couple of the school. They’ll be king and queen, you wait.”
“They don’t look too king and queenish right now.” Scarlet pointed at the couple, her reservations about openly observing them taking a back seat to being right.
“They’re probably just working things out,” the girl said.
“I have second period with Buffy.” Scarlet grabbed a side of fries from under the heat lamp. “Trust me when I say she’s over it. She was telling anyone who’d listen that she needs some time to be free and find herself.”
“No way. She was after Bobby forever before he agreed to go out with her. There is no way she’d just ditch him.” The other girl dug a ten-dollar bill out of her pocket.
“She would if she has her eye on someone better,” Scarlet insisted.
“Like who?” the girl asked.
“Are you serious? Braiden, that’s who.” Scarlet rolled her eyes.
“Ohh…” The sound was like air leaking out of a tire. “I’m such a div. I completely forgot about him.”
Scarlet nodded. “Exactly. First step, ditch the dead weight. Next step, land the new hottest guy in school. I hope he sees right through her.”
The girl stepped aside to give Scarlet room to pay. “They’re men. They never do. All they see is a pretty face, a half-exposed rack, and a willing body. She’ll get her guy.”
With a last glance at Bobby and Buffy, the girl stalked away.
“She’s probably right, that’s what’s annoying.” Scarlet took her change from the cashier before looking down at my empty tray. “You’re not getting anything?”
I curled my lip without meaning to. “No. It looks like they’ve left this food out all week.”
“They have. But it has so many preservatives in it, it’ll never go bad. Are you sure you don’t want some fries or something?”
“Nah.” I put the tray back and followed her toward our table, scanning the crowd as I did so. It took me no time at all to find Braiden, halfway down the row on the right, sitting with his new friends. He and Dirk glanced up at me at the same time.
“What are you looking at, Fella?” Dirk asked with narrowed eyes.
“Me, I hope.” Braiden gave me a winning smile. “How goes it, Miss Fella?”
His teasing tone and kind eyes attested that he wasn’t making fun of me. He was bringing me in on the joke.
I frowned in confusion as Scarlet plucked at my sleeve. Trying to talk to the popular table at lunch was social suicide. They ridiculed nerds for less. But Braiden’s gaze was so inviting, his smile so disarming, that I found myself stepping closer, out of the way of those walking to the tables at the back of the room.
“I’m still trying to find my stomach after the ride this morning,” I said with a confidence that surprised me.
His eyes glittered. “I’ll create a daredevil out of you yet. Why don’t you join us?”
I felt my smile falter and all the eyes in the cafeteria burning into me. Nate and Leo’s eyes widened in shock. Dirk’s lips twisted into a malicious, humorless smile.
Talking was one thing, but walking into the lion’s den was something else entirely.
I took a step back. “Thanks, but I usually eat with Scarlet.” I hooked a thumb behind me, only then realizing she’d taken five steps toward the back and was hunching so badly that she looked like she was trying to melt into the floor.
Braiden looked between us, then surveyed the surprised faces around the table. He shrugged. “Another time, then.”
“Yeah, right,” someone muttered, and Dirk, Leo, and Claudia, a regular at the table, snickered.
“What is Braiden trying to do, make you a laughingstock?” Scarlet muttered when I caught up to her.
“I already am,” I said softly, trying to ignore the interest from everyone I passed.
“Not like this. It’s like he’s trying to shine a light on you or something.” She shook her head as we threaded between two tables that went quiet in our presence. “Something isn’t right. He’s not acting like popular people usually do. I don’t like it.”
I chewed my lip. She had a point. He should know by now that I had no place in his crew. To try to integrate me would mean friction and nastiness directed at me.
On the other hand, there was something strange between us. What he’d said in the car cemented that. Maybe there was a deeper motive for his wanting me around. Something he might not understand himself.
And I had to remember that that something might’ve originated from the Old Woman. Her influence on him could be her last-ditch effort to get me out of my house, and into hers.
When it came down to it, I had to look out for Number One. Me. And that meant keeping vigilant at all times. Until I could be completely sure of his involvement, and until he fully understood what it meant to be on the Old Woman’s radar, I had to avoid being completely alone with him. In the name of self-preservation, I had to have someone within screaming distance.
Chapter Eleven
Munching on my apple post-lunch, I turned the corner into the hallway of my calc classroom. I hesitated when I saw the familiar form halfway down, retrieving books from his locker. Students crowded the space, sauntering to or ducking into classrooms, and some getting supplies out of their lockers.
I hunched a little, channeling Scarlet, and drifted to the opposite side of the hall as Braiden. Just when I thought I would get by without being sighted, he glanced up and caught me mid-skulk.
“Hey.” He pulled out a book and slammed his locker, the metal clang making me jump. That didn’t stop my stomach from swimming in butterflies at his smile.
“Hi,” I said, straightening up a little.
