“Your sister would hate me for this, but it’s always been easier for me to talk to you than her,” I reply, looking down at the napkin in my lap.
“So who was this guy she was trying to get you laid by anyways?” Kellin asks. His lips are tilted slightly in a tease, but his hands form fists on the table.
I bite my lip as I shrug. “Who knows? Some kid named Tyler that’s friends with her current infatuation.”
“Ah, the kid from her Chem class.”
I nod. “That’d be the one.”
“I don’t know how you keep track of all her boyfriends,” he replies with a shake of his head.
“The same way I keep track of your girlfriends,” I say.
He narrows his eyes. “What way is that?”
“I ignore them,” I reply with a smirk.
Kellin’s hands tighten with his jaw before his eyes flicker to mine. “I wish it was as easy for me to do that.”
“You know all Lindy’s boyfriends?” I ask, laughing. “Good for you.”
He shakes his head, and his shoulders are tense as he replies, “I know all of yours.”
My lips part and my hand covers my mouth as I try to think of a response. Finally, I swallow and look back to Kellin. “Not like there’s that many to keep track of.”
That has to be the reason.
Kellin looks down at the menu. “You’d be surprised.”
“Huh?” I ask, my chin jutting out.
“You’ve had almost as many boyfriends as I’ve had girlfriends,” he replies, running his finger over the rim of his glass of water. His eyes come up to mine. “Usually at the same time.”
I blink at him as I struggle to breathe.
“Good Evening, and welcome to Palmeri’s. Can I interest you in our house wine? It’s a lovely white Moscato.” The waiter’s greeting knocks me back into reality.
“I’m all set with the water, but could you bring some lemon?” Kellin looks over at me. “You, Ree?”
I swallow as I try to think.
Drink, Reese. What do you want to drink?
“Root beer?” I manage to say.
“Not a problem,” the waiter says. “For appetizers, may I suggest the Cozze al Pomodoro or Fondi di Carciofi? They’re both fabulous.”
Kellin looks at me with a smirk as my brow furrows in confusion. “Why don’t we try both?”
The waiter nods. “I’ll give you a few moments to discuss your entrees.”
“What the hell are cozy pompoms?” I ask, shaking my head partly because I’m confused about what we’ll be eating, but mostly because I’m having trouble comprehending what might be going on between us.
He shrugs, wiggling his eyebrows at me. “I haven’t the foggiest, but I’m pretty sure they don’t serve cheerleaders here.”
“Ha-ha,” I shoot back. “Cheerleaders never were your type.”
Kellin rolls his eyes. “I’m pretty sure no one knows what my type is.”
My eyebrows rise. “Even me?”
His voice is soft as he says, “Even you.”
“Then do you?” I ask as my heart hammers in my ears.
He looks up from the menu, locking eyes with me. “I know exactly what my type is.”
What is it then? I want to know so badly, but my mouth is frozen along with the rest of my body.
“Are you ready to order?” the waiter asks as she gives me my drink and places a bowl with lemon slices in front of Kellin.
“Do you have any specials?” I ask.
“We have a mushroom ravioli with pesto,” the waiter says.
“That sounds excellent,” I reply, handing her my menu.
“Make it two,” Kellin says.
“How’s the tattoo feeling?” I ask, not wanting to change the subject, but wanting to save myself from being utterly embarrassed.
Kellin rolls the shoulder closest to his new ink. “Getting them doesn’t hurt. After they do sting a bit. Do you like the way it came out?”
I nod, breathing in through my nose before replying, “I love the way the white of the moon and writing pops against the purple and black of the sky and blue of the waves.”
“Did I thank you already for coming?” he asks, and when I nod he gives me a soft smile. “Well, thanks again. It wouldn’t have meant as much without you there.”
“I still can’t believe you chose one of my drawings for it.”
“It needed to be something special,” Kellin replies, reaching forward and putting his hand over mine. “I couldn’t think of anything better.”
