Page 35 of Wylder and the Secret Rockstar
"I'm never wrong."
He laughed at that. "I did know you, Wylder Anderson. You're the girl who cares so much about her brother she'd do anything for him. You like hot wings and rain showers. You're fearless." He dropped his voice. "And you're trouble."
She remembered that first day in his truck so clearly. He'd said those very words to her."Something tells me you're trouble."
She repeated what she'd said back then. "Oh, you have no idea." And, right there in his office, she crushed her lips to his, needing to feel what she'd felt that day.
Needing Sebastian to put the joy back into her as he'd once done.
Their summer was fleeting, but it was also intense and real and nothing had ever felt so good.
For a moment, Sebastian kissed her back, his hands going to her hips. But then the spell cracked, shattering into a million pieces as he pushed her back. "Wylder," he breathed. "We—"
She didn't give him a chance to get out the wordcan't.That was what he was going to say, wasn't it? Pushing away from him, she grabbed her bag and fled the office, shame washing over her.
Sebastian was right. No matter what they'd had, this was wrong.
Out in the hall, Wylder slammed into someone, sending them both sprawling to the ground. Her books spilled out of her bag, landing spine up.
"You okay?" a familiar voice asked.
Great. Logan. "Of course you're here right now." Here for her humiliation, her rejection. Had he heard them?
"It's just a bad grade, Wylder. I'm sure you can make it up." At least that answered that question.
Wylder looked back over her shoulder to where Sebastian watched them from the doorway of his office, his eyes holding too much concern, too much regret. "Yeah." She tore her gaze away to scoop up her books. "Just a bad grade. First of the year, it's rough."
"I get it."
"Say something mean." She needed his scorn right now, not whoever this alien Logan was.
"What?" He laughed, but she was serious.
"Just do it."
"Fine. I was in ConMus class, but my partner couldn't even bother to show up so I had to leave to go find her, but I don’t think I’m going back today. Sometimes I consider asking Mrs. Shepherd for a new partner."
It was weak, but she'd take it. "Thanks."
He shrugged and walked toward Sebastian.
As Wylder started down the hall, she heard Logan yelp as Sebastian swatted his head. "You should be nicer to her."
"Aye aye, Mr. Cook."
She stepped out into the morning drizzle. With Logan gone, they wouldn't miss her in ConMus, and she couldn't stand to be here any longer. But that pit in her stomach, the one that had formed there when Sebastian pushed her away, it didn't seem quite as big.
* * *
Wylder needed to do something drastic, something to separate the girl she was this summer from the one staring back at her in the tiny mirror above the tiny sink in the tiny dorm bathroom.
"You done in there?" Devyn called. "I really want to head down to dinner. Killian just texted the group chat and said he was going now."
"Go without me." Wylder wasn't hungry. She'd been nauseous all day since kissing Sebastian, since kissing her teacher.
Not only because it was wrong—she was no stranger to trouble—but because she wanted to do it again.
And she knew she couldn't.