His gaze took me in, pausing on my apple and then noticing the brown bag still clutched in my other hand.
“I noticed you didn’t have a tray at lunch. Whatcha got there?” He circled around me as he slung his backpack over his shoulder. Before I could protest, he snatched the brown bag out of my hand. “Oooh. Look at you. A treasure trove.” He dug out a banana. “Carrots and ranch, too. But no potato chips.”
“Uh, yeah. My mom says carrots are the potato chips of champions.”
He laughed as he took out the banana. “This is insanely rude of me to ask, but…” His lips pulled to the side in a lopsided smirk. “Do you mind?” He held up the piece of fruit. “The food in the lunch line is…” He grimaced. “It’s not what I’m used to. I’d kill for a piece of fruit that isn’t spotted brown.”
“Oh.” I gingerly took back my proffered brown bag, waiting for the punch line. Usually I was made fun of for bringing a lunch, much less eating it. No one, not even Scarlet, had ever asked for some. “S
ure?”
“You’re the best.” He pulled his backpack around to get at the zipper. “I’m going to save it for after fifth period, if you don’t mind. Something tells me there’s a reason you hide your bagged lunch.”
My face heated and I wondered if he was just taking the banana to make me feel less odd. To that end, I stuffed my bag into my backpack without another word.
“Listen,” he said. “Some of the others are going to give me a tour of downtown after school. Wanna come?”
Another effort to do the unthinkable and merge me into the cool-kid group. He clearly couldn’t take a hint. “No thanks. I have homework to do.”
“We all have homework to do. We’ll have plenty of time after.”
“I’m dense. It takes me longer.”
He laughed. “Yeah, right. You’re one of the smartest people I’ve met in this school. Come on, come with us. You can give your spooky take on things.”
“I doubt your friends will appreciate that.”
“Are you kidding? Nate is your biggest fan. Despite Dirk making fun of him for it, he loves that stuff. He’d be stoked if you came. We all would.”
The way he said it, low and deep and with that intense look, spread tingles across my skin and made my breath catch in my throat.
“Scarlet can come, too, if you want your girl with you,” he said as we reached the classroom. “You’ll have power in numbers.”
And there he went, sweetening the deal.
But why? Why was he trying so hard? He had his pick of very pretty popular girls. I was his lunatic neighbor who suffered from a severe case of social awkwardness. He couldn’t possibly want me, with the help of Scarlet, ruining his outing after school. It just didn’t add up.
Which furthered my worry that he wasn’t solely in the driver’s seat on decision-making. He clearly had a silent partner, whether he knew it or not.
The classroom was mostly full when I entered. A couple people looked up, watching me out of boredom or from within the thrall of a food coma.
I paused by my desk, currently occupied by Andrea. “We can switch back now,” I told her, ready to unsling my bag.
Her face turned red and she looked down at her book and open binder, spread across the desk.
“Hey, Ella.” Odis smiled at me. “I missed you sitting here yesterday. The class was, like, ten times longer. Oh hey.” He put up a finger and reached for his bag before digging out a sheet of paper. “I made a copy of the notes for you. I figured that would be easier than…” His voice trailed away and his eyes darted over my shoulder.
I felt the presence lurking behind me, large and masculine. A glance confirmed that Braiden stood patiently, waiting for me to get out of his way.
“There are other ways to the back,” I told him, taking the paper and trying to back up so Andrea could stand.
Braiden didn’t budge. “I figured this must be the best way, since you chose it. Aren’t you going to help me out today?”
“You don’t need help.” I looked down at Andrea expectantly.
“Oh.” She glanced at Odis. “Are you sure? Because I’m fine to sit here if…if you want? I don’t mind.”
Mr. Williams entered the room as the bell sounded. He turned back for the door. “You are nearly tardy, Buffy. You might keep better time from now on.”
“I was keeping the same time as you.” She sauntered in with a haughty expression.
“Take your seats, everyone. Let’s get started.” Mr. Williams closed the door before stashing a small lunch cooler under his desk. He paused next to the blackboard, ready to get going.
Still Andrea stalled. I wondered why she wasn’t jumping at the opportunity to sit next to someone who smelled as freaking good as Braiden did.
“What’s going on?” Mr. Williams asked.
“I’m waiting for Ella to take her seat,” Braiden said. “There seems to be some confusion as to where she’s supposed to sit.”
“There are two open seats in the back. Sit there. Hop to it. We have a lot to cover. Ella. Please.”
I sighed in resignation, and to my surprise, I noticed Andrea’s lips curl into a small smile.
She hadn’t wanted to move. Rather than sit near someone incredibly handsome, with some sort of pheromone superpower, she preferred to stay next to Odis.
“What kind of a heartless person tears someone away from their crush?” Braiden whispered as we made our way back, reading my mind.
