I sigh, twisting the end of a dark curl around my finger as I find the willpower to look away. I might want nothing to do with him, but there’s a reason his bedpost is rumored to have so many notches in it, and I bet his baby blue eyes combined with his dimples are the culprit. “There’s nothing for us to talk about.”
“What do you want to talk to her about?” Keri asks, and I look at her, giving her a silent shake of my head.
“I can think of a couple things. Off the top of my head, you never told me where you got the blanket from, and I’d like to know why you told me your name was Alex?” he asks, pulling the writing tablet down to rest his arm on it.
“Can you please go away?” I ask, avoiding his questions despite the fact his mention of my goddamn blanket makes me want to smile.
Jack shakes his head, his mouth tilting into a smirk. “Sorry, darlin’, you’re stuck with me now since Coach thinks you’re my tutor.”
“You’re tutoring him?” Keri interrupts, and I’m losing hope she’ll help me get rid of him.
“Yes,” Jack answers, but I’m quick to correct him.
“No.”
I watch in horror as Keri melts like chocolate in the warm sun on a hot summer day, and I just know he’s flashing his dimples at her. One glance in his direction proves me right—those goddamn dimples.
“Sorry, I didn’t catch your name. I’m Jack, and Al’s my tutor, but I promise I rate her higher than she rates me,” he teases, and even though Keri has no idea what he’s getting at, I do.
“I would have rated you higher than a two if you deserved it,” I protest, grumbling under my breath as a chuckle escapes him.
“The way you’re dropping your rating makes me think you need to give me a second chance to do better,” he teases, and I roll my eyes. Of course, the one day my professor is late has to be today of all days.
“I’m Keri. Do you deserve a second chance for whatever it is she rated you poorly on?” Keri asks, engaging in his antics, and it’s tempting to pull down my own writing tablet for the sole purpose of banging my head on it.
“No, because he also has a problem with listening. Jack, I think your fan club misses you,” I say, angling my head in thedirection of the girls seated where he normally is. If looks could kill, Keri and I would already be dead.
“They’ll survive,” he says, shrugging, and I’m relieved when my professor finally shows, setting her things down.
“I’m not a tutor, so if you actually need the help, find someone else,” I say, pulling my things out of my bag, but our professor starts speaking before Jack can respond.
I do my best to focus on everything Professor Rayburn says, but it’s hard to when Jack’s leg hasn’t stopped bouncing since she started. I feel bad for being surprised that Jack takes notes, but every time she changes screens, he swears quietly under his breath, his eyebrows furrowed in deep concentration.
I know it’s wrong to make assumptions, but maybe I judged him too quickly. Too bad every time I start to feel bad about wanting nothing to do with him, he opens his mouth and I lose my cool.
The second our professor is done, I’m putting everything in my bag to dart around Jack, but all he has to do is stretch out, making it impossible for me to get past him unless I want to straddle his waist. To be clear, I don’t want to.
“Where do you think you’re going, Al? We haven’t had a chance to chat,” he says, smirking at my eagerness to leave.
“I didn’t think we had anything to talk about, and I have to meet Macy,” I say, frowning at him.
“Perfect, I’ll walk with you,” he says, an easy smile forming as he stands up, leaving me to follow behind.
Seriously?What could he possibly want to talk about so badly?
My only problem with using Macy as an excuse is we don’t actually have plans to meet since she’s in a lab all morning. I only said it because I thought if Jack knew I had somewhere to be, he’d leave me alone—not act as my personal escort.
“Perfect,” I say, the single word dripping with more sarcasm than I thought possible. “Bye, Keri, see you Wednesday.”
She offers me a traitorous smile and a thumbs up before I walk down the stairs with Jack following closely behind. There’s a slight chill outside, and I’m glad I wore a sweater today. It feels like sweaters are all my wardrobe consists of, but we’re approaching the descent into the unforgiving temperatures of winter.
If I’d been able to transfer to Texas Tech, I wouldn’t have to worry about whether my backpack can fit over all the layers I’m going to have to start wearing eventually.
Fucking Minnesota and their stupid snow.
Before Jack can say anything, some guys across the hallway call his name. The girl with them tilts her head, watching me, and I wish I had a hoodie on to pull over my head and hide. I mean, seriously? He’s a jock who can simultaneously skate and shoot a puck. Not a god or anything incredibly special. He’s just . . . Jack, I guess.
I continue walking, hoping they’ll capture his attention long enough for me to ditch him. Except the sound of his heavy footsteps catching up to me tells me it didn’t work.