I suck in a deep breath. “Lindy is going to go from super pissed to super-bitch as soon as she finds out I spent the night with you instead of the guy she picked out for me.”
“I’m pretty sure she already hit super-bitch,” he replies.
“Here you are.” The waiter places the appetizers down, along with a plate for each of us. “Your entrees will be out momentarily. Can I get you anything else?”
Kellin looks at me, and I shake my head. “We’re all set, thank you.”
“Thank God, it’s not something disgusting,” he comments as she walks away.
I laugh. “This looks amazing.”
“Who knew pompoms were mussels!” Kellin says as he takes a bite.
I wrinkle my nose at him as I take a bite of the other dish, artichokes wrapped in bacon. “This is so good.”
“Wait until you try this,” Kellin says, holding the fork out for me to try the mussels. I melt back into my chair as I swallow. “Awesome, right?”
“I don’t even want to know what this is going to cost you,” I reply as I feed him an artichoke.
He swallows it and smiles. “Don’t worry about it. Temp did my tattoo at cost.”
“At cost?”
“Yeah, I paid for the ink and needles, which believe me, wasn’t much,” he says, winking at me. “So what do you think of the restaurant? I have good taste, huh?”
“Excellent,” I reply. “This is way better than some blind date with a guy I’m sure isn’t my type and the same enchiladas I get every time I go to Margaritas.”
Kellin laughs. “Ah, yes, the Mexican Flag and a frozen virgin margarita — sugar on the rim, not salt.”
“You know me all too well,” I reply as he leans forward and feeds me another mussel.
My body heats as he runs his bottom lip through his teeth. “That’s my job.”
“Is it now?” I ask, and I can’t help the way the words come out slightly breathless.
He nods. “You know me best, so I figure I should know you just as well.”
I swallow and the mollusk feels ten times bigger than it is as it slides down my throat. I don’t know why I was having trouble comprehending what this is. It’s simple.
This is us. It’s just the way Kellin and I are.
We’re good friends who know each other too well. I look down at the appetizer and try to smile. Just friends doesn’t really seem to fit what I’m feeling.
“So,” Kellin says, clearing his throat and I look up. His ears have gone red.
“Yes?” I say.
He plays with the edge of his napkin. “There’s one thing I’m not really sure of about you.”
My jaw goes slack. “Oh, yeah?”
He nods and his eyes lock on me. “What’s your type?”
I lean back in my seat and shake my head. “Oh, no. If you’re not telling me what your type is, I’m not telling you what mine is.”
Kellin’s brows raise, and my heart hammers in my chest. Everything about him is my type.
“Alright. Play it tough. I’ll find out soon enough,” he replies, and there’s a challenge in his voice.
“Ditto,” I reply, and tension sparks between us.
Chapter 11
“Reese?”
I look up from the books I’ve been stacking to a guy with shaggy dark brown hair hanging in his face. He moves it away as I nod, and he gives me a smile. He seems to think his version of a crooked grin is sexy, but inst
ead, it’s kind of creepy. He’s awkwardly tall and skinny, wearing ripped jeans and an Attila band tee. The thought of him listening to anything that heavy makes me smirk and his creepy grin turns into a smile. He thinks I’m smiling at him, but it’s really the thought of him getting destroyed in a mosh pit.
“Yeah, that’s me,” I reply.
“Tyler,” he says.
I shake my head. “Sorry, I don’t think I know who you are?”
His chin juts out as he runs his hand through his hair, which only flops back in front of his dark eyes. This kid is the definition of awkward. “I’m in your English Comp class.”
“Oh, okay,” I reply with a nod.
“And you blew me off on our date,” he adds as he tucks his fingers into his pockets and tilts on his heels.
“Oh,” I reply with a release of breath. “Sorry about that.”
He shrugs. “It’s alright. Lindy seemed to think whatever you were doing must have been pretty important.”
