Page 13 of Heartthrobs Don't Date Wallflowers
“And here’s your map of the school,” she continued, handing me a paper that looked like a mess of colours and lines. “If you get lost, just remember that the auditorium is in the main hallway and everything branches off from there. You’ll be just fine!”
“Thanks,” I said. I shoved the paper into the side pocket of my bag while I spun on my heel, ready to make a break for it. Instead, I rammed my head straight into something.
Well, more like someone.
My face collided with his chest and I stumbled back with wide eyes, an apology ready on my lips.How did I forget he was even in here?But the words got stuck in my throat when I finally looked up and locked eyes with him.
Dark hair. Dark eyes. Leather jacket that definitely wasn’t part of the school uniform.
The boy from the window.
After the window incident—as I’d taken to calling the whole dance thing—I’d done some research on the band so I wasn’t totally clueless about who was living next door to me. It was just enough for me to be able to identify him now—Zach Miles, the most mysterious member of the boyband Take Five.
“Mr. Miles,” the secretary said.
He glanced at her over my shoulder, barely giving me a second glance. I might have been offended if I wasn’t too busy being worried that I might faint right here in the middle of the office.
What a second impression that would be.
“I was told you had some paper for me,” Zach told her. I took in a quick breath as I heard his voice, so soft and smooth. He had an accent I couldn’t place but that I immediately adored—which was absolutely ridiculous because there was nothing about this boy I should have been adoring.
“Yes, I do,” the secretary said. “They’re right here.”
There was the sound of paper shuffling, then Zach reached past me, practically pressinghis body to mine. I froze in place, my low back pressed against the sign-in table in front of the secretary’s desk, unable to move or breathe.
“Sorry,” Zach mumbled. I just stared at him wide-eyed, gaping like an idiot and not quite sure what to say. He pulled his hand back—paperless—and I stared at it in confusion for a moment, until he put his hands on my upper arms and shifted me to the side so I was out of his way. I flushed bright red as I realized how stupid I’d been for just standing there when he clearly needed to get to the desk.
“Uh, no problem,” I managed to stammer out, not that he seemed to hear me. He was completely focused on the secretary, who was now rifling through a file cabinet, rambling on about how she’d forgotten something. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, looking less than thrilled to be there, but still somehow much more at ease than I felt.
I looked past his shoulder, to the wooden door that led to the hallway. Maybe I could just slip out unnoticed? But no. We were too cramped in here and I’d end up shoulder-checking him on the way out or something. So, I was stuck here until he left. Perfect.
And then he turned, catching me in a side-glance that sent my stomach into full somersault mode. “You’re new, right?”
“Y-yeah,” I stammered, instantly wanting to kick myself for how nervous I sounded.Pull it together, Ivy. Iwasnervous, of course, but he didn’t need to know that. “I’m Ivy.”
“Bee?” His brows wrinkled. “Like the insect?”
“No—what? No.” Was I really that bad at enunciating? I raised my voice a little to say, “I-vy. Ivy. Like the plant.”
“Ivy,” he repeated. Just hearing my name in that accent made my face go from pale to full-on blush mode. I could literally feel how hot my cheeks were and I didn’t even want to imagine what I must have looked like.
He didn’t say anything else. Just gave me the smallest nod before turning back to the desk to collect his papers. I stood there, feeling like I should say something—anything—to make this moment less awkward. But my mind was completely blank. Instead, I just watched him, trying to act like I wasn’t freaking out about how close he’d been to me just moments ago.
He grabbed the papers from the secretary with a quiet “Thanks,” then turned, his eyes briefly meeting mine again. “See you around.”
And with that, he was gone, leaving me standing there, still gripping the straps of my backpack like they were a lifeline.
“Oh, honey,” the secretary sighed as the door swung closed. I blinked and forced myself to look at her, unsure if she was talking to me or herself. “You look like a lovesick puppy. Are you a big fan of the band?”
“Me?” I asked stupidly, even though there was nobody else in the room she could have been speaking to. “Uh, no. Not at all. Don’t even know their names.”
She gave me this weird smile, likeshe knew I was lying and didn’t want to have to say it. But I wasn’t interested in having a heart-to-heart about my non-existent feelings for the band—especially since that would mean revealing that I lived next door to them, which was something I’d much rather keep under wraps, at least until I was settled in. Nope. So, I just stared at my schedule like it was the most interesting thing ever.
“So, uh…” I cleared my throat and glanced at my first period block. “Room 304, huh? Which way is that?”
I kept my eyes firmly on the paper so I wouldn’t have to see that same look from her again.
“Pretty much right above us,” the secretary said. “Take the same stairs you came in on and go to the top floor. You’ll find it no problem.”
