"Why? You don't know anything about me other than my name." Her face falls for a split-second, but then she flashes a smile. Persistent girl. I can tell she has no idea what answer to give because she thinks her beauty doesn't require one. As if to make a point, she pushes her chest forward, twirling a few strands of hair between her fingers. Everyone from the classroom storms out, their voices filling the space. I spot the girl from this morning in the crowd, the one I texted. Dani. Blondie also sees her, giving her a short once-over then dismissing her with a self-indulgent smirk. This seals it for me.
"So, I know a nice cafe nearby. We could go after school," Anna says.
"No. And a word of advice: start working on your personality; you have a lot of catching up to do. Your ass and boobs aren't as good as you think." I purse my lips. She backs away like I've cracked a whip in front of her. I take off, swinging my backpack over my shoulder. I can still see Dani, even though she's far ahead of me on the corridor. I smile as I remember the shade of pink her skin turned when I was texting her. She seems so pure; it’s a sin to flirt with her. But something's hidden deep beyond that innocence—passion. I don't think she even knows it. I do. I saw it in the way she talked to me this morning, how her eyes sparkled. It was almost worth it riling her up just to see her like that. I wonder how she'd spark if I did something else to her.
I shake my head, musing how this girl can have this effect on me. It's the first time since Mom died that I feel anything else except pain and anger. I've been in Hell since the funeral, and I can't make anyone pay for it, though I’ll keep trying. That bastard calling himself my father deserves it. My fingers twitch, forming into fists as anger swells up inside me anew. Then Dani turns and smiles brightly at me, and that anger is replaced by another equally consuming sensation...my cock throbbing in my jeans. Easy boy. She's not that kind of girl, and she's much better off without you.
Chapter Five: Dani
At lunchtime, I prepare to go to the cafeteria when Hazel says, "I've got to go. Mom is picking me up early today."
"Oh, right. I forgot. You're going to Lake Tahoe for the weekend."
"That's right." She beams, rubbing her palms together in excitement. "And the week after Valentine’s Day, we'll go to London. Mom is at the principal right now, trying to convince him to give me two weeks off, so we can make a tour."
"I'll be surprised if he doesn't agree. Your mom can talk anyone into anything." I know it's selfish, but I'm jealous of Hazel. She and her parents do something together every other weekend. Sometimes they take me with them, but it's embarrassing to intrude on their family time too often. Their family time feels real, not a wisp of resemblance to the weekly Thursday night dinners at my house. They laugh together, and Hazel's parents get involved in every way in her life. I crash at her place often. The weekends I don't spend with Hazel, I try to spend with James. Nothing like my brother to ensure my belly hurts from too much laughing. The time with him is almost enough to fill me with energy for a week of being ignored and being on my own in my parents' enormous mansion.
Almost.
***
I say goodbye to Hazel and her mom, then buy myself lunch and go up to the roof, as usual, only to find it occupied. Damon is lying on his back, his eyes closed as he soaks in the sunlight. Next to him is a half-eaten sandwich.
"What are you doing here?" I ask loudly.
"Avoiding people." He pushes himself up in a sitting position, and I’m distracted by the wind blowing through his hair. It dislodges a few dark tresses, and they stray around wildly. "What are you doing here?"
"This is where Hazel and I eat lunch. Same reason as you."
"Isn't the roof off-bounds, at least for nerds with a teacher-defending streak like you?" His comments should rub me the wrong way, but he's smiling—not smirking—as he says it, and there is no malice in his voice. It flatters me. He takes a bite of his sandwich and grimaces in disgust.
"Oh, but nerds like me know where the good food is in the cafeteria." I sit next to him and hold out my burger, beckoning him to take a bite.
"This is good," he says incredulously. "How did I end up with this crap?"
"It's your fault. Why did you go to the sandwich and salads corner?"
"Because there was no line there."
I grin. "That should've been a straightforward hint that the food there sucks."
"They charge a shitload of fees. Shouldn't all the food be good?"
"Well, technically, that," I point to his sandwich, "is the best food. It's in the healthy corner."
He snorts. "Figures. World's weirdest paradox. Everything that's healthy tastes like crap."
"They had a decent tuna salad yesterday."
"You eat tuna salad? And I thought you were okay."
"It wasn't too bad. More burger?"
"Aren't you going to be hungry later on? It's not that big," he says. I assure him it's all right, and we share my burger in silence. I become aware of his proximity, and I remember how it felt to have his arms around me, to breathe in his breath. A flutter in my stomach alerts me that my thoughts are heading into dangerous territory. It probably meant nothing to him. Still, watching him eat and licking his lips fills me with more strange sensations...like heat and ache for something unknown.
"Where is your friend?” he asks. “The one you sit with in all the classes?"
"Her mom picked her up early today. They’re traveling this weekend."