Chapter 2 CHAPTER 2
"Oh, come on CJ, I was only playing around,"
Cross placated, matching my pace as I side-stepped
around him down the hall.
"Playing around?" I shot him a glare. "You basically
called me an ogre."
Cross meant every word he said. The least he
could've done was keep his offensive comments to
himself. It's not every day a girl wants to hear she's
not dating material.
"I didn't say ogre," he countered smoothly. "I just said
you weren't my type."
"Which is a fancy way of saying I'm not
good-looking."
"I said you were a high average," he corrected,
stepping in front of me before I could widen the gap
between us.
"Wow. And here I thought you were going to
apologize." I tried to brush past him, but Cross's
hand closed around my arm, sending a pulse of
awareness through me.
"C'mon CJ, don't be mad" Cross said, a hint of
worry in his tone.
It wasn't because he was concerned for my feelings.
Rather he was worried my attitude meant I wouldn't
give him the answer to next period's test. Overall,
Cross was a good student, but if there's anything
he was bad at it would be social studies. During big
tests I would offer him assistance, but that definitely
wouldn't be the case today.
I yanked my arm free and smiled sadistically "You
know what I look forward to seeing? You sitting on
the sidelines of the next game for failing this test."
The rules for athletes were strict: they must maintain
a C+ average in every class, and if they failed any
test they were to sit out on the next game. As
quarterback and captain of the school's undefeated
team, Cross had the most to lose from a failed
test. Each home game our stands were packed with
students, parentsand more importantly-college
scouts hunting for the next big recruit. It behooved
Cross to keep his grades up if he wanted to be seen
by the right eyes.
Desperate, he stepped in again, this time gripping
my waist and turning me to face him. His fingers
burned through the fabric of my shirt, and as I
looked into his eyes my heart betrayed me with a
sharp, traitorous thud. Unlike me, Cross looked
completely unaffected, instead focused on damage
control.
"I said I was sorry. Why can't you accept it?"
"And what? Forget what you said?" I retorted, pain
creeping into my voice. I took a deep breath and
straightened; I needed to control my feelings.
Cross shook his head like I was being
unreasonable. "Amy told me she calls you boyish all
the time and you don't get mad at her. Why me?"
"You told Amy?!" I fumed, angry he had the nerve
to include her in this. Of course, she was more than
willing to give her two cents in this situation.
"She asked why you were pissed, so I told her,"
Cross said, giving me a look so soft, so puppy-dog
sincere, I almost forgot hovw infuriating he was. His
palms slid down my arms until his fingers laced with e.
mine. "Please don't be mad at me anymore."
My resolve wavered. He looked absolutely helpless,
like a puppy begging its owner for an undeserved
treat. Who could stay mad at an adorable face like
that?
"Fine." I gave in. "But if you ever say it again"
"You'll kiss me because I'm so darn sexy," he cut in
with a grin.
I rolled my eyes, my lips threatening to twitch.
Nothing could bring down his ego. And the worst
part?
I wasn't entirely opposed to the idea.
"So...what do you say Clara?" Kevin asked, tugging
nervously at his shirt.
I could not believe it. Kevin Paine was asking me to
be his girlfriend. He was a fair enough guy-dirty
blond hair, kind brown eyes, and cute dimples that
peaked when he smiled. We'd been chatting for
weeks in class, but I never guessed it was because he
liked me.
I couldn't even remember the last time a guy asked
me out.
Oh right, that was never.
One of the drawbacks of hanging around Cross,
David, and Theodore is that my standards had
gotten absurdly high. That's what happens when
you spend time around guys who looked like they
stepped out of a magazine spread. If I kept that up,
I was guaranteed to graduate high school without a
boyfriend. I bit my lip. I couldn't let that happen. I
wasn't about to be the foolish girl who pushed away
a good guy just because of some hopeless crush on
a player. Kevin might not be jaw-dropping, but he
was kind and actually interested in me. Maybe this
Wouldn't work out, but.. what if it did?
"Sure, Kevin. I'd love to." I accepted, giving him a shy
smile.
His whole face lit up. "That's great, I’ll see you later."
He leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to my cheek
before heading to class. I grinned. He had soft lips.
And then…
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Slow. Mocking.
"Well, well, well, looks like Clara finally snagged
herself a boyfriend."
Cross. Of course.
He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Im
impressed."
I crossed my arms. "What? You didn't thinkI could
get a boyfriend?"
"No, not at all." He began circling me like a shark,
his gaze sweeping over me. His presence felt heavy,
nothing like the ease I felt around Kevin. I hugged
my books to my chest, trying not to squirm under his
scrutiny.
Cross stayed quiet. Too quiet.
I tilted my head. "What's up with you?" I asked,
unsettled by his strange behavior.
He stopped in front of me, close enough for me
to catch the clean, sharp scent of his cologne. His
expression was unreadable if not a little uneased.
"I don't think he's a good choice."
I scoffed. Kevin was a good boy. Unlike Cross he
didn't have a list of girls on his roster. He was too
focused on getting good grades anda top score on the
SATS. The only reason we got to know each other is
because we share AP Biology, my only advanced class
and his one of many. There were absolutely no red
flags about him.
"What happened? Jealous I found myself in
a real relationship with a good boy?" I challenged. "I
know it's hard to believe in love when you thrive off
of one-night stands."
Cross tilted his head, pensive. He pushed a stray
lock of hair behind my ear., his voice dropping to a
whisper. "Never. But I think a certain boyfriend of
yours is."
Confused, I turned and saw Kevin standing at the
end of the hall, clearly uncomfortable. I realized just
how close Cross and I were standing, too close for
comfort. I stepped backward, adding space between
us.
Satisfied, Cross chuckled and sauntered away, his
laughter echoing down the hall. I knew then he'd
done that on purpose just to rattle Kevin and throw
a wrench in whatever this new relationship was
supposed to be. He turned a corner and disappeared,
but his smug laughter stayed with me, buzzing in my
ears long after he was gone.
