Page 23 of My Last Dance

Resting my elbow on the table, I held my chin. “I’m always mad.” It was true. I think I was born with a chip on my shoulder that made me always strive to prove myself and win.

He snorted.

“What?” I shot back defensively. I was in no mood to be made fun of.

He smirked. “Me too.”

That had me pausing. For a second, we both openly studied each other. It felt like an understanding passed between us.

“So, truce?” He reached out for a handshake.

“Yeah, I guess.” I took his hand in mine. That first touch sent a shock through my system.I was touching a boy. A boy who was not Patrick.My eyes flashed up to his, curious if he felt it too, but his eyes were locked on our hands.

I quickly pulled my hand back and tucked it under my leg.

He rubbed his nose. “Why do your legs hurt?”

The answer almost flew right out of me, which would’ve been so stupid. There’s no way I was about to spew out any of my secrets to anyone.

“Sorry, never mind,” he said quickly. “My name’s Richard, what’s yours?”

I arched a skeptical eyebrow. “I thought your name was Kappy?”

He grinned, clearly pleased with himself that I knew his name.

I rolled my eyes. “Hans yells at you all the time. I’d have to be deaf not to know your name.”

He struggled to hide his grin. “The guys call me Kappy. You can call me Richard.”

Cocking my head to the side, I thought it over. “That’s fitting for you.”

The corners of his mouth curved up. “You think?”

“Yeah, you’re kind of a Dick.”

“Oof.” Laughing, he pulled back and held his chest like my words wounded him. “That hurt, Piper.”

I smirked. He just gave away that he already knew my name, too. “You can’t be too surprised at my very accurate assessment,” I said. “You literally make an old man chase after you and your buddies, and you guys laugh about it. It’s not very nice. What did Hans ever do to you?”

He laughed. “Nah, we’re just playing. The old man enjoys it.”

I shot him a look that saidare-you-crazy?

He grinned. “Hans is our friend, he knows our pranks are all in good fun.”

“Um, you guys literally rigged it up to replace the buzzer with a fart sound.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “All the weekend games were delayed because it took Hans forever to figure out how to undo it.”

He threw his head back laughing, and I couldn’t help it, a smile tugged at my lips. He just had a way of laughing with his whole body that made it near impossible to keep a straight face. “God, that’s funny. But how do you know that was us, huh?”

“Your face, right now!” I pointed at him, struggling to keep my resolve.

“Ah, shit.” He chuckled while folding his hands behind his head. He leaned back a little to assess me. “Okay, I’ll take it. I might be a dick,sometimes.” He paused for a second in thought. “And you’re Piper the Viper.”

My eyes narrowed. “Is that supposed to make me mad?”

“No.” He shrugged. “It’s just…true.” He twirled his pencil lazily in his hand. “You’re fierce, quick, ready to attack. You go straight for the throat.”

I hated to admit it, but a little part of my heart sank. Then again, what did I expect? I was the one who called him a dick, after all. Swallowing hard, I looked away. “Good to know we see each other for who we truly are.”

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