Page 7 of Hush Little Martyr, Don't You Scream
Russel was Juliett’s boyfriend, the one who hit on anyone he deemed pretty that wasn’t his girlfriend. I doubted Felix was any different.
When I didn’t reply, a small smile tugged at the edges of his mouth, a challenge entering his gaze as he assessed me with intrigue. “You don’t talk much, do you?” he pressed, taking a step toward me.
“Not when I have nothing to say,” I replied reluctantly.
He slowly closed the distance between us, his hands reaching out to rest on the curve of my waist. My stomach flipped with nerves, confusion tearing through me.
“What do you think you’re doing?” I demanded cautiously, moving to place my hands on his in case I needed to shove him away.
“You’re on the dancefloor.” He smirked, nodding his head toward the swarm of bodies dancing around us.
The tension slowly rolled from my shoulders, my heart beginning to calm. Maybe he was simply just flirting. There was no harm in that, right? We were surrounded by people and Felix was probably just drunk and had on beer goggles. There was no way he’d be interested in me otherwise.
Felix tugged me flush against him, the hard planes of his body pressing against me. I’d never been this close to a boy before. Well … when he wasn’t groping me against my will.
“I can’t dance,” I replied hesitantly, pushing my hands against his chest in a silent plea for him to release me.
To my surprise, he didn’t try to force it. He dropped his arms and took a step back to put more distance between us. “Maybe a drink instead then?” he suggested.
“I don’t drink.”
It was obvious. We had nothing in common at all. The fact that he was still trying told me he wanted something, and I had a feeling that what he wanted wasn’t something I was willing to give.
He pressed his lips together in a thoughtful gesture, a crease settling between his perfect eyebrows. “What do you like then?” he asked after a few moments, cocking his head to the side like he genuinely cared and wanted to know.
It caught me off guard.
“Books mostly. I’m pretty boring.”
“Nah.” He smirked. “If all people enjoyed the same things, thenthatwould be pretty boring.”
Maybe Felix wasn’t as bad I thought. He seemed intelligent enough, he was definitely attractive, and he appeared to be more mature than his friends. Maybe I wouldn’t mind hanging out with him for a little while longer.
“You’re in luck, though,” he continued, grabbing me by the crook of my elbow and leading me off the makeshift dancefloor. “We have a decent sized library if you want to check it out. Just say the word, gorgeous.”
“Oh. Um…” I glanced around the room, hoping to spot Lizzie somewhere but she was nowhere in sight. How long did it take to grab a fucking drink, anyway?
“I saw Lizette talking to Pete on the way over. It seemed like they were hitting it off,” he explained when he noticed my confused expression. “I think she’ll be safe without you for a few minutes.” Amusement sparkled within his eyes, and there was this welcoming air to him that seemed to hypnotize me.
Against my better judgement, I nodded. “Yeah. You’re probably right.”
I wasn’t about to stare at the wall all night while Lizzie flirted it up with some football player. Felix’s smile widened and he led me toward a secluded hallway. The music thumped loudly, vibrating through the walls as we walked between them.
When we reached the end of the hallway, he pulled out a keyring and fumbled with the lock for a few moments until it clicked open. My heart started racing, fear snaking down my spine when I realized I’d be completely alone with this boy.
“On second thought…” I trailed off, taking a step backwards.
He glanced over at me in confusion. “You don’t want to see it?” He sighed, shoving the keys back into his pocket. “I’m not going to make you. I
just thought it would be a quieter place to talk.”
Was I being crazy?
Don’t.
The thought wasn’t mine, but it couldn’t be anyone else’s. Fuck. Maybe I was schizophrenic.
Blowing out a breath, I glanced behind me one last time. Sure enough, I spotted Lizzie on the far end of the room between a gap of people. She was talking to Pete just like Felix said she’d be.
