Something flashed in his eyes and it erased the kicked puppy look, replacing it with something altogether different.
Something like determination.
Challenge.
His chin kicked up and he asked, “How are you going to get there?”
“Where?”
He made that growly sound in the back of his throat. “Battle of the Bands.”
I crossed my arms over my chest, feeling uncomfortable. But then I remembered his sob story from class. This kid wasn’t the rich snob I pegged him as. He could relate to public transportation.
Or at least he wouldn’t judge me for it.
“The bus.”
“I have a car. You can ride with me.”
A sarcastic response sat on the tip of my tongue, but his promise of a car held it back. I didn’t mind the bus, but it took forever. And in Troy’s car I could avoid smelling like metal and sweat. “How does that solve our project problem?”
“We can do it on the way. You take notes. I drive. Problem solved.”
I shared a hopeful look with Gina. A car basically trumped everything… all of my irritation, all of my convictions and moral integrity. Yeah, a car was nothing but boss.
“But what will you do when we get there? It’s a long drive.”
He shrugged, looking annoyed with my question. “And how will you get home?”
“We can take the bus.”
“The last bus runs at ten.”
I chewed my bottom lip and looked at Gina again. She bugged her eyes at me. Turning back to Troy, I looked him over again. He muscles were the kind that made me want to reach out and squeeze them- just to make sure they were as solid as I imagined them to be. His skin had been tanned and sculpted by hours outside on the football field. His hair lightened by the same sunlight. He was good looking, fine. I could admit that. In a total wrong-for-me-not-my-type kind of way.
It unnerved me that I found Troy Cameron attractive. On what planet would we ever make sense?
I blinked up at him and met those bright blue eyes. He was already watching me, already anticipating my next move. I hated that he seemed to see straight through me.
That my bullshit didn’t faze him at all.
“What are you going to do, though?” I couldn’t help but challenge him one last time. This felt bigger than an English project and a ride to a concert. This felt like a test… a game I was very close to losing. “The show’s sold out.”
His full lips spread into that same triumphant grin I’d seen earlier today. He’d won. I didn’t know what he won. But it was clear, this was Troy Cameron’s victory smile.
“I can get a ticket. That won’t be a problem.”
Gina snickered. “Of course it won’t, pretty boy.” She slapped his bicep, the same muscle I had been dying to touch just to see if it was real. Or if I was mental. “You know her dorm? Kristman?”
“I know it,” he told me without looking at Gina. “I’ll be out front at five.”
I nodded, gifting him a small smile. “I’ll bring a notebook.”
“And sandwiches,” he added. “We’re going to need some sustenance for the road.”
Gina laughed again and winked at me. “We wouldn’t want our driver to go faint with hunger.”
I let my gaze roam over the solid stone that was Troy Cameron, unable to imagine him faint with anything. But maybe a guy this big needed to eat more often to maintain those muscles.
I shook my head and remembered my plan for tonight: Jake Turner. I’d been waiting my entire life for this chance. I wasn’t going to let Troy and his muscles and promises of cars and free rides interfere.
“Let’s bounce, Cass. It’s going to take us a while to choose which shade of black you’re going to wear.”
Troy didn’t miss the dis. His eyebrows lifted but his eyes stayed playful and on me. “Later, Carmichael.”
I couldn’t help but smile. Just a small one. “Later, Cameron.”