I grit my teeth at the mention of her. We haven’t spoken since her outburst. “Really? Because she didn’t seem to think it was.”
Tyler cringes, his shoulders rising into his hairline. “I figured you must be the Reese since that isn’t exactly a popular name.”
“The one and only,” I reply as I watch his eyes wash over me.
He’s openly checking me out, and from the unexcited look on his face, he isn’t impressed. “Bill is always trying to set me up with his girlfriend’s friends.”
“Bill?” I stifle a giggle as I repeat the name. It just doesn’t seem like Lindy would ever date someone named Bill. No wonder she only refers to him as Chem hottie.
“Yeah, we’ve known each other since middle school. He seems to feel it’s his job to make sure I’m getting…I mean…I have a girlfriend.”
I blink at him a few times as I run my tongue over the inside of my cheek. So Chem boy is that guy. The one only looking for a bed.
“It’s good to have a friend who has your back,” I reply. I nod to the book he’s holding. “You need to check that out?”
“Oh, no,” he replies looking down at it. “Just returning it.”
“Is it past due?” I ask, and he shakes his head. “Then you just need to put it in the drop. I was just about to head out for my fifteen-minute break. I need some fresh air.”
Tyler follows me, putting the book in the drop as I go to the time clock to punch out.
“Want to go for a walk?” he asks after I swipe my badge.
“Yeah, sounds good,” I reply, taking a deep breath as we fall into step beside one another.
Tyler holds the door for me. “How long have you worked here?”
“Since about two weeks into the school year.”
We walk a short distance and then sit on the stone wall just outside the library. I pull my sweatshirt sleeves down, and Tyler scoots closer to me.
“So how long have you known Lindy?”
“Since freshmen year, high school.”
“You guys seem pretty different.”
I nod. “That’s because we are.”
“Opposites attract, eh?”
Or annoy the hell out of each other, which is what Lindy’s doing now. This guy? She thought I’d like this guy?
I shake the thought from my head. “So how do you like English Comp?”
He looks straight ahead as he taps his hands on his knees. “Eh, grammar’s not really my thing — coordinating conjunctions and future progressive perfect tense.”
I lean back, tilting my head up to the sun. “Don’t get me started on coordinating conjunctions. I’m a marketing major, and I cannot stand the fact people have forgotten that coordinating means it connects a sentence, not starts one–yet, there’s like a zillion ads with it as the beginning of a sentence!”
I crack a lid open to glance at Tyler who’s looking at me with a huge smirk. “Only you would correct the teacher!”
“I do not!” I say and he raises his eyebrows. I knock shoulders with him as we laugh. “I’m sorry, I’m a grammar freak!”
I lean forward and look into the crowd on the green in front of us. My stomach rolls as my eyes somehow find Kellin in the crowd. I suck in a breath through my teeth as I watch him tickling a petite brunette. Something inside my head clicks and lets go as I look at him tilting her chin up and kissing her. My body flushes with heat as I bite the inside of my cheek, leaning forward as my knuckles turn white from holding the stones beneath me so hard. The world around me stops as Kellin’s eyes lift and somehow find mine in the crowd, just like I found him. The smile vanishes from his face as his jaw tightens. I can hear the blood rushing through my ears as I turn to Tyler, jealousy flitting through every inch of me as a tingling menace.
“So…I was thinking we should make up for that blind date I missed,” I say.
Tyler’s tapping freezes as he stares at me, eyes wide before looking away and rubbing the back of his neck.
“Umm…” He swallows, and I feel my jealousy being replaced with white-hot embarrassment. “You’re not really my type.”
My hands squeeze the rocks even tighter as I fight back the tears welling in my eyes. What the fuck is wrong with me? I don’t even like this kid, yet I’m asking him out because Kellin is kissing some slut on the green.
I shoot up, turning and crossing my arms over my well-covered chest. “I’m glad that I’m so revolting to you.”
Tyler stands, grabbing my hand as I turn away. “Reese, come on!”
