I jerked my chin at the golden one, a silent greeting.
She suddenly had somewhere else to focus her attention.
When practice was finally over, we drifted to the girls. I lifted a hand, her name on my lips.
The golden one’s eyes widened, and she quickly looked away.
Porca vacca! Not again.
Going with her gaggle of girls, she breezed off the field. I raced to the locker rooms to change and grab my things. I didn’t bother with a shower. All day, I’d been trying to corner her, to just…say hi.
Back outside, I waited for her to emerge. When she did it was with a group of girls escorting her. I clenched my jaw and followed at a safe distance.
The golden one threw a cautious look over her shoulder as they neared the parking lot. Her gaze tightened when it landed on me. She gave a subtle shake of her head.
I jerked my chin down the road and gave a silent plea.Just come say hi.
Her lips thinned. But she turned to faux embrace her friends. Calling out goodbyes, she hustled to the end of the parking lot. I loped to the far side, ready to intercept her.
“Walk ahead of me,” she hissed, not looking in my direction.
I saw it then. The black town car that loitered near the road. She made a beeline for it, paused at the window, dumped her bag inside, then walked away at a fast pace. When she rounded the copse of trees, I was done waiting.
I dashed forward and intercepted her. “Hi, Mandy.”
Not the best opening line, but I let my grin of triumph speak for me.
She looked nervously around and slinked back, deeper into the shadows of the branches. “What are you doing, idiota?”
So feisty!
I let her anger roll through me, not fixating on the sting of her cold, unfriendly attitude these past few days. “I’ve missed you.”
Her shoulders dropped. Those three little words broke through her guard.
I took a cautious step forward.
“Enzo, I—” She lifted and quickly dropped her hands helplessly. “Hi.”
The corner of my mouth quirked up. “Hi.”
We stood there, two lost souls reunited. The restraints of the posh school fell away. With her, I didn’t have to try to be the star student or the talented athlete. I could just be me.
“Want to grab a coffee or a bite and catch up?” I offered, knowing that food was always a good way to reach her.
But the words had the opposite effect. Worry creased her eyes, and she quickly shook her head. “You can’t act like you know me.”
That did it. A spike of pain nailed into my heart. Darkness leached out.
I crowded into her, pushing her back against a tree. Not touching her, I leaned down. That exotic, floral scent she wore brushed against me. An intangible caress.
“Why?” I demanded. “Why have you been ignoring me this whole time?”
Her breath hitched. “Dad won’t like it. I don’t want him to mess with your scholarship.”
And just like that, the anger dissipated. It wasn’t her social status that she feared risking. It wasn’t that she wanted to forget her past friendship.
“Well, that’s good to hear,” I murmured, leaning an arm against the tree trunk above her head. “I thought you didn’t want to be associated with a poor boy like me.”
