Page 39 of Heartthrobs Don't Date Wallflowers
“Now, I’m on the basement floorof the school, walking past the gym. I just glanced in and I saw the girls’ cheerleading team practicing, so I tried to walk out again before any of them noticed me.”
“Ah, yes, we wouldn’t need them getting distracted by seeing you,” I said. “They’d probably think you were some sort of creeper watching them.”
He laughed. “Well, funnily enough, Luca came with me this morning and I think that’s exactly what he’s doing. But his girlfriend’s on the squad, so I can’t really judge him too much.”
So, Luca went to Summerfield as well, then. Or his girlfriend did, at least, so it seemed likely he did too. That only made me more sure that everyone in the group chat went to Summerfield, Not Zesty included.
“How many brothers do you have?” I asked curiously. “I mean, I know Luca’s not actually your brother but he’s like one since he lives with you, right? And then you mentioned another one earlier and…” I realized I was rambling and trailed off.
The pause was long again. And then finally he just went, “Too many.”
So something about that was too personal. He could tell me he went to private school, but he couldn’t tell me how many brothers he had. I wondered why. I wasn’t sure exactly what that would mean.
“Oh.” I tried not to sound too disappointed. I cleared my throat. “And I guess your sister is the only one who goes to boarding school?”
“Okay, honey, let’s go!” Mom’s voice called from upstairs before he could answer. I could hear herfootsteps coming down the stairs, the high heels hitting the wooden floor.
“I have to go,” I said. I wondered if he felt as disappointed about it as I did.
“Call me later.”
I froze with my thumb over the hang-up button. “What?”
“Call me later,” he repeated. “I like talking to you.”
I bit my lip, trying to avoid the little squeal that was almost coming out of my mouth, trying to ignore the way my heart was hammering. It was such a simple thing for him to say, anything a friend would say easily. But something about him saying it, unprompted, made my heart pound.
“Okay,” I whispered. “I will.”
eleven
The hallway buzzedwith the usual morning chaos—lockers slamming shut, bursts of laughter, the shuffle of textbooks being stuffed into backpacks. I was somewhere in the middle of it, trying to figure out how to fit my binder into the already overstuffed depths of my locker. How did people manage to keep these things organized? My system—if you could even call it that—was mostly just shoving things in and hoping for the best.
I fumbled with my English notes, the corner of one paper getting caught on the metal shelf. “Come on,” I muttered, yanking it free, though half the page tore in the process. Great. Another set of notes that would be impossible to decipher.
Just as I was about to reach for my math book, I heard some loud, booming laughter from down the hall. Take Five. Of course. I didn’t even have to look to know it was them, though I snuck a glance out of curiosity.
The boys walked down the hall like they owned the place, which, to be fair, they kind of did. It wasn’t like they tried to stand out—it just happened. Hudson was laughing his arm slung over Jude’s shoulder, while Neil and Finn were looking at something on Finn’s phone. Zach was walking alongside them, but he wasn’t talking. His gaze was trained on the floor in front of him, like he was lost in their own world.
I went back to my locker, pulling out my calculator just as a group of girls nearby giggled loudly, probably trying to get the band’s attention. They were practically buzzing with excitement, tossing their hair and pretending not to notice when Neil smiled their way.
I tried to tune it all out, but suddenly there was a loud thud—someone crashing into something—and I barely had time to register what happened before I felt a sharp pain shoot through my hand.
“Ow!” I yelped, jerking back. My locker door had slammed shut… on my fingers.
“Whoa, sorry!” A voice said quickly, and I turned to see Zach standing right there, looking genuinely concerned. He was close—like, close enough that I could feel the warmth coming off him—and I froze for a second, completely thrown off. My heart did that weird little flip again, like it couldn’t decide whether to stop entirely or race ahead. Someone must’ve shoved into him, which is why he ended up crashing into me, but all I could focus on was the fact that Zach was standing here. This was the first time I’d been so close to him since that day at Starbucks and the look on hisface—brows etched together, bitting his lip, and just generally looking like he actuallycared—was so similar to when he’d shoved me out the door that day.
“I-I’m fine,” I stammered, but my voice wobbled, betraying me. My fingers felt like they were on fire, definitely not fine, but I didn’t want to sound pathetic in front of him.
Zach’s frown deepened, his gaze shifting from my hand back to my face, like he wasn’t buying it for a second. “You don’t look fine.”
“No, seriously,” I said, trying to laugh it off even though I was on the verge of tears. “It’s just a… minor locker injury.”
I cringed the second I said it. A minor locker injury? I was an idiot.
The guys had all stopped, watching the scene unfold, and even some of the girls nearby had their eyes on us now. Great. Just what I needed—an audience. I could already hear them whispering, probably wondering why Zach was talking to me, of all people.
“Let me see,” Zach said, his voice calm but firm, and before I could react, he gently took my hand in his. His fingers barely brushed against mine, but it was enough to send a little shiver up my arm. He was so careful, like he was handling something fragile, and it caught me off guard. I’d always figured him to be the tough, silent type, but there was a softness in the way he held my hand that made my cheeks heat up.
