Hopelessly Imperfect (Imperfect #1) Read Online Free PDF

He was there beside my locker, eyeing me with a smug half-smile.
    Nathan Rivers made me uncomfortable. There was no point denying it. His gaze was way too intense for my taste, and the last words he’d said still echoed inside my head.
    It was just awkward.
    I studiously ignored him as I opened my locker. Thankfully, he had leaned on the right side of it, meaning that my door was covering his face. Purposely, I took my time taking my books out. I was so engrossed in my activity that I didn’t notice the other person that walked behind me until he spoke.
    “Hi, Cassie,” Tom trailed off, sounding unsure. My whole body tensed as I grimaced. Freaking awesome. Biting my lip, I grabbed my chemistry book and turned to him. “Hi,” I said, a small, fake smile playing on my face. His brown eyes watched me curiously. His blond, straight hair was swiped to the side in the style Justin Bieber wore a year ago. A football jacket completed the whole preppy look.
    “Are you mad at me?”
    My brows creased as I looked over my shoulder at Nathan. He’d straightened, listening intently to my conversation. I pursed my lips. What did he want? Didn’t he have anything more interesting to do than listen to other’s conversations?
    Hiding my annoyance from Tom, I shrugged. “No. Why should I be?” I dropped the book into my backpack. Completely stalling, I kept my eyes on my locker as if I was searching for something. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the large clock on the wall and inwardly groaned, as there were still ten minutes to go before class.
    In a low voice, Tom added, “Nothing really happened between Marissa and me.”
    Clueless, I turned and blinked at his words. Then I remembered what Meredith, Marissa’s friend, told me. They’d apparently hooked up over the summer. “Whatever rolls your boat,” I murmured nonchalantly. Inwardly, I cringed. Did that even make sense?
    Nathan’s snort was pretty evident, and I wanted to hit him in the face with my locker door. Maybe then he’d get the hint and go away.
    “But you and I, we’re cool, right?” Tom cleared his throat, tightening his grip on his backpack strap until his knuckles turned white.
    Exhaling a deep breath, I meet his eyes. “Definitely.” I wanted to add that I couldn’t care less who he hooked up with and that we were never a couple, but I didn’t. To be fair, I didn’t feel like talking to Tom. I never thought there was anything to explain, to begin with.
    Tom’s eyes snapped to where Nathan was standing. He might have been crossing his arms and lazily looking straight ahead, but it was pretty clear he was eavesdropping. Tom’s brows furrowed as he clenched his jaw. He wasn’t stupid, though. You just didn’t mess with Nathan Rivers. People tried to avoid him. For a moment, I wondered if those rumors about him being violent were just that—rumors.
    Wanting to end the conversation with Tom, I hitched my backpack over my shoulder as I looked at him. “I’m happy for you guys. You make a nice couple.”
    The crease on his forehead deepened. “Oh, we’re so not together.” Annoyance washed over his face. “I wanted to ask you out, officially .” He raised an eyebrow while showing me that megawatt smile of his.
    I blinked, somewhat panicked. “Huh.” Gnawing on my lip, I looked everywhere but at him.
    Completely unfazed by my awkwardness, he kept pushing. “How about this Friday?”
    I pulled my backpack’s strap as I glanced at the clock one more time. Five minutes. Sighing, I shook my head. “I’m sorry, I can’t.”
    His brown eyes darkened. “Really?” He raised an eyebrow. “Why not? Are you dating him?” He pointed with his thumb at Nathan.
    “I’m not dating anyone,” I said curtly. Whoever I dated or didn’t date wasn’t the issue. And I certainly didn’t appreciate the intruding. However, Tom had been nice to me, so I bit my tongue and softened my tone. “But Marissa and you could be a great couple.” I meant it