“I had no idea,” I murmured. “I mean…Odis? He’s such a goober.” I held up my hand, realizing how that had sounded, as Braiden hopped his desk to yesterday’s crooked positioning. “Don’t get me wrong, he’s an insanely sweet, really awesome guy. I meant goober in the nicest way possible. A really lovable goober…”
A smile pulled at Braiden’s lips. “You’re sticking your foot in your mouth, Fella.”
I covered a giggle with my palm. “I just meant I’ve never viewed him as boyfriend material, so it hadn’t occurred to me someone else might.” I pulled out my book, which had been waiting for me on my porch yesterday when I got home. Braiden had somehow managed to scrape off the wax without completely ruining the book.
“You don’t view him as boyfriend material?” Braiden asked, his gaze delving into mine.
“Brandon, eyes up front,” Mr. Williams said.
“Braiden, sir.” Braiden’s gaze lingered on mine for one more moment, as if trying to pry open my head and read my thoughts, before he turned to watch Mr. Williams scribble something on the chalkboard.
“Do you want our homework?” someone up front asked.
“Shut up, Jane,” someone else said.
“Homework, yes. Send up your homework. Now, turn your attention to the problem on the board…”
Chapter Twelve
A large hand, palm up, interrupted my harried note taking. Mr. Williams was really on fire today. He hadn’t been kidding about having a lot to cover.
I pushed Braiden’s hand out of the way.
Braiden’s palm interrupted my efforts again.
“What do you want?” I whispered, shoving him away a second time.
“I changed my mind. I want the kiwi instead of the banana. It’s been forever since I’ve had a kiwi.”
I paused as Mr. Williams studied what he’d written on the board. “It’s in my bag,” I said. “Help yourself.”
“Help myself? How intriguing.” He reached an arm over and around my desk, grabbing my backpack off the floor. He hoisted the whole thing up, the heavy textbooks not giving him the slightest of problems. When it was on his lap, he opened it up and started digging through.
“The brown bag,” I whispered. “It’s right on top.”
He pulled out the kiwi and a spoon and set them on his desk. He stuck the banana back in the bag, then pushed the bag to the side and went digging.
“What are you doing?” I whispered.
“You said I could help myself.” Braiden pulled out my little black notebook with the red ribbon marking my place. He undid the small clasp.
“No, no.” Notes forgotten, I reached over his large bicep, trying to get at the notebook. “I meant you could help yourself to my lunch. I didn’t mean you could poke through my bag and read my private stuff.”
“You should’ve been more specific.” He yanked the notebook out of my reach and parted the pages.
“Give it back.” I pushed up and over my desk, reaching for it. My pencil rolled off the edge and onto the floor.
“Oh wow, Ella.” Braiden studied a page. “This is…”
“Give it—”
“Ella, Brandon, what’s the problem?” Mr. Williams asked.
I couldn’t help but laugh at Mr. Williams’s insistence on getting Braiden’s name wrong. “Nothing, Mr. Williams,” I said, my hand still out. “Brandon missed what you said a moment ago and asked for my notes. Only, I need to make an adjustment really quick.”
“Brandon, did you have a question?” Mr. Williams waited patiently.
<
br /> “No, Mr. Williams. I’m all set, thanks.” Braiden continued to look down at my drawing.
Mr. Williams frowned before shifting his gaze back to the board. “There are better ways to get what you want than by screeching, Ella. Try saying please next time.”
“Yes, sir. Good tip.” I lowered my voice. “Brandon, can I please have my very important notes back?”
Utter seriousness stole over his expression. He tapped the drawing. “Did you do this?”
My smile melted away. “Yeah.”
“What is it?”
“It’s the old mill in town. It was deserted when the company found out how much it would cost to update the building. They moved a town over to a more modern location.”
“They just left this behind? It’s a great-looking old building.” He studied the pencil drawing, not making a move to give it back.
“Well…” I scratched my burning face. I didn’t usually show anyone other than Scarlet my drawings. They didn’t help my reputation as the town nut case, and most importantly, I had a feeling that Mr. Morris and the other teachers wouldn’t approve. “Emphasis on old. It was just a couple rooms when it was first built at the turn of the century. They kept adding to it as the town and business grew, but yeah, finally the need to update technology and everything else had them looking elsewhere for a more modern location. It was the cheaper option.”
I grabbed my pencil off the ground.
“So they stopped using this place? Just like that?”
“The majority of it, yeah. A manufacturing plant looked into it, but they found the same problems. The nicer parts have been turned into art studios or small businesses. But the structure needs work, so only the people who can afford to get it up to code can move in. The other parts are vacant.”
He started flipping pages, checking out each drawing. I should’ve been taking notes diligently, but I couldn’t help watching his facial expressions. He studied each picture in apparent rapture. His eyes widened occasionally, and he shook his head more than once. Finally, he stopped on a drawing of his house.