by Amanda Heath
We stop at the office and get my schedule. Then he takes me to my locker. Which is where we find Channing, getting into his locker, right next to mine. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he snarls slamming the door shut.
“I’m not happy about it either.” I grumble, as Channing looks at me with his blank face and angry eyes.
Kellan only laughs before he opens the locker for me. “Get used to it Channing. I know you don’t want her around, but she’s here, and she’s not going anywhere.”
Someone calls Channing’s name from down the hall and he looks up. I’m not sure if anyone else noticed but the anger leaves his eyes to be replaced by loneliness. Natasha rushes up and throws her arms around him. “Why didn’t you wait for me?” she pouts, looking right into his eyes.
All he does is shrug. She giggles and links their elbows, “Walk me to class?” she asks, not really giving him a choice as she drags him down the hallway.
“She thinks you’re after him. She doesn’t know what to do. She can’t be a bitch to you and she can’t take you down,” Kellan says.
“And she can’t make you disappear.” A tall attractive guy comes to a stop next to Kellan. His blonde hair is down to his eyes and he has to do that head shake thing guys think is sexy. His green eyes meet mine and he breaks out into a smile. “Hello there. I’m Vince. You must be Paisley. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“From who?” is my immediate response.
“Brody, Kellan…Channing.” He walks right up to me and studies my face. It kind of throws me off balance. His eyes are intense but his face is smiling. “You’re a lot prettier than Channing let on.” This makes him smirk.
“Well since Channing is a douche canoe, I’m not surprised,” I state moving away from him. “I’m going to class. You two have fun.” Not.
“Did she call him a douche canoe?” Vince mutters.
“You should have heard what he called her Saturday night.” I’m not even going to think about that one. He can call me every name in the book and I still won’t care. Okay maybe I’ll care on the inside, but the outside is a different story.
My first class is AP English, which I’m totally excited about, until I walk in and see Channing in the back row. Ugh. Hopefully this is the only class I have with him. The teacher is an older man, maybe in his fifties but he has a nice smile. Kind of reminds me of Papaw. “Ms. Vaughn, I assume?” he states. I nod. “I’m Mr. Horton, there is a seat open on the front row.” He points to the chair and I happily take it. As long as I don’t have to sit by Channing.
Mr. Horton comes over to my desk before school begins and hands me a copy of Lord of the Flies. He begins class after that, and it runs smoothly. When class ends, I get up from my desk, only to have Channing shove past me, knocking my backpack out of my hand. I stare up at him in shock.
His face is blank, but his eyes are smirking.
Chapter 8
THE REST OF my morning goes by smoothly. I have a class with Brody and Kellan, the other one with Kellan and Vince. Both times they make me sit next to them. Vince likes to flirt, and while I think he’s hot, I’m just not into it. With everything else going on, I really don’t want to date anyone. No one is in my fourth period class.
At lunch I meet Rachel, and I’m in love. Not the chick on chick kind of love, but the kind where you meet someone and you just know. You just know this person is going to be your friend.
“So I hear Channing doesn’t like you,” a tall brunette says to me in the lunch line.
I turn towards her and eye her up and down. Her face is flawless, with a touch of make-up she really didn’t even need. Her eyes are brown and twinkle, which makes me lose my standoffishness. “The feeling is mutual,” I tell her.
She taps a long fingernail, the color of deep red, along her chin. “What did you do?” she asks simply moving her hand down. And then I realize we are wearing the same outfit. Black polo and ugly skirt.
“I have no idea. He told me Saturday night he wanted me gone. I told him why I couldn’t be gone. Didn’t seem to like that too much.”
She raises her eyebrows and purses her lips to the side. “Well then give him hell, kid. It’s about time someone made him feel something,” she mutters, pulling her backpack strap back up her arm.
“What does that mean?” These rich people need to stop talking in code. Ever since I met them, I’ve been rolling what they say off my chest. I don’t understand half of it. Not that I want to. My life is complicated enough without their input. But I really want to know what she means about Channing.
