Caught in Us (Lost 3)

"This time, he found me." James grins at me.

"Get him to work for us. Maybe we'll be able to keep him, unlike the last one." With that, John grabs the laptop from James's desk, and both he and Chris leave the room.

"You're smart!" James exclaims.

"That surprising tone is not offending at all."

"I didn't mean that I thought you were stupid. Dani said you were smart, and you did get into Stanford, but you're not average smart, you're very smart. Are you looking for a job?"

"Yes," I say without hesitation.

"Then you're hired. I'll take you to Francine, our HR head afterward. She'll help you with the paperwork. Take as many hours as you can. When can you start?"

"Right away, since classes don't start until tomorrow. Why did the other guy leave? The other prodigy."

"He started his own company. That's the best reason to lose employees. I don't mind, though the team always feels that's a betrayal of sorts." The door opens. "Ah, detectives, you're already here. Good. Let's start."

Chapter Twenty-Five: Dani

The first day of classes is hectic. I grab a coffee and a donut for lunch and still make it to the first afternoon class with only a few minutes to spare. I take a deep breath in the doorway then start looking for Hazel in the classroom. Even though the auditorium is large enough to seat two hundred students, there are only twenty or so in attendance, so I find Hazel quickly. She sits next to Chase, of course.

"We saved you a seat at lunch," she says when I sit on her other side. "Where were you?"

"The history teacher kept us a little longer to explain something about an assignment."

Chase grimaces, shaking his head. "Why are you taking history? It's the most boring class in the history of the world. No pun intended."

"Because she's taking a variety of classes." Hazel picks up the schedule I've printed out. A strand of her hair has caught in the corner of her mouth, but she's oblivious to it as she looks at the piece of paper incredulously. "Are you insane?"

"No, I am testing out the classes. The advisor said that's what the first weeks are for. I can drop any classes I'm not interested in afterward."

"I am pretty sure the advisor didn't mean you should sign up for every class," Hazel insists.

"I didn't sign up for all of them, just more than average."

"The average is three," Chase says.

"No, it's five." Hazel turns to him with her eyebrows raised.

A sheepish grin spreads on his face. "Yeah, well, I totally brought that number down last semester when I signed up for zero classes before you kicked my ass."

"I'll keep five courses at the end of the period," I promise.

"I hope you will, Miss Indecisive."

Her comment stings, but I mask it with a smile. She knows me too well. Miss Indecisive is the perfect description for me right now, and it kills me. I prided myself during all of high school that I knew what I wanted to study. After discovering in London that I don't like it as much, I feel lost and confused. That's why I want to try everything, even business courses like this one, even though I've never been particularly interested in business.

The professor comes in. He’s a plump man in his fifties with too much mustache and too little hair. Still, despite his almost comical appearance, he exudes authority because the murmurs die down immediately. I listen to him for a few minutes before I feel something. I can't explain it—it’s like a magnetic pull, and I turn sideways. My heart does a somersault as my eyes find Damon sitting on the opposite row, all the way back. He smiles my favorite smile, the one where he gets delicious dimples and his lips curl in a way that says I am preparing for mischief. His gaze rakes over me, sending flaming darts shooting through me as I remember the way we danced two nights ago and how it felt to have his lips on mine again. I force myself to look at the professor and take notes, still feeling Damon's gaze on me.

I can't help stealing a glance at him every now and again. He's a different boy than the one I met in senior year. He had a perpetual look of anger on him, and he seemed so lost. Now he's eager and focused. I might be lost, but he isn't. Damon is not a boy anymore; he's a man. And just like in high school, he attracts stares from about every girl in the room. Some of them try to be sneaky, only looking at him every now and again. Some don’t bother at all with manners, gawking at him like he’s in the room for the sole purpose of fulfilling their fantasies. I get jealous only imagining what they’re thinking about. His devil-may-care appearance exudes sexiness. It’s like a magnet. I can hardly blame anyone else for staring at him when I can’t keep my own eyes off him.

Midway through the lecture, the professor announces that the class will be graded based on a project that will last the entire semester and that we are to complete in groups of two. He suggests we start looking for a partner sooner rather than later, and that if we plan to drop this class we do so now and not waste his time for two weeks. I automatically turn to Hazel, but Chase puts his arm around her shoulders before I even open my mouth.

"Sorry, love, but she's the only person who likes me enough to spend an entire semester working on a project with me."

"She's my best friend," I retaliate, as if this somehow nullifies what he just said.

"You took off to London for half a year. You snooze, you lose."