his unease about prying and leaned in closer to me.
“Same thing I always get kicked out for,” I shrugged like it was no big deal. “Fighting. This last time I broke a girl’s nose and the family threatened legal action.” I waved it away like it wasn’t anything, but Patrick eyed me up skeptically.
My appearance was deceiving. I was short and small, and I had a decidedly pretty, feminine face. My brown hair was a constant untamed mess of curls that I did my best to keep up in a loose buns or pulled back in some way so it wouldn’t completely take over my face. I had a rather tragic fashion sense with a penchant for skirts, which I think subconscious attempt at spiting my mother. She always tried to force me to wear them, and I refused. So now I wear them when she can’t see them. I’m sure I came across as a frazzled mess, but I was anything but.
“You? Got in a fight?” Patrick cocked an eyebrow, grinning suspiciously at me.
“Hey, I’m tough!” I protested. I thought about flexing my arms to demonstrate, but I was still acutely aware of Finn watching behind us. “I’m a lot tougher than I look.”
“I bet you are,” Patrick nodded earnestly, and at least he believed that.
“So anyway… what’s the deal with the story?” I tapped his open book, meaning to actually work on something.
23
“Have you read any of it?” Patrick asked.
“Just the title,” I admitted sheepishly.
“You should read it. It’s good… but really twisted,” Patrick turned his book towards me so I could look at his instead of opening mine and scooted his chair closer to me.
Patrick offered helpful asides as I read the story, and even though I didn’t necessarily need them, I enjoyed them. Or at least I would’ve, if I hadn’t become incessantly preoccupied. The back of my neck had started itching from Finn staring at it. That sounds totally paranoid and insane, and it probably was somatic, but I couldn’t help it. I kept self-consciously scratching it and rubbing it, hoping to ease the sensation, but it was useless. I had to read the same sentence four times and still didn’t understand it. On top of that, Patrick kept talking to me, and I couldn’t even concentrate on what he was saying.
“Excuse me,” I said abruptly and stood up. It was stupid for me to just sit there like that. I don’t know why I was giving that idiot Finn kid so much power over me.
“Okay?” Patrick asked, startled and confused.
When I turned around, Finn was staring at me, just as I knew he would be. Unlike Patrick, his expression didn’t register any uncertainty or surprise.
Swallowing hard, I walked over to his table, and I was a little stunned to find that I felt nervous. I almost neverfelt nervous, and there was nothing to even be nervous about. This kid was just looking at me, nothing more.
“Why are you staring at me?” I asked him pointedly.
“Because you’re standing in front of me,” Finn replied simply. He looked up at me, his eyes framed by dark lashes, and there wasn’t any hint of embarrassment or even denial about being confronted. It was definitely unnerving.
“You’re
always staring at me,” I persisted, trying to be as calm and collected as he was. “It’s weird. You’re weird.”
“I wasn’t trying to fit in,” Finn said. I twisted my ring on my thumb and hated that I had to fumble for a response.
24
“Why do you look at me all the time?” I rephrased my original question.
“Does it bother you?” Finn’s eyes flashed at something that might have been surprise, but it disappeared so quickly, it was probably nothing more than my imagination.
“Answer the question,” I demanded and stood up straighter, trying to make my presence more imposing so he wouldn’t realize how much he was rattling me.
“Everyone always looks at you,” Finn replied coolly and leaned back in his chair. “You’re very attractive.”
That sounded like a compliment, but his voice
“Same thing I always get kicked out for,” I shrugged like it was no big deal. “Fighting. This last time I broke a girl’s nose and the family threatened legal action.” I waved it away like it wasn’t anything, but Patrick eyed me up skeptically.
My appearance was deceiving. I was short and small, and I had a decidedly pretty, feminine face. My brown hair was a constant untamed mess of curls that I did my best to keep up in a loose buns or pulled back in some way so it wouldn’t completely take over my face. I had a rather tragic fashion sense with a penchant for skirts, which I think subconscious attempt at spiting my mother. She always tried to force me to wear them, and I refused. So now I wear them when she can’t see them. I’m sure I came across as a frazzled mess, but I was anything but.
“You? Got in a fight?” Patrick cocked an eyebrow, grinning suspiciously at me.
“Hey, I’m tough!” I protested. I thought about flexing my arms to demonstrate, but I was still acutely aware of Finn watching behind us. “I’m a lot tougher than I look.”
“I bet you are,” Patrick nodded earnestly, and at least he believed that.
“So anyway… what’s the deal with the story?” I tapped his open book, meaning to actually work on something.
23
“Have you read any of it?” Patrick asked.
“Just the title,” I admitted sheepishly.
“You should read it. It’s good… but really twisted,” Patrick turned his book towards me so I could look at his instead of opening mine and scooted his chair closer to me.
Patrick offered helpful asides as I read the story, and even though I didn’t necessarily need them, I enjoyed them. Or at least I would’ve, if I hadn’t become incessantly preoccupied. The back of my neck had started itching from Finn staring at it. That sounds totally paranoid and insane, and it probably was somatic, but I couldn’t help it. I kept self-consciously scratching it and rubbing it, hoping to ease the sensation, but it was useless. I had to read the same sentence four times and still didn’t understand it. On top of that, Patrick kept talking to me, and I couldn’t even concentrate on what he was saying.
“Excuse me,” I said abruptly and stood up. It was stupid for me to just sit there like that. I don’t know why I was giving that idiot Finn kid so much power over me.
“Okay?” Patrick asked, startled and confused.
When I turned around, Finn was staring at me, just as I knew he would be. Unlike Patrick, his expression didn’t register any uncertainty or surprise.
Swallowing hard, I walked over to his table, and I was a little stunned to find that I felt nervous. I almost neverfelt nervous, and there was nothing to even be nervous about. This kid was just looking at me, nothing more.
“Why are you staring at me?” I asked him pointedly.
“Because you’re standing in front of me,” Finn replied simply. He looked up at me, his eyes framed by dark lashes, and there wasn’t any hint of embarrassment or even denial about being confronted. It was definitely unnerving.
“You’re
always staring at me,” I persisted, trying to be as calm and collected as he was. “It’s weird. You’re weird.”
“I wasn’t trying to fit in,” Finn said. I twisted my ring on my thumb and hated that I had to fumble for a response.
24
“Why do you look at me all the time?” I rephrased my original question.
“Does it bother you?” Finn’s eyes flashed at something that might have been surprise, but it disappeared so quickly, it was probably nothing more than my imagination.
“Answer the question,” I demanded and stood up straighter, trying to make my presence more imposing so he wouldn’t realize how much he was rattling me.
“Everyone always looks at you,” Finn replied coolly and leaned back in his chair. “You’re very attractive.”
That sounded like a compliment, but his voice
Similar Books
Blank Slate
Tiffany Snow
The Orchid Tree
Siobhan Daiko
Deadland's Harvest
Rachel Aukes
Moonlight Kiss
Luann McLane
Silvertongue
Charlie Fletcher
Rule
Alaska Angelini
Kirev's Door
JC Andrijeski
The Bond
Nikki Prince Shyla Colt
My Billionaire Cowboy: A BWWM Western Romance
Bwwm Romance Dot Com, Esther Banks
Exquisite Danger
Ann Mayburn