She laughs before linking her arm with mine at the elbow. “Just that Channing doesn’t show any emotions. His face is stuck in that blank bored look.” She leans in closer to me, and I realize she is a gossip mongrel. “Between you and me, his mom was hard on him. She passed away a few years ago. The step-dad has been trying to get him to loosen up at bit, but it doesn’t seem to be working. Then you have the dragon lady who is always breathing down his neck.”
I squint my eyes at her, “Who are you again?”
That’s when her eyes laugh at me and she pulls me up when the line moves. “Rachel Sanders.” She says it simply, like this is the most unimportant thing about her.
“Oh. How are you friends with them again?” She doesn’t seem like the usual type. I spotted the tat on her wrist, right after I started talking to her. Plus the huge gothic cross around her neck, and the skull and cross bones ear rings.
“My brother is besties with Channing. Since I don’t like any of the other bitches in this school, I’m stuck with my brother. ” She yawns and covers her mouth. “Besides it’s fun to hang in Channing’s crowd. This whole school bows down to him. Well except for Courtney Pierce and his group.” She pulls me up a step as the line moves. “Pierce and his buddies play football. Channing and his buddies are on the swim team. You’d think since football season is now and swimming is next semester, they could get a long. Though I don’t think it has anything to do with the sports they play.” She leans in closer to me and whispers, “I think it’s because they are both super hawt and you can’t put all that hotness together or there’s going to be an explosion.”
I haven’t seen any guys named Courtney but I figure it’s going to happen sooner or later. “Everyone else is trailer park trash. Not that they live that way, but they act that way. Horrible people all of them.” She laughs at herself.
I grin at that, “I’m trailer park trash,” I tell her.
She only laughs, “Honey, I don’t care if you were raised in a trash can. You’ve had money since the day you were born. So what you weren’t raised with us, and you didn’t know you had that money, you’re still stinking rich.”
I only shrug. She has a point. A stupid point, but still.
“Are you being nice to my little cuz, Rach?” Kellan asks from behind us.
I feel Rachel stiffen before slowly turning around. “Well I’m sure I’m being nicer to her than Channing.”
“Yeah, I was going to ask you if you knew what his problem is.” He scratches the back of his neck and he won’t make eye contact with Rachel.
She sighs before turning back around, facing the front again. “I don’t know. You’re his best friend. I’m only the ex-girlfriend.” She states the last part with a huge smile on her face. I take it she is happy about the ex part.
That’s when I feel eyes on me. It starts as a tingling in my spine, but moves up to the back of my neck. Goose bumps move across my skin, so I look up. There’s Channing, and the way he is looking at me, makes my breathing speed up. He’s too far away for me to tell, but there is an unnamed emotion in his eyes. Then he releases me. Because that’s what happened, he entrapped me with those smoky eyes. I watch him walk over to a table and sit with the rest of the group.
“Paisley,” Rachel states, looking down at me.
“What?” I say, blinking my eyes.
“What do you want to eat?” Her face turns into a full-blown smile. It makes her
look gorgeous.
***
After Rachel piles my try full of food and makes me carry it over to the table, I sit down next to her. We sit at the end while everyone else piles in around us. Luckily Kellan takes the seat next to me and Rachel sits across from me. Brody and Lola take the seats next to her.
I don’t even look to see where Channing sits. While I’m not exactly sure what’s going on with us, I know I don’t want to explore it further. Rachel and I exchange polite conversation, until the bell rings.
She gets my phone number and says she’ll text me during class. I asked if we could get in trouble. Her answer was to laugh out loud and walk away. That’s when I feel his presence behind me.
Deciding to ignore him, I turn around and walk right past him. He has other plans. “Our families built this school. They keep it running. We can’t get in trouble for anything,” Channing’s smoky voice says right next to my ear. When a shiver races over me, I hate myself. He’s mean. He’s arrogant. You will not shiver anymore.
“Thanks,” I bite out, walking around him.
