3
June
Anyone with eyes could tell that there was bad blood between Brian Hood and James Hunter. I looked away from James and thanked Brian for offering to share his textbook with me. James sauntered past us with his nose in the air as he looked down cockily at the girls’ lovestruck expressions. The chestnut lock that fell on his forehead didn’t seem to bother him. Instead, he tousled it even more with an instinctive but damningly hot swooping gesture.
I sensed Brian’s rage flare up as soon as he looked up and made eye contact with Hunter, who looked down at him with a stormy glare. He walked past us and took a seat.
I suddenly felt his sharp gaze burning me. I shouldn’t have, but my curiosity was eating away at me, and I turned around. James wasreallystaring at me. Still. I felt my stomach turn as I looked into his overpowering gaze.
“Everything okay?” Brian asked in a friendly tone, forcing me to turn back around.
“Yeah,” I responded quickly.
My mind wandered. I always complained to my mom about how awful I thought it would be to go to a private school. Now I could tell that she’d made the right decision—the two people I’d met so far seemed nice. That was already more than I’d hoped for, and . . .
“Typical dickhead Brian,” a voice behind me shouted.
Uh-oh. I’d spoken too soon.
“Jackson, why the fuck are you always talking shit behind my back? Come say it to my face,” Brian retorted angrily.
I heard a jarring metallic screech as Brian got up from his seat and glared at Hunter and his friends.
“Nobody’s scared of a guy like you, Hood.”
I turned around. A tall, heavyset guy and a guy with a bleached buzz cut were taunting Brian.
James didn’t acknowledge Brian even though he was sitting right next to him. He was too caught up in flirting with a blond who was obsessively fiddling with the ends of her bob cut.
“Do you want to get hit again, Hood? Say it, and I’ll gladly hit you.”
Those words caught my attention. One of the two guys lurched toward Brian, and before I realized what was going on, the second guy dove in.
I’m gonna get caught in the middle of this. Calm your damn hormones, guys!
“Come on! I want to see what you two assholes can do,” Brian taunted.
The guy with the buzz cut laughed while the other one glared and clenched his jaw.
But just as they were about to face off, James got up and everyone shut up immediately.
“I’m trying to talk to Sammy, can you not interrupt me for ten minutes?”
His voice was so harsh and authoritative that it made me jump.
He turned his fiery gaze to his friends and then to Brian, who reciprocated his glare. Suddenly he directed his gaze at me. His irises darkened, and he stared so intensely that I had to avert my gaze.
“What about you, Hood? Have you really stooped so low that you’re diddling kids now? Don’t you have any shame?”
Was that asshole really talking about me?
“Hi, guys! Sorry I’m late.”
A strong British accent took me by surprise, distracting me from the scene that had just ensued.
The teacher walked into class, and everyone went back to their desks and acted as if World War Three hadn’t been on the verge of erupting thirty seconds earlier.
“Hi, Mr. Beckett,” a few girls in the front row greeted him with singsongy voices.