I adjust my glasses on my nose as I shake my head, looking down at my baggy college sweatshirt and jeans before my eyes meet his muddy ones again.
“I get it. I really do, and honestly,” I reply, swallowing as I look away. “I don’t blame you, but let’s get this straight. I’m too good for you.”
Tyler looks down at me, blinking and mouth open, unable to form words. I shake my head before yanking my hand from his and storming back into the library. I don’t bother clocking back in as I walk into the private bathroom and press my back against the wood of the door.
I did this to myself, didn’t I? I turn to the mirror, pressing my palms against the cold porcelain of the sink as I stare back at my reflection. Gray eyes hidden beneath thick, funky purple frames, and mousey brown hair pulled into a loose ponytail. It was so much easier to remain in the background until now. I stare back at myself in my too big clothes. They’re the ones I’ve always said are the most comfortable, but now they weigh me down. I realize that I’ve always used them to hide who I am, and now I don’t really know who that person is — or worse, I’m too afraid to let that person out.
I inhale through my nose. I know who I want to be, and it’s not the person staring back at me.
I don’t want to hide. I want to be who I am and not give a damn what anyone thinks. I want to wear clothes that fit and make me feel beautiful. I want purple hair and contacts that show the metallic color of my eyes. I don’t care that it sounds superficial because in the end it’s not and I know it. It’s being confident and feeling good being me.
I narrow my eyes at myself.
I will not hide in the shadows anymore.
“Reese?” a knock comes on the door. “You in there?”
“Yeah, Lindy–sorry,” I reply, chewing on my lip before I turn towards the door. I have no clue how I’m going to go from being the baggy-clothed-nerd to a confident version of me that reflects who I am on the inside on the outside.
“There’s a line waiting to check out books,” she says, and her voice is soft.
I yank the door open and peer over her shoulder. There’s a line of pissed off students five deep, but I’m about fifty times more pissed than they are.
“And why are you here?” I ask as I push past her.
“I feel sorry for the way we left things — about me getting into your business so much. I should’ve respected that you had plans,” she replies as she follows me as to the desk.
I’ll have to have my punch fixed late
r. I type in my password and smile up at the kid in front of me. He stares through me just like Tyler did. My arms tingle with heat that rises to my cheeks. I don’t bother saying anything to him. Instead, I hold out my hand for his ID and scan it, then the book and check for anything past due before giving them both back.
“You have a week. Next please,” I say, looking over his shoulder at the line. I glance at Lindy. “We need to go shopping.”
“Shopping?” Lindy repeats, and I hear her cross her arms over her pushed-up chest.
I swallow. All I’m wearing is a sports bra.
“Yes,” I reply. “Like as soon as my shift is over.”
“When is that?” she asks.
I look at the time on the computer as I scan the next set of books. “Ten minutes. Jordan, you have three past due books.”
“Can’t you just let me take this one out, Miss? I need it to do my Economics essay,” Jordan says, crossing his arms bursting with muscles as he gives me what I assume he thinks is a killer smile.
I flutter my eyelashes at him. “Then I suggest you go back to your frat and pick those books up and jog your pretty little ass back here.”
He blinks at me a few times.
“Are you going? I have a few more people I need to assist,” I say, ushering him out with my hands.
“Bitch,” he hisses under his breath as he turns.
“See you later, Jordan!” I call at his back as he flips me off.
“Woah!” Lindy says as I smile sickly sweet at the last girl in line.
“Are you all set?” I ask as the girl narrows her peridot eyes at me.
“Sure,” she replies, her lips pursing as she looks me over. “You realize who that was, right?”
“Jordan Miller, giant pain in the ass– majors in stupidity and ill use of his parent’s money,” I say, pursing my lips.
The girl blinks rapidly at me as her mouth drops open. “Everyone wants a piece of him–almost as much as they want Kellin Lake.”
Rebel Cause (Boys of Fallout Book 3) Page 6