Page 45 of My Heart to Keep
“Hey.” I narrowed my eyes. “Did Sloane ever apologize to you?” Sloane might not like me, but she’d almost killed Celia.
“Let’s not discuss her ever.” My friend gulped down her soda. “It’s bad enough that when I get headaches, she comes to mind.”
“Is the frequency of the headaches subsiding?” I still blamed Sloane for my party turning into fight night.
“I’m not having as many anymore,” Celia said. “Back to the job on the farm. Think about posting a flyer. You need to get help, girl. Your valedictorian status is on the line.”
I straightened my spine. I’d passed all my tests so far, but my grades hadn’t been as stellar as they normally were. “I will. For now, can we talk about something else?”
She pulled lipstick out of her purse. “Are we still on for Saturday?”
I wasn’t letting anything ruin my chances of seeing Maiken. “For sure.” I pushed my tray away from me. “I can’t wait to lock lips with my boyfriend.” A delightful shiver blanketed me. It had been way too long since I’d seen him. “I can’t stay the night, though.” Daddy had shut the door on that pretty quickly.
The bell rang, which was our cue. I had a study period next, and I had to brush up on calculus before the test that afternoon.
Rising, I picked up my tray, as did Celia. After weaving through the incoming crowd and dumping our trash, Celia and I walked out. She went one way, and I went the other, in the direction of the library. On the way, I tapped out a text to Maiken.
Me:I can’t wait to see you this weekend.
I was lowering my phone when I rounded a corner and plowed into a brick wall, or rather a hard chest.
I jumped back, holding my nose, just as big hands grabbed my arms. “I’m sorry.” The boy’s baritone voice made me cringe. “Are you okay?”
My eyes watered, and I swore I would give Trevor Thames two black eyes if I ended up with two of my own. “Can you watch where you’re going?”
A wicked grin lit up his face, and those green eyes beamed with mischief. “You’re the one with your head down. The way I look at it, I saved you.”
My laugh bounced off the metal lockers. “How so?”
He slid to one side and pointed to the trash can. “You would’ve run into that.”
“Do I owe you my life?” My tone was snarky.
He dragged his fingers along his sharp jaw, appraising me like I was his next meal.Ew!“Sounds like a good trade.”
I tried to step around him, but he blocked me. I clutched the straps of my backpack as though they were my lifelines. “Excuse me. I have somewhere to be.”
“So do I,” he said. “With you.”
This guy was a piece of work. “Go find someone who’s interested.”
I’d managed not to talk to him since the first day of school. I guessed my streak of bad luck was back with a vengeance.
A deep laugh rumbled free from the pit of his stomach. “I was actually coming to find you.”
“I’m not interested.” I didn’t think he wanted my help with his schoolwork since he had Elise. She was a good tutor, or at least that was the rumor.
He feigned a pout and slapped a hand over his chest. “You really know how to hurt a guy.”
I pursed my lips, my nostrils flaring like a bull ready to run at the matador. “Get out of my way.”
Trevor stuck out his bottom lip. “You’re not being polite.”
“Pulease. Can you be any more fake?”
The hall had minimal traffic. Kids always lingered in the cafeteria until the final bell rang.
“Did you find out who brought your pigs to school?” he asked. His expression was a blank slate.
