The Beginning
1 Callie
“You’re lookin’ a little lost.”
I jump silently and spin around. My gaze snaps up to see who is talking to me. This cute guy with brown hair that’s a little shaggy and chocolate eyes is looking at me. He’s kind of cute, though a little skinny for my taste. Still, he looks kind and that’s better than most of the others in this school have been today.
“Yeah,” I laugh. “I kind of am. I’m trying to find room thirty-nine. I assumed it would be on the bottom level, but I’ve looked everywhere,” I explain.
“First day at Elmore?” he asks, and I nod.
“Yeah. We just moved here from New Hampshire,” I explain.
“Whoa, big change,” he says, his smile deepening.
“You can say that again,” I mutter, trying once again to look at the doors, as if the right room will just magically appear.
“You don’t sound happy about that,” he responds, laughing.
“Is it always so hot in Texas?” I whine. “This heat is killing me. I feel like I’m sweating so much that my clothes are sticking to me.” I catch what I say and look up at the guy, embarrassed, giving him a tight smile. “Sorry. That was probably too much information.”
“I could lie and say we’re usually really cool here, but honestly it’s usually hotter than it is today.”
“You’re kidding,” I gasp.
“Afraid not,” he says with a shrug.
“Great, just great,” I mutter.
“I’m Reed Lane,” he says, and I look up from the useless map to acknowledge him.
“I’m Callie Street,” I respond.
“Hey, Callie Street,” he murmurs. He stares at me a moment and I get butterflies in my stomach. He’s cute, not my usual type, but definitely cute. Then again, most of the guys I’ve met since moving to Texas are. I’m not sure they raise ugly ones here.
“Hey, Reed Lane,” I respond, making his smile widen.
“If you’re looking for Miss Thomas’s room, you must be taking senior English.”
“Yeah. You’re taking it, too?” I ask, excited that I might actually know someone in the class. Not that I know Reed, but we’ve met, so he might not stare at me—like everyone else seems to have done today.
“Nope, afraid not. I’m just a junior. My brother is in her class, though. It’s in the basement. You go down the stairs by the library and it’s the third door on your left.”
“Great!” I respond, a little overly cheerful. “I appreciate the help, Reed.”
“You’re welcome,” he says, still grinning at me.
“I just have one more question to ask—if you don’t mind?”
“Shoot,” he says, his eyes sparkling with humor. I’ve never been attracted to younger guys, but he’s sweet. I usually fall for the bad guy type—which I’ve learned is nothing but heartache.
“Where in the heck is the library? I’m from a small private school. All these rooms are making me dizzy.”
He throws his head back in laughter and I join in. It feels good and releases some of the tension that I’ve felt since moving here.
“C’mon, Dizzy. I’ll show you the way.”
“Won’t that make you late for your class?”
“You’re worth it,” he says with a wink, and I feel myself blushing.
Maybe I should give younger guys a chance.
2 Reed
I watch Callie walk into her classroom and I swear to God, my hands are tingling. She’s freaking hot. Dark hair that falls in waves just past her shoulders, an ass that looks like it was specifically made for those jeans she’s wearing, and her tits are bona fide wet dream material. She’s the best-looking girl I’ve seen—probably ever.
I stand back from the door, out of sight from most of the class. That’s because my brother is in there, and Mitch is a fucking asshole. He’s my older brother, but he acts like a giant, damn kid. He’s also just ten months older than I am. Yet, because my birthday falls late, we’re in different grades in school. He might be the older one—albeit not by much—but I’m always covering for him with Mom and Dad. He’s an asshole and enjoys hurting people. I see it, even if no one else can. The thing about Mitch is he can always play to the crowd and somehow make himself look like the good guy. It’s not until you get burned by him that you see the truth. I’ve kept our parents shielded, but I keep him at a distance, mostly because I know him.
Miss Thomas—who is a spinster, mostly because she’s bitchy as hell—comes to the door. She sees me standing here, watching Callie, and gives me a disgusted look. I smile at her and give her a wink—just to irritate her. I mean, hell, it’s not like I had my tongue hanging out panting after Callie. It was close, however. She slams the door a little harder than she has to and for some reason that makes me laugh. Maybe I’m a little bit of the asshole I always accuse my brother of being.