Wearing a cream pants suit, her mother kept her bone straight black hair back with a simple gold band, letting it fall loose around her back. In her eyes a ponytail of any kind was juvenile and shabby and only ever appropriate when playing sports.
Whitney's brown eyes narrowed only slightly, but it was enough to nearly elicit an apology from Ebony. Nearly. Ebony bit her tongue, forcing herself to not back down.
Cutting her sharp gaze away, Whitney walked past Ebony and went to the fridge, pulling out one of her green juices a local chef prepared, bottled, and hand delivered to the house just for her. "Then thank goodness this should be the last year of that, right?"
Whitney didn't stay for an answer, she took her juice and gave Ebony one last parting look before walking down the hall toward the garage, no doubt going to some salon appointment in Stardust Heights or meeting friends for lunch.
Self-consciously, Ebony ran a hand over her hair. Should she change it? Glancing back down the hallway where her mother disappeared, she straightened in annoyance. Screw that, she wasn’t changing her hair just because her pretentious mother made one of her dozen nitpicking comments.
Just then the back door opened and Gavin stepped inside. With his shirt draped across his neck and his torso slick with sweat he was breathing hard after his morning run. Letting her coffee dispense over the milk and ice in her glass, Ebony threw Gavin a smile, refusing to look at his naked chest, and went to the fridge to grab him some water.
Gavin didn't get the chance to open his mouth before another, deeper voice spoke up behind him. "Put on your shirt."
They both looked up to see their dad walking by with the phone up to his ear. Although he was seemingly mid conversation, he still made time to cut Gavin a warning look before winking at her. Just like her mom, he exited down the hall toward the garage, probably going into the office for a few hours.
Gavin waited until the garage door closed behind him before turning to her with an exhausted look. "Remind me, when are they leaving again?"
The first few weeks of school were like getting back into an old routine. Although not having her best friend Jade left a gaping hole in her side, Ebony fell easily back into the endless barrage of decision making and mounting tasks. As student council president there was never a shortage of work. There were field trips to coordinate with the biology and ecology department, a cultural festival in October, school fair day, a talent show, homecoming, pep rallies, not to mention the biggest event of them all, prom night. All of it had to be started now if there was any hope for it to be a success.
Thankfully she had taken the majority of her classes last year and some online throughout the summer as they vacationed in Greece. That left her with only a handful of required classes and the rest of the day as free periods to get things done.
She was sitting in a back room in the library when her phone buzzed. Technically, it was a secret room she had found last year while reorganizing the books. She had found a door handle peeking from behind the heavy metal shelf that had been rolled in front of the door. Rolling it aside had revealed a door to an old dusty storage room filled with ancient projectors, outdated textbooks, and other supplies. For weeks, she had silently cleared out the room using her key to the library after hours. It was her little secret. No one knew about it, not Taylor, not Jade, not even Gavin. It was the one place in the school she could go without being pestered for help. A place where she could take a breather.
And if she told Gavin? He would invade. He would without a shadow of a doubt invade her space. She would find him sitting in here waiting for her any time she came to be alone. His brilliant blue eyes would be the first thing she saw, absorbing all the oxygen in the room with his presence alone. No. Not happening.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket. Speak of the devil.
Gavin: Where are you? I just left the library and you weren't there. Don't make me use the PA system.
Shit!He would do it too. She sent back a text while grabbing her bag.
Me:I'm in the back of the library near my favorite table.
Hastily, she ran to the door. She couldn’t just barrel out of the hidden room, not with the bookcase pulled back in front of the door. Glancing through the stacks of books she saw the area was clear and pulled back the shelf and slipped out.
She was still facing the bookshelf when she felt his presence behind her. Grabbing her lip gloss from her pocket she smoothed it across her lips as she turned around.
Her heart jumped into her throat at the sight of Gavin. He was standing a lot closer than she expected. Did he see her move the shelf back? She couldn’t be sure. He watched her as she finished applying the lip gloss. His lambent blue eyes watching her like a bird of prey, taking in every detail.
He stepped closer, and her spine straightened. His presence filled the space, no doubt flooding the entire library with the quiet, forceful announcement of his arrival. Ebony often found herself wondering when that particular trait had emerged. Her father had always possessed it from the moment she first met him—but not Gavin. Gavin had been her wild, annoying, impetuous brother, until one day he wasn’t. Oh, he was still crazy, but in a way that made grown men think twice and sent shivers racing down women’s spines. It was as if he had simply woken up one day and stepped fully into his father’s shadow.
"Mmm what flavor?" He murmured leaning down until his face was mere inches from hers.
Ebony froze in place watching him as he inhaled the sweet scent of her cake batter flavored lip gloss. Instinctively her tongue came out to lick her lips, tasting the sweet gloss. Gavin’s eyes snapped to the movement, pupils dilating just as the wicked thought formed in his head.
He bared his teeth—a sharp, dangerous grin—her only warning before he lunged.
Ebony jerked back just in time as his teethsnapped shutwith an audibleclack.He would have bitten her!
Gavin grinned, his bright eyes tracking her movement. If he were anyone else—any other guy at school—especially with his size and that chaotic stare, she would’ve been terrified. But not of him. Never of him.
Instead, she laughed, breathless, and pointed a warning finger at him. "Stop it," she whispered. "You're going to get us kicked out, and I need to work."
Holding up his hands in surrender, he stepped back and grabbed a drink off a nearby table and handed it to her. The cup was still warm and she could smell the aroma of sweet coffee wafting from the cup.
Together they sat at a nearby table.
He drank from his cup and let out a soft groan as he leaned back in his chair, his arm falling lazily across the back of hers. "Coach Anders tried to talk me into joining the football team again. The man looks at me like a slab of beef, Ebbs.” He hugged himself and gave her an accosted look. “I've never felt so cheap."