When he walks right back into my space, I almost snap. I feel my anger brimming on the surface. Its ready to explode and take him out with me. “I’ve been trying to figure you out,” he tells me, after I look up at him. “I thought maybe you were just after the money, but I’ve come to notice, you don’t care about that.” The look in his blue eyes, it sears me to my soul. This guy hates me. I don’t know why and I really don’t care at this point. I just want away from him. “You need to stay away from me. I can’t keep you away from my friends. I wish I could, but even I don’t have that much power.” He takes his index finger and pulls it down my cheek, making me close my eyes. My breathing was already labored but it picks up more speed now. “Like I said, stay away from me. Don’t talk to me. Don’t look at me. And definitely don’t harbor any fantasies about me.”
I open my eyes and they clash with his. I’m on fire and it’s not for Channing himself, it’s for his blood. I don’t know who he thinks he is, but I don’t play by anyone’s rules but my own. I take a step toward him, our bodies almost touching, and then I take another until our bodies are touching. I get a sniff of his cologne. It’s something expensive and mysterious, something that makes my body tighten and my senses soar.
I grab his shirt and stand on my tiptoes. I pull him down a few inches until our lips are almost touching, “From the moment I met you, I wanted nothing to do with you. If you want a war, then I’ll bring it. But don’t think you’re going to get off on bossing me around. I don’t care about your money or your body.” I make sure his eyes are on my lips before I sway my hips into his a little. “As for fantasies, I think you’re the one who should stop having them about me.” I press my hip into the bulge I feel in-between his legs.
It’s barely there, but I hear the groan. “If you don’t want me to take you right here against the cafeteria tables, I suggest you stop toying with me,” he whispers, right in my ear.
I immediately let him go. I walk around him heading I don’t know where. After a minute of that, I remember I need to find my next classroom. Just so happens I went in the wrong direction, so I’m a little late to class. When Mrs. Harrison, my AP chemistry teacher, asks me to take a seat, I see a pair of smoky blue eyes. I nearly groan in frustration. Why?
Luckily the only open seat is in the back of the class and nowhere near Channing. After I take my seat, I pull my cell phone out of my backpack. I make sure the sound is off before I place it in my lap. I don’t know Rachel all that well, but I’m sure she means it when she says she’ll text. She also seems the type who would be upset I didn’t text her back.
I try and follow along to what Mrs. Harrison is talking about, but my mind is not on this kind of chemistry. It’s only what happened with Channing. I didn’t notice until later on that when he said he’d take me on the table, I got a little wet. That is embarrassing and stupid. One, I shouldn’t be getting turned on by that asshole. Two, I wouldn’t even have sex on a table with my soul mate, let alone Channing Southerland.
And now I need a shower and fresh panties.
My phone lights up in my lap and I quickly open the text, knowing its from Rachel.
Whoa. The sexual tension between you and Channing has me turned on.
I roll my eyes. I guess she didn’t leave the cafeteria as soon as I thought she did.
Whatever. More like sexual frustration on his part.
I look up from my phone and notice Mrs. Harrison’s back to the class as she writes on the white board. Everyone is either looking at Channing or me. I feel my cheeks get hot. Apparently more than Rachel saw our exchange in the lunchroom.
No you whatever. Everyone is talking about it! Plus I’ve seen a picture, your face is totally turned on!
This from Rachel. I just roll my eyes and decided to leave that conversation until later. Like when I can hit something, preferably Channing’s face.
Don’t ignore me! I might be his ex-girlfriend, but we dated like four years ago. I didn’t even sleep with him. Plus it was only for three weeks. We hardly made out.
Is she trying to make me feel better? I don’t even care who his ex-girlfriend is or who he’s slept with. It’s none of my business and it will never be any of my business. So I tell her that. And then I turn my phone off. I’m not dealing with this crap right now.
When class finally ends, I’m so relieved I rush out of the room.
The next class turns out to be one of the worst of all my classes. I don’t even know it until half way through.
