climbed out, but much to Kiera’s
disappointment, so did Andrea. Marcus pulled his BMW into the spot next to Reese. Leo and
Christian got out after Marcus turned the car off. Kiera knew she shouldn’t just stand there and gawk at him, but there was something about Reese that made all of her common sense leave her. It was
going on four years now that she had watched him walk by her, like she was nothing more than a fly
on the lockers. But his words Friday replayed in her head.
I’ve known who you are since you got out of Alex’s car that first day freshman year.
Not possible. He never looked at her or spoke to her, yet he said those words with utter
seriousness. The deep drawls of the guys’ voices pieced her day-dreaming, and she jerked her chin
up to see Reese coming closer with the three guys trailing behind him. Marcus, Ian, and Christian
were loud and juiced up, and slapping one another on the back like guys tended to do. Andrea hung
back with her own posse of cheerleaders. Reese lifted his head, and his eyes caught hers. Kiera stood frozen on the steps of the school, her books clasped to her chest as she watched them come closer. He walked slow and oh so sexy. His lips tilted in a smile. Flustered, she broke the contact and rushed
through the front doors.
God, Kiera. Nice. Real nice. How freaking awkward and rude could she be? He had rescued
her Friday, smiled at her today, and she hadn’t said hi or reciprocated the gesture. She had run, like she was good at. He must think she was a mega-bitch, or had some kind of mental defect.
“Hey, aren’t you that girl from Haden’s party, the one that was fucking Reese in the bathroom?”
Kiera jerked her head up and stared at the tightly knit ring of girls standing right inside the
school. “Yeah, I thought that was you.” The other girls started whispering to each other then giggled.
“What a slut.”
“God, doesn’t she know Andrea’s with him?”
The harsh comments faded as she quickly walked down the hall and went into the bathroom.
She slipped into the nearest stall and closed the door. Taking a much needed deep breath, she told
herself that she had known what was coming. Rumors got twisted and spread like wildfire. The fact
those girls thought she slept with Reese instead of almost being raped by some asshole told her that most likely everyone else would come to the same conclusion. The bathroom door opened and
closed, and catty laughing started up. Kiera froze and didn’t breathe when she heard them talking
about her.
“Can you believe that Kiera girl is all trying to act like some kind of victim?”
“I know, right? I don’t believe for one minute she was attacked at Haden’s party.”
“Well, I heard she was all over some college guy then jumped all over Reese.”
Kiera felt tears build behind her eyes. She liked to think she had tough skin, but actually hearing
what people thought, especially after such a horrible night, tore into her painfully.
Andrea’s high-pitched voice spoke next. “Well, I’m not really concerned about her. I mean look
at her.” The other girls giggled at Andrea’s comment. “She looks like she should be working in a
library or something with that mousy brown hair, glasses, and those cardigans she wears. Not to
mention she is on the chunky side.”
Kiera peered through the tiny crack where the door and stall met and saw Andrea plump up her
boobs in front of the mirror.
“What guy wants to fuck a fatty when they can have a piece like this?” The shit-eating grin
Andrea wore was saccharine and self-assured. “Besides, I keep Reese plenty satisfied.”
There was more giggling and trashing of Kiera, and then they finally left. She sat on the toilet
and let the tears fall, which further pissed her off. Why was she letting their words get to her? It wasn’t like she had never been called a fat bitch or whore before, and Kiera had always been able to brush it off. Not this time though,