Renegade Path

This feeling between us was mutual. I wasn’t imagining this attraction. She wasn’t a polite girl taking pity on the new kid.

I almost leaned over and kissed her when I handed over her backpack in front of the girls’ locker room. At the last second, I stopped. When our lips touched for the first time, it wasn’t going to be in a dimly lit, sweat-scented hallway in front of sixty of our fellow classmates.

No, I wanted it to be special. And private.

Chapter Five

Juliet

My stomach fluttered as Roman and I stared at each other.

“I’ll pick you up when the bell rings,” he said.

“Okay.”

He grabbed the notebook out of my hand and quickly scribbled down some notes.

“We have the rest of our classes together.”

“Oh, good.”

Someone shoved me. Roman all but snarled at the offender.

“Ooo, Juliet, who’s your scary friend?” my friend Vienna asked.

“Vienna, this is Roman. This is his first day.”

Vienna raked her gaze over him and I had a violent urge to strangle her.

“I heard all about how you taught Douchebag Dougie some manners this afternoon,” Vienna said, still staring at him with too much interest. “Well done.”

Roman didn’t puff out his chest or even smile like most guys would. “Seems like someone should’ve done it a long time ago.”

“Got that right,” Vienna said. “That asshole lifted my dress in second grade and showed everyone my underwear. Got called ‘polka dots’ forever because of him.”

Leave it to Vienna to mention her underpants within five seconds of meeting a guy.

“We’re going to be late.” I dug my fingers into Vienna’s arm and tugged her toward the door.

“See you in an hour,” Roman reminded me.

“Wow,” Vienna said in a dreamy voice that I didn’t care for. “You lucky bitch. How did you meet him?”

“Trying to break into my locker.”

She scrunched up her nose, trying to decide if I was kidding or not, I think.

“He seems to like you.” She evil-grinned at me. “A birdie told me you went to the principal’s office to defend him.”

“Dougie started it. Why should he always get away with—”

“Don’t get me wrong. I’m thrilled. Doug can’t get enough ass-kickings as far as I’m concerned.”

We stripped out of our clothes and into the insultingly small gym uniforms the school insisted we wear. Thankfully, I was so height-challenged the shorts and polo looked almost normal on me. On Vienna’s tall, slender frame, the white shirt and shorts looked positively obscene.

“Come on, let’s get this over with.”

It was volleyball day, the one sport I was actually good at. I tossed the ball in the air to serve and almost missed when I spotted Roman watching me from the hallway.

I smashed the ball over the net, happy he caught me doing something I’m good at.

When I looked again, he’d vanished.

Something whooshed through the air and thudded against the side of my head. “Ow!”

The volleyball thunk, thunk, thunked against the gymnasium floor and lazily rolled away. “Look alive, Juliet!” the gym teacher yelled.

My face flamed hot. At least Roman hadn’t seen that.

After class, Vienna elbowed me. “Were you fantasizing about your knight in shining hottie?”

“That doesn’t even make sense.”

Not offended, she grinned and flounced into the locker room ahead of me.

True to his word, Roman was waiting in the hallway for me after class.

Again, he took my backpack, but this time he winced when he slung it over his shoulder.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Apparently we’d reached a stage in our relationship where I felt comfortable rolling up his sleeve to inspect his arm.

Black and blue stained most of his upper arm and shoulder. “We need to get you some ice for this.”

“I’m fine.” He glanced down at his bruised skin. “I’ve had worse.”

“Doug’s such an asshole,” I seethed. “Principal W. better have had a chat with him too.”

He grinned at me. “You’re pretty cute all fierce.”

He thought I was cute? My heart tapped out an erratic rhythm that sounded a lot like one of my favorite love songs.

Again, he took the seat behind me in class, glaring at Steve Lennon who usually occupied that seat. With Roman at my back, I felt safe and protected.

Normally I loved history, but today, I couldn’t stop thinking about the boy behind me.

After the final bell, he followed me outside. “Do you take the bus?” he asked.

“Not usually.” No, I’d had enough of being picked on and called names on the bus years ago and decided I’d rather walk than put up with my obnoxious classmates.

“Do you drive?” I winced after I asked. He was in foster care; I doubt he owned a vehicle.

“No car.” His jaw tightened and I wondered if I offended him.

“I’m sorry. That was thoughtless of me.”

“It’s no big deal, Juliet.” But he seemed to relax again.

My already shaky nerves rattled as we got closer to my street.

“I’m actually not that far from you,” Roman said. “A couple streets over.”