Page 10 of Bad Boy
I’m hopeful that he really does want to be friends. He’s not from here. He doesn’t know anything about me. And he doesn’t know that no one likes me. Well, except for Grady and Sierra, but it doesn’t really count since our parents are best friends. They’re a year younger, so we really only see each other at lunch sometimes. But unlike me, they actually have friends.
Come Monday, Remi will figure that out. But for now, he doesn’t know. I don’t get the sense that this is some master plan to hurt me. Not with how he constantly brushes his arm or hand against mine or how close he stands to me while we speak. It’s both confusing and exciting.
“Wanna get out of here and hang out more? What’s there to do for fun?”
I lick my dry lips, still trailing next to the perimeter wall where Remi is apparently practicing his balance beam skills. He wanted to see the gym, which is at the very back of campus, next to the football and baseball fields, and right by the wall. An imposing brick structure that I’vealwayshated. I’ve been shoved into it too many times to count.
“Um. Not much. We could go see a movie?” That’s not entirely true. There is definitely stuff to do here; I’m just never invited.
“Nah. I don’t wanna sit in silence. I want to get to know you more.”
I swallow thickly at his words. “Probably not my place, then.”
I stare up at him, blinking against the sun, as he peers down at me instead of watching where he’s walking. “Remi, you should be more careful. That’s really high up.” I bite my tongue. Why did I just say that?
A cocky grin tugs at his lips. “Aw, you worried about me, Preppy?”
“You could fall. There’s a high probability you’d break a bone from that height.” I roll my lips inward to stop more unnecessary comments from pouring out of them.
It’s like a shutter is drawn, and his face steels over. “I won’t be falling or breaking any bones. . .” He mumbles something else, and I swear it sounds like “ever again.” But I don’t miss his change in mood, so I don’t ask him to repeat himself.
Before I can steer the conversation back to hanging out, Remi abruptly stops and turns away from me. I open my mouth to ask what he’s doing but just stand here gaping as he launches himself off the edge of the wall with a powerful thrust of his legs, curving his body and doing an impressive-as-heck back flip. He lands perfectly, with a loud thump of his boots, surprisingly graceful and nimble.
I finally gain use of my jaw muscles, and I can’t stop the exclamation from pouring out of my mouth. “Holy freakin’ crap, Remi! That was so cool!”
He brushes his dark locks out of his eyes and snorts. “Thanks. You don’t curse, do you, Preppy?”
I push my glasses up but don’t break eye contact. “Oh. Um. No. Not out loud, I guess. My parents have never really tolerated any kind of bad language.”
“Side quest. Make Lincoln sayfuck.” His eyes twinkle, and I know he’s teasing me.
“I won’t.”
“Oh, I bet you will. Bet I’ll make you.” His voice is deep and sultry.
My eyebrows scrunch together. “What does that mean?”
“Nothing, Linc. Don’t worry about it, dude.” A friendly smile replaces the more predatoryone, and I swallow thickly, wondering if I’m reading this right.
Is he insinuating what I think he is?
No.
There’s no possible way a guy like Remi could be gay.
I would never be that lucky.
He probably just wants to use me to pass all his classes. And I’ll probably just let him.
A random thought about what we can do pops into my head. Somewhere fun from my childhood that Mr. Keller used to take me to. “Oh. We could go to the arcade. Do you like video games?” I ask casually. We’re back at eye level again.
“Sure, dude. That sounds like fun. I’ll drive us, though. I don’t think I’ll fit on the back of your moped,” he says, and I chuckle.
He definitely wouldn’t.
CHAPTERSIX
LINC
