Hazed (Palm South University)

“Is that what you want to do?”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s what I want to do,” she said quickly. “It’s what I was bred to do.”

“Bred?” I frowned. “You’re not a horse. You’re a human.”

Ruby Grace stopped with an abrupt click of her heels once we reached the welcome center entrance, and she crossed her arms defiantly as her eyes found mine. She didn’t even have to say another word for me to know I’d pushed the wrong button, and I was about to get the same woman I met in this very spot an hour before.

“Look, you don’t know anything about me, okay? Or my family, or what I want or what I don’t want, so just stop trying to presume whatever it is you’re presuming.”

“Oh, look at you,” I chided, stepping into her space. “Using big words again.”

She scoffed. “They say nothing changes when you leave this town and come back, I guess you just proved them right.”

“Well, that’s my job,” I fired back. “Proving the ominous they right. Glad I’ve still got it.”

Our chests were close again, the stains on my off-white t-shirt highlighting the crisp cleanness of her dress.

“Lucy will take your money inside,” I said, nodding to the doors behind her. “Congratulations on your engagement.”

I turned just as her mouth popped open, but I didn’t look back.

“Thanks for the tasting,” she said, making sure her voice was loud and clear.

“Go ahead and say it louder, princess,” I threw behind me. “You’d be in just as much shit as I would.”

She didn’t respond to that, and when I chanced a glance back in her direction, there was steam rolling off that cute face of hers as she ripped the door to the welcome center open.

And I couldn’t help it — I chuckled.

I didn’t mean to ruffle her feathers, but damn if I didn’t like getting under that pretty bird’s skin.