his turtleneck sweater and his corduroys were partially rolled up on one side, revealing the tiniest
bit of pale skin. I drank in every detail of him while I could. If only he knew how much I missed
every inch of him, inside and out. If only he knew how much I regretted everything.
Cromwell dismissed us just as the second brilliant idea of the past twenty-four hours hit me like a
brick to the head. The perfect gift for Josh. What might be the perfect gift for both of us.
I jumped up and raced down the rapidly filling aisle, headed for the heavy, arched door. If I was
going to pull this off, I was going to need as much time as I could make for myself.
"Gotta throw up again, Brennan?" Ivy shouted after me. "They have clinics for that kind of thing!"
A few people laughed, but I ignored them all. I would deal with Ivy later. I shoved the door open
and the cold air hit me like a slap to the face. I paused for a second to button up and pull my hat
on. Big, big mistake.
171
"So, Glass-Licker," Amberly said, sidling up next to me. "You missed your deadline."
I clenched my jaw and started speed-walking down the cobbled path. Unfortunately, Amberly had
no trouble keeping up.
"You owe me a disc, remember?" she said. "I hope you have it with you this morning. I'm really too
busy to keep following you around."
I stopped in my tracks and looked at her, letting out a fed-up sigh.
"You don't have it, do you?" Amberly laughed and shook her head. "Don't you realize I can make
things very difficult for you?"
I threw up my hands and let them slap down at my sides. "Do you even hear
how ridiculous you
sound? What did you do last summer, take some course called Soap Opera Villainy 101?"
Amberly's blue eyes narrowed. She tugged her fur-lined gloves on slowly. "Okay, then. Difficult it
is."
I shook my head mirthfully. "Yes. Difficult it is. Bring on the difficult. I can't wait to see what your
tiny little brain comes up with."
Then I turned and strolled off casually, letting her see just how very unaffected I was by her
threats. There was a lot that could get to me, especially lately, but I was not going to be
intimidated by some poser freshman. Especially not Amberly.