The One That Got Away Read Online Free PDF

and head up like he didn’t have a care in the world. I could tell though, like I said, I observe. The tips of his ears were cherry red and his fist would clinch and his knuckles turned white every time somebody made a snide comment. I don’t know how he made it through the class without exploding. Instead, at the bell he calmly stood up, gathered his books and slowly walked out the door. Everyone jumping to get out of his way. It was strange, as if I was proud of him. Not enough to get involved though.
    .o0o.
     
    I’ve always thought of the library as mine. The one place that was free of the teenage angst and drama that permeated everything around here. There is this smell, it’s not strong enough to be called an aroma.  It’s a simple smell. Paper, glue and leather binding with a faint taste of copy toner. - Come on, you’ve smelt it. Is there anything calmer, less dramatic than a library? The room enfolds you like a warm blanket that promises to keep the world outside. God I love that place.
    So imagine my surprise to find Scott James parked at a center table in my library. He hadn’t picked a table in the back. No not him. It has to be right there in the middle of the room. Was the guy a born masochist? My stomach fluttered a little. I didn’t need drama in my library. As the TA for the library during sixth period, my job was to eliminate drama. Helping Mrs. Johnson. Mostly returning books to the stacks and helping freshmen find their way around. It was my favorite part of school and Scott James was going to ruin it by sitting in the middle of my library.
    He’d hung his red and white Letterman jacket over the back of his chair. He looked up when I came in and our eyes met for a brief second, nothing. No reaction, like I said, I’m very good at being invisible. Turning back to his book, he flipped a page and returned to his own world.
    I ducked behind the counter as I ripped a package open and pulled out a handy wipe for my hands before I started processing books, sorting them into categories. I let my hair fall in front of my face so I could peak through it at Scott. It was one of my many tricks at staying hidden.
    I’ll admit it, I was worried about him. How did someone fall from the top to the bottom without cracking up? You know that whole, “those the gods wish to destroy, they first make mad” thing.
    No one would ever call him drop dead gorgeous, but he was good looking, in that rugged, manly sort of way, His thick black hair kissed the tops of his ears. He kept swiping at it like it tickled. He had an old scar below his right eye and a faint bruise on the left side of his face. It seemed that heart throb Danny had gotten in at least one punch before his world became seriously disturbed.
    I found myself staring at Scott and forgetting about what I was supposed to be doing. I mean the guy was huge with shoulders wider than the Grand Canyon and hard tanned arms the size of small trees. They weren’t those sculpted weightlifter muscles. These could only be built with years of hard work outdoors.
    He had soft chocolate eyes that hid a deep intelligence. It always surprised me to see someone so big with an intelligent look. It wasn’t normal.
    His brow creased in confusion and he went back a few pages to reread something, found what he wanted and nodded to himself. I wondered what he was reading. It didn’t appear to be a text book. I had an almost overwhelming urge to go over and ask.
    Whoa Katie, what is going on? You do not get involved. Ever. And talking to Scott James was way too much involvement. Suppressing a shudder and fighting to get my rebellious stomach back under control I returned to what I was supposed to be doing.
    Mrs. Johnson had gone to a meeting and left me a note asking me to process some new books. I glanced to the two boxes on the floor and sighed in resignation. Why did they ship the books in such big containers? I could never get them up on the desk until I’d half emptied