Page 9 of Defend Me

With his hair pulled back, his high cheekbones were prominent. They made his face more angular, along with the curve of his jaw. Add in his full lips and he was a recipe for a broken heart.

He raised a brow. “Are you mute?”

“No.”

I definitely sounded like an idiot. After clearing my throat, I held the joint out to him. His smile returned and even when he sealed his lips around the paper, I could see it. He climbed the last two steps, then dropped into a crouch beside me.

“Tilian, right?”

I swallowed hard, cursing myself for not drinking water before this interaction. My mouth was so dry.

“Uh, yeah. How’d you know?”

“We’re in the same class.”

“Do you know the name of everyone in class?”

He shrugged. “I have a good memory. I’m guessing you don’t know my name.”

My nose scrunched up. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be. I’m Brooks.”

“That’s a cool name.”

“You think so? My friends say I’m named after a shoe.”

I laughed, then ducked my head. “Yeah, well, there are worse things to be called. Bob, for example.”

“That’s my middle name.”

“Oh, shit. I’m-”

“Kidding,” he interrupted. He chuckled as he passed the joint to me. “So, you studying law?” He nodded toward my criminal justice textbook.

“I guess so.”

“What does that mean?”

Shifting in my seat, I angled my arm away from him and tapped the ash off the joint. “I’m not studying to be a lawyer. Uh, my degree is in social work and criminal justice.”

“Huh. That’s cool. What year?”

“Junior. You?”

“First year here, but I’m technically a junior. I went through a program to get my two-year degree while I was in high school.”

“So, you’re a genius.”

“No,” he laughed. “Just dedicated. Gotta make the parents proud, right?”

“Sounds like we’re polar opposites. If my dad is proud of me, I’m doing something wrong.”

He ran his tongue across the bottom of his top teeth. The longer he was silent, the more I worried that what I’d said was dumb. It probably made me seem just like the stoner I was. That was what everyone thought, at least.

Yeah, I smoked- a lot- but it wasn’t my entire personality and it was for a reason. Sometimes. Either way, it shouldn’t matter and it wasn’t anyone’s business.

When he stood from his crouch, I felt a twinge of disappointment. I offered him the joint, but he shook his head.

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