‘Roses are Red.
Violets are Blue.
Come with me to prom.
Go on a date with me too.
~ Josh’
I can’t help but smile as I fold it back up. He’s persistent, I’ll give him that.
“Well?” A hand closes my locker and Josh Parker is in the flesh, waiting for my answer.
“Shouldn’t you be in class?” I ask, tucking the note inside my pencil case.
“Shouldn’t you?” he retorts, walking along beside me.
“I have a note from my math teacher.”
“And I have a hall pass, so we’re all good,” he says, taking my books from my hands and holding them under his arm. We walk about two steps before he speaks again. “Are you going to give me an answer?”
“Josh.” I shake my head. “I don’t know what to say here. We’ve been down this road before and you stood me up.”
His arm shoots out, blocking me against some random person’s locker while he narrows his eyes. “I thought we both knew that was a joke.”
“Pretty cruel joke, don’t you think?” I ask, ducking under his arm and continuing on my way.
He catches my arm. “Is that why you keep turning me down? Because of a prank from when we were sophomores?”
“I’m turning you down because I don’t trust you. But mostly, I’m turning you down because I don’t want to go with you. I’m not interested, Josh.”
His eyes narrow. “You dirty, prick-teasing slut,” he spits, dropping my books on the floor with an echoing thud. “I knew I shouldn’t have wasted my time on you.”
“Parker!” A booming voice travels up the hallway, causing me to jump, and Josh to step back and release me. Brody is stalking towards us, eyes dark, fury in the set of his jaw. “Get away from her.”
“I was just helping her with her books, sir.” Josh’s tone is saccharine sweet as he kneels to pick them up. “Here you go, you fat bitch,” he says between his teeth, so low that only I can hear him. I didn’t like him before, and I sure as hell don’t like him now. Thank god I was never tempted to take him at his word. People like Josh Parker will always turn on a dime when things don’t go their way.
“Get to class,” Brody booms, and we both turn and head for our respective classes. “Not you, Miss. Allen.”
I stop and wait while Josh stalks off, shooting me filthy looks over his shoulder. God, I hate that guy. How does a parent manage to raise something as entitled and hideous as that?
“Brody,” I whisper, forgetting myself when I feel him approach me from behind. “That wasn’t how it looked.”
“It looked like he was harassing you,” he says, stepping into my view, concern replacing the fury from a moment before.
“In that case, it looked exactly how it was,” I say, hugging my books to my chest.
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. Josh is…” I sigh. “He’s not good at taking no for an answer.”
“Has he done something to hurt you?”
“Not really. I mean, he did pretend he liked me sophomore year to humiliate me, but he seems to think I should forget about all of that and go on a date with him now.”
“I’ll kill him,” he says, practically growling. “I’ll string him up by his balls and tear him limb from limb.”
“That won’t be necessary,” I say, placing a hand on his chest to still him. “I’d rather just forget he even exists. He’s no one to me.”
