I stopped, and so did he. “You think Edward McClanahan got away with anything?” he fired back.
I didn’t give a shit about Edward McClanahan! I just… I just wanted… I just wanted to go home!
“I told you, because I like this place,” he finally answered. “I wanted you here with me, because…” He searched for words, his hand shooting to his hair and gripping it. “Because we want what we want, Em! Jesus!”
“Take me home.”
He inched in, his eyes on fire. “No.”
I chuckled once, aghast. Was he kidding?
“This isn’t happening,” I spat out, getting back in his face. “I’m not going to be the one all over you in the school hallways tomorrow in front of everyone. I’m something dirty you hide!”
“Speak for yourself,” he growled. “I think you’re the one ashamed of me. That you want me. That you want this.”
I laughed. “And who told you that? Your secret society of date rapists who advised that me walking away from you the last fifteen times was a ‘signal’.” And I held up my hands, doing air quotes.
He snarled and advanced on me, but then backed away and turned around. He ran his hands through his hair again, and I could see him breathing hard, the vein in his neck bulging.
“I would never stop touching you,” he said, his voice almost tired. “And I would touch only you.”
He turned and looked at me, and he was so beautiful I wanted to believe him.
Raindrops started to fall again, lightning flashing across the sky, followed by thunder cracking overhead.
Out of all the boys in school, Will was the biggest threat. Not because he was handsome or because he was one of the only ones who was ever somewhat interested in me, but because…
He never gave up. Deep down, I loved that, because I was going to be an effort for anyone, and he wasn’t easily discouraged.
Right now, I wanted him to pick me up.
Bu
t instead, I circled the truck and climbed in the driver’s side, immediately locking the doors. If he wasn’t driving me home, I’d drive myself.
Rain tapped against his window, and I watched him come around and stand there, a glint in his eyes at my challenge.
I waited for him to try to stop me, but…he didn’t.
Shifting the truck into gear, I punched the gas and sped off, pulling a quick U-turn as the tires screeched against the pavement.
I sped past him and headed out of the parking lot, not even taking one last look in my rearview mirror.
I turned onto the dark road and pressed the gas pedal to the floor, speeding back to Thunder Bay and gripping the wheel like it was his damn neck.
Who did he think he was? Did every girl just roll over and thank her lucky stars for his attention? Is that where he got such confidence?
I just wanted to go home. Study. Graduate. And leave this town.
I didn’t want anything else!
“Ugh!” I growled, turning up the radio and inching up in my seat because I could barely reach the damn pedals, and it was too dark to try to figure out how to adjust the seat in this stupid truck.
God, where did he get off? He’s all like “Hey, babe. I’m—insert hair flip and surfer boy tone—Will Grayson. Should we like, maybe get together and mate? We can totally honeymoon in Hawaii. I’ll put a stamp in your passport and make all your dreams come true.”
Which of course, we wouldn’t need our passports, because Hawaii was still in our own country!
I growled under my breath, breathing hard as rain fell harder, blurring the road in front of me.