Page 22 of Tainted Romance

Angry tears slid down my face, and I was relieved when I felt Zane’s connection pull back. My thoughts were my own, and I was glad. I didn’t need Zane hearing just how hurt I was by his words.

Chapter Eight

One moment we were flirting with each other, teasing each other, and betting who could get the other more jealous; next he is being sweet in Math and putting his reputation on the line to sit next to me, and then he takes a complete 360 and says he wants nothing to do with me and basically rejects me.

Here I thought women were meant to be the completely crazy, hormonal ones.

My headphones were blaring music in my ears, blocking out all possible thoughts and on the off-chance Zane reaches into my mind, he will be greeted with some fuck you music.

I was drawing in my notebook, or scribbling as Blake calls it. Some habits you just can’t break. The English teacher wasn’t even trying to get my attention; she gave up at the start of the class, but seeing as it was a free period, and everyone was doing whatever they liked, she wasn’t even bothered by me having my phone out and listening to music.

Zane was at the back of the classroom, next to Taylor. Three days had passed since he pretty much rejected me. Each day, he had ignored me, which didn’t sting as much as I expected because I wasn’t going to be a wimpy little wolf about it.

It is amazing what you can convince yourself of. I had kept chanting in my head, I hate Zane, I hate Zane, and it really helped for the first two days, but then my hurt spilled its guts on the third night. I cried for a solid three hours.

My head still slightly ached from the headache I had last night. Yep, I had cried that much.

So today was day four, and so far, it was going ok. I hadn’t broken out in tears, and I hadn’t killed him or charged at him. So, all in all it was a good day, but I knew that was soon going to change because tonight was a pack meeting which meant I would have to go to his house. Terror filled my blood when I thought about it.

“Hey, Allie!” someone called for my attention.

Slowly, I looked over my shoulder to see Taylor leaning over his desk, with a grin on his face. Had he hit his head or something? What gave him the impression he could speak to me?”

“Taylor?” I arched an eyebrow with a weary expression and removed the earphones.

“Mom told me you were coming over for dinner.” Taylor struck up a conversation with me as if we were friends. Zane, however, was sitting still next to him, like dead still - it was scary. Nearly as scary as that angry expression on his face.

“I’m not going.” Mom could ask and nag me all she wanted, but nothing would get me walking into Taylor’s house willingly.

Taylor got up from his chair, and I was in complete horror when he slumped in the chair next to me.

“Are you lost? Or did you hit your head?” I looked at him stunned.

“Come on, Allie, don’t be like that.” He had the stomach to smirk at me.

“Are you flirting with me?” I was mildly disgusted by the idea, and instantly I edged further away from him.

“Oh, sweet cheeks, don’t you wish.”

“I don’t believe in wishing.”

“Fine, sweet cheeks, in your dreams then.”

“Perhaps in my nightmares.”

“Hey, either way, sweet cheeks, you would be thinking of me.”

“Call me sweet cheeks one more time, and I’ll give you a swollen cheek.”

“I love it when you get dirty.”

“I mean it, Taylor.” I raised a finger warning him. “I’m not against hitting girls.”

“I know, I saw you take on Ebony.” He wiggled his eyebrows at me. “I do love a bit of girl on girl.”

“That’s it, what side do you want it?”

“Calm down, Allie.” He raised both hands. “Before someone thinks you have an anger management problem.”

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