Page 38 of Wild Card

Decker froze, his face popping up, those eyebrows arched high on his forehead. He seemed like he wanted to say something, but instead he released the bowl and handed it over to me.

For some reason, the victory felt more like defeat. I liked flirting with Decker, having fun with him, fighting over something stupid like chips. I didn’t like the rogue emotions he kept stirring in me, and all because we’d had some chemistry when his face was between my legs. It was bullshit, just my desperate need to get laid.

So, I switched things up.

“Tay, can you swap me places? The light from the television is giving me a headache.”

“You should just go to bed—I know you hate horror movies. I can see your friend out when it’s over,” she offered sweetly, adjusting the blanket on her lap.

That was exactly what Decker wanted, so I stood and smiled at her, and when I looked at Decker, the expression on his face was odd. I couldn’t decipher it. This would let him get closer to her; this was his plan, and I knew my stepsister would be moving closer to him. Even if she didn’t like him, she’d probably try to sleep with him. I didn’t judge; she had a healthy and vibrant sex life, so I would just let them get to it. Still, something in me shriveled up and died just thinking about it.

“Night, Decker…I’ll see you around.”

His jaw tensed, those viridescent eyes locked on mine. He looked angry, like he’d just lost an all-in bet at a poker table or something…whatever. He was probably hoping I would stay and talk him up or try to get the two of them to hang out. He could do all that on his own.

I didn’t wait for him to respond as I walked down the hall, and just before I opened my door, I looked over my shoulder to see Taylor move from the chair and claim my spot on the couch.

Chapter Fifteen

I was running latefor one of my classes, which wasn’t exactly new for me, but noticing the dark red-haired journalism student typing away in the newspaper class was. I must have walked past this room a thousand times, but I had never really looked inside…or if I had, I hadn’t seen her. I would have remembered. There was something about that wild hair and those green eyes that would have stopped me or made me walk in and ask her out.

The memory of what she had done two nights earlier, leaving me alone with her stepsister, sat with me wrong, like warm milk on a sunny day. I knew why she had done it, but still…there was something wrong about being with Taylor without Mallory present. I understood how messed up that was, especially because this entire situation was my fault and my creation…but that didn’t mean I liked it.

I stared at Mallory as she focused on her computer screen, and then I glanced around for any faculty that might be near.

“Psst,” I hissed, hanging halfway in through the doorway.

Mallory didn’t look up from her computer. A few other students did though, each of them giving me an odd look before looking back toward a small cubicle room. There was a shaggy-haired kid sitting inside, all glass windows, with his door open. He must have been the editor or something.

“Pssst. Mallory Shaw,” I whispered again, tossing a pencil at her. The object hit her screen and bounced off, rolling to the ground by her feet.

Her head swung in my direction, her face slack with confusion. I smiled at how unaware she seemed and how surprised she was.

Pinching her eyebrows together, she glanced back at the little cubicle room before glancing my way once more. I waved my hand, indicating I wanted her to follow me out of the classroom. She looked around once more before standing up and following me out.

The hall was mostly empty, most people in class or about to get there. Mallory must have been an overachiever if she was already sitting down at her desk and writing. I stopped a few feet away from the door and slouched against the wall.

“Hey.”

She looked down the hall and crossed her arms. “Hey.”

I smiled, liking her feistiness. “What are you doing?”

“What did it look like I was doing?” she volleyed back.

Such a smart mouth. If she had been my girl, I’d have grabbed her wrist and tugged her into a secluded alcove or bathroom then shoved my hand up her white shirt and pinched her nipple. Even now, I could see the outline of her blue bra under the two tanks she wore, one slightly bigger than the other. She had this little gold necklace that looked so fucking good against her tanned skin, and I wanted to run my fingers under it.

“It looked like you were entering launch codes to destroy the male population,” I joked back, feeling a smile creep up my face. I didn’t usually smile. It helped with the rumors circling about me, that I was an angry freak. I slightly wondered if Mallory had heard them yet. The way she snuck glances at my hand told me she had, but she was too nice to me for me to get a clear reading.

She rolled her eyes and let out a heavy sigh. “I was writing up a few notes for my article.”

“Ah, right.” Now I felt like a moron—of course that was what she was obviously doing in her journalism class.

“What areyoudoing?” With her arms still crossed, she leaned forward, bumping my arm with hers. The action took me by surprise, because my scarred hand was wrapped around my elbow, so when she bumped me, it took me right back to that night in Elias’s room when she gripped my wrist, her finger running down the length of my scar. It sent a rush of heat through my chest not having her recoil or act afraid of me.

“Going to class, but I know I owe you a meeting.” I ran my hand through my hair, wondering what in the hell I was about to offer and why. These meetings were a waste of time considering she wouldn’t be allowed to print a single word. Still, we had a deal, and it wasn’t like it was a hardship to be around her. There were a million little warning flags waving in my head, telling me not to do this, but I did anyway. “I usually head to my mom’s house once a week to help her out…I know you don’t know me very well, but it’s a bit of a drive, so it would give us a ton of time to talk.”

Her eyes went wide at my offer, so I quickly made sure I fixed it.

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