Mr. Foster is the teacher and the class is Spanish II. I took Spanish I at my old school last year and luckily Meadow’s offers it. Mr. Foster is an older man with greying hair and a beer gut. The classroom is made up of four long rows. I have to sit in the first row, middle seat.
The guy sitting next to me catches me off guard. His dark hair is shaved close to his scalp and his green eyes glare at me from his seat. A chill runs down my spine when I notice two boys in front of me also glaring. My neighbor though, gives Channing a run for his money. His eyes are perfectly spaced apart and shaped by beautifully arched brows. His eyelashes are extremely long, longer than they should be. His lips are shaped into a sneer but I can tell his bottom lip is fuller than his top. His cheekbones are high and angular, giving him a sharp look. His jaw is strong and the perfect shape.
He is freaking gorgeous.
I stop staring at him long enough to feel more eyes on my back. I slowly turn around to see three girls and two more boys glaring at me. And all of a sudden it clicks. The guy next to me has to be Courtney Pierce.
Now I have enemies because I hung out with my cousin’s friends during lunch.
So I do what I would do at my old school. I glare right back at each and every one of them. I don’t care who is a friend with whom or who hates whom. These people are nothing to me and they can all kiss my ass. I don’t truly want to be here, so all this drama these people are trying to throw at me is pissing me off.
“This one’s got fight. I like her.” Come a raspy voice behind me. I turn and find it belongs to one of the girls. Her hair is long and a beautiful shade of honey. Not blonde, not brown. The in-between stage. Her eyes, believe it or not, match her hair, as well as her eyebrows. Her nose is perfectly straight with a button on the end. There’s a freckle right above her lip and it almost disappears when she smiles. Which she is doing right now. Her lips her full and red and her cheeks help her face become heart shaped. “Annabella Gage. That guy next to you,” she turns from my eyes and looks into his, “is Courtney Pierce. He hates Channing and Channing hates him, so he’s going to stop glaring at you because I have it on good authority you hate Channing.”
I roll my eyes and look at Courtney. “I don’t hate what I don’t know. Just back off me, because I have nothing to do with him.” I glare harder at him before opening my book and flipping through the pages.
They have a conversation around me. “You’re really get
ting on my nerves lately, Ella,” Courtney mutters.
She laughs and it’s a deep rasp. I wonder if she smokes. “Like I care. It’s senior year, you and Channing need to get over yourselves. Besides, he’s going to have his hands full with his one.” I feel her poke me with something. I’m hoping it was a pen.
Since she seems to want to be nice to me, I turn around and eye her up and down. She smiles. “Why do these dumbasses hate each other? I couldn’t get a straight answer out of Rachel.” Everyone but her gasps when I call the boys dumbasses.
“Pierces older sister is also sisters to Channing. They have the same dad.” She tells me at my look of confusion. “Anyway, everyone knows Channing hates his dad, even though the guy is dead. But I might hate my dad too if he didn’t give a shit about me. Channing refuses to have anything to do with his sister. Ashley being the sweetest person ever gets her feelings hurt over it. And you don’t hurt the Pierce brother’s sister.”
I think on this for a second and roll my eyes. I face Courtney and glare even harder. “So you’re telling me you were about to make my life a living hell because Channing doesn’t want to have a sister? How is that my fault? Are you that dense?”
“Look, little girl, you don’t know anything about it. So shut up,” Courtney growls at me.
Annabella goes to open her mouth but I stop her by raising my hand. “For one thing, don’t call me little girl. I’m not little and where I come from, no one protects you but you. I’m strong enough to bring you to your knees. Don’t push me or you’ll regret it.”
“Did you just threaten me?” he mumbles, raising his eyebrows slightly.
“No, I made you a promise. I’m saying I don’t give a crap what you think about Channing. I don’t give a crap what y’all think about each other.” I point my finger at him. “I’m saying don’t bring me into it. It’s not any of my business and you’re not going to hurt me to get to him, because he hates me just as much as you hate him.”