“Oh.” She peers intently into my eyes, sucking me deeper into her world. “I guess people don’t really like to talk about it,” she adds in a quieter tone. “How long and why they’re here.”
“It’s not something we dwell on unless you’re like Lopez or part of one of the crews. They like to brag about shit they’ve done.”
“But not you.” She astutely assesses me.
“No. Not me.”
The teach pops his head in the doorway. “Williams, Stone, back to your desks now.”
We walk toward the door, and at the last second, I tug on her elbow, holding her back. She flinches, jumping a little, and I instantly withdraw my hand. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you,” I mumble, inwardly cursing myself. I’m such a fucking doofus around this girl. It’s embarrassing.
“It’s okay.” She worries her lower lip between her teeth. “I just don’t like people touching me.” She looks away the minute she says it, and I can tell she had no intention of telling me that. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one blurting stuff out. Perhaps she’s as affected by me as I am by her.
“No touching. Got it.” I hold my palms up, keeping my tone light.
“Thanks,” she mumbles, stepping forward.
“You wanna have lunch with me?” I hurriedly ask before it’s too late.
Her smile is coy as she looks back at me. “Sure. And you should ask Luc to sit with us too. I know you watch out for him.”
My eyes pop wide. How can she tell that after one day in the place?
“I’m very observant,” she says, answering my unspoken question, shocking me again.
Zeta is the type of person I should avoid like the plague, but she’s far too interesting to ignore. She’s the first girl I’ve ever felt a connection to, and even if it’s risky, there’s no way in hell I can stay away from her.
* * *
“So,how’d you end up with a name like Zeta?” I ask as we finish our dinner in the cafeteria later that day. Young is hanging off Zeta’s every word, and I can tell he’s majorly crushing on her. Not that I blame him or can even pretend like I’m not crushing hard either. Lopez has been sending me snide looks the entire day, and I know it’s cause he’s not happy I’m hanging out with the new girl. Well, screw him. He doesn’t get to tell me who I can speak to or spend time with.
Her body turns rigid, and I figure I’ve hit a sore point, but I don’t retract my question either.
She sighs a little, consciously dragging a hand through her hair. “My mom was a big fan of the actress Catherine Zeta Jones. She named me after her.”
I remember watchingThe Mask of Zorroa few years ago in here, and that’s how I know who she is. The facility’s movie collection is completely outdated and all rated PG-13, but I’ve just found a reason to be happy about that fact.
She toys with the food on her plate before looking up with a forced smile plastered on her face. “I guess I should count myself lucky that she didn’t name me Catherine.”
“Or Jones,” Luc blurts, his cheeks reddening when he realizes how lame that sounds.
“Absolutely,” Zeta agrees, easing his discomfort.
“Your mom chose well,” I admit, shoving my empty plate aside. “You even look a little like her.”
She blinks excessively before shaking her head. “Eh, yeah, no, I don’t.”
“What does Catherine Zeta Jones look like?” Luc asks me.
She’s beautiful. I think it, but I don’t say it because I don’t want to embarrass Zeta. Or myself. “She’s got long, dark hair, and she’s really pretty,” I say, hoping that doesn’t sound too flirty.
“Don’t insult my girl,” Lopez says, sticking his ugly mug in my face. He winks at Zeta before dropping into the seat beside her, slinging his arm around her shoulder. “Zeta’s smoking hot.” He licks his lips as he checks her out, his gaze gravitating to