Page 48 of Heartthrobs Don't Date Wallflowers
I wondered if he realized what he was suggesting I do. If he genuinely thought that I, quiet Ivy Wade, would ever ask a famous Zach Miles for a favor. But deeper than that, I wondered if he realized what his offer meant. How many girls out there would kill me if it meant they could take my place in his car–or that I was perhaps the only girl in school who didn’t want it.
Or maybe it wasn’t that I didn’t want it. Maybe it was that I didn’t want a favor from Zach Miles, the celebrity. I knew, if I ever did ask him for anything, I wouldn’t be asking with that in mind. I would be asking the version of Zach Miles I knew, the one who held my hand on the whole walk to the nurse and who talked to me through signs in our windows.
“And stay out of the monsoon next time,” he said, saving me from having to form a response.
I couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at the corners of my mouth. “I’ll try.”
I finally grabbed my bag and opened the door, stepping back out into the rain. It was still coming down hard, but after the warmth of his car, it didn’t feel quite as bad. I glanced back at Zach one more time, half-expecting him to already be looking away. A jolt ran through me when our eyes locked again and I realized he’d been watching me, even as his hands rested on the steering wheel like he was ready to go.
I hesitated for a second, then shut the car door. The rain instantly soaked through my clothes again,but I didn’t mind as much this time. I watched as Zach started to turn the car, leaving me standing there in the downpour, still trying to figure him out.
I couldn’t shake the weird feeling in my chest. It wasn’t just the fact that Zach had stopped for me in the rain. It was something else. Something about the way he didn’t act like I was some huge burden for ruining his car, or the way he didn’t make a big deal out of helping me.
It was... unexpected.
And maybe that was the weirdest part of all.
I trudged up the steps to my front door, shaking off the worst of the rain. My fingers were frozen as I fumbled for my keys, already thinking about how nice a hot shower was going to feel.
But as I dug into my backpack, shoving aside wet notebooks and stray pens, my fingers didn’t find the familiar cold metal of my house key. My heart did a little flip—this time not the cute, fluttery kind.
I froze.
No. No, no, no.
I dumped the contents of my bag right there on the porch, frantically searching through everything: my damp history textbook, my half-eaten granola bar, my phone that was about to die. But no key.
You’ve got to be kidding me.
I swore softly under my breath, hunching down to double-check the pockets of my jacket, then feeling around on my skirt, as if it might have somehow grown pockets since I put iton this morning.
Nothing. Of course. Because that was just how my day was going.
I stared at the locked door, rain still dripping down my face. My mom wouldn’t be home for at least another thirty minutes since she was still at work and it wasn’t like Poppy would be of any help at boarding school. I was on my own.
I glanced at my phone, barely any battery left. Maybe I could call my mom, but... even if she answered, she couldn’t exactly leave work.
My teeth chattered as I looked around, assessing my options. The overhang above the porch wasn’t big enough to keep me dry, but maybe I could huddle under it for a while.
But just as I was weighing the options, a light lit up next door and I spun around. Zach was just coming up onto his own porch now and the automatic light over the door had lit up, unfortunately also capturing me in their spotlight.
Of course, this was happening. First, I drenched his car, and now I was about to get caught looking like some sad, rain-soaked dog who didn’t even have the common sense to bring her keys.
I forced a shaky breath, willing myself to stay calm. Maybe if I just stood here quietly, he’d go inside and leave me to figure this out on my own. But of course, because life had it out for me today, I saw him walking back down and a few seconds later, he was on my driveway.
I swallowed, pretending to busy myself with mybag, like if I looked occupied enough, he might not ask why I was still standing here like an idiot.
“You locked out?” His voice cut through the rain, and my heart skittered in response.
I looked up at him, heart sinking, but I tried to play it off. “Uh... yeah. I think I left my keys inside.”
Zach just stood there, watching me for a second, rain dripping off the ends of his dark hair. He didn’t look bothered by it at all.
I, on the other hand, was starting to shiver uncontrollably. “It’s no big deal,” I added quickly. “I’ll just... wait for my mom.”
Zach raised an eyebrow. “In the rain?”
“Well, the porch has an overhang,” I said, gesturing weakly to the barely-there protection above my head. “So, you know. It’s fine.”
