Beauty and the Outcast (New Hope)

“Let me get them,” Knox says as I bend down to grab one.

“That’s okay. I got it.” He ignores my response and goes for a couple of boxes, following me into the bedroom.

He lingers in the room, looking around. I open one of the boxes to keep myself busy. Still he stands there not saying anything, but I can sense his eyes are on me.

“I can help.” Before I can tell him no, he’s ripping open a box. His brows draw up at whatever he sees inside. “I should leave this one for you.” I walk over, peeking inside and seeing it’s filled with all of my bras and underwear. Of course it is. I can’t catch a break. Why is everything so awkward with Knox and me? I’m not sure how I’m going to survive the next year living in the same house with him.

“You want to watch a movie?” Faith says, strolling into my room. The door is wide open. “Oh, what are you doing in here?” she asks her brother, giving him a suspicious look.

“I helped bring her boxes in.”

“I think I want to unpack and shower. It’s been an eventful day.”

“Okay. If you change your mind, I’ll be in my room.”

“Thanks.” I give her a smile.

“Come on, dork. Stop standing in the room and let the girl have some alone time.” She grabs her brother's arm, pulling him out of the room. I follow them, closing the door. I lean up against it and take a deep breath.

I have an idea of why it’s so awkward. I’m attracted to him. There is no denying he’s hot, but he’s also a jerk. He might have said sorry to me, but I saw him unleash it on a few people today. That anger scares the crap out of me. It reminds me a bit of my mother's boyfriends.

I’ll keep my distance. That shouldn't be too hard.

That sounds as though it’s going to be a lot easier said than done.

6

Knox

I think I’m losing my mind. For the past three weeks Whitney makes sure to never be alone in a room with me. I never have much of a chance to talk to her. My sister is the ultimate cock blocker.

She’s constantly issuing me warnings about leaving Whitney alone. I only grunt my responses, not agreeing. I didn’t want to lie to her. The truth is I don’t think I could stay away from her even if I tried.

Going through a few classes and not seeing her irks me. I have to go check on her. If I’m already doing that, there is no way in hell I could keep myself permanently away from her. Who would want to, anyway? Whitney is a breath of fresh air. Whenever I’m in the same space as her everything feels right in my life for the first time.

“You’re shaking the whole table.” Faith elbows me in the side. I stop bouncing my foot. Where the hell is she? I know for a fact I overheard Whitney and Faith talking about going over something at lunch today.

I slipped out of my last class early to snag a table and grab a few things already. Such as some Dr. Pepper, peanut butter M&Ms and Cheetos. All snacks that I know Whitney favors.

“Pizza and fries cool with everyone?” Ace asks, sitting the two trays in his hands down on the table.

“Perfect.” Faith drops her head back for Ace to give her a kiss. All their PDA often makes me cringe. The idea of someone being all over me is revolting. It makes my skin feel tight thinking about it. Unless, of course, it was Whitney’s hands. I bet her touch would be feather soft.

I relax when Whitney finally comes strolling into the cafeteria. She glances around trying to spot Faith, but she sees me first. Her eyes widen for a moment before she masks it, knowing she has no choice but to come over and join us at this point.

“Hey.” She gives a small wave when she gets to the table. The only seat open is the one next to me unless she moves someone’s stuff.

“Let Whitney sit here.” Faith motions for me to give up my spot. I slip over a seat, not caring where I’m seated as long as I’m on one side of Whitney. I want to enjoy that sweet honey smell that is always around her.

“Got some snacks.” I pop open a Dr. Pepper, setting it in front of her.

“Thanks.” Her voice is always so soft. The first time I snuck over to her choir class and heard her sing it was hard to fathom it was her that could belt out the music the way she did. I hadn’t anticipated her having those pipes. I swear my dick got hard as I was listening to her sing her little heart out. There is so much emotion that pours out of her when she lets go, and when she sings, she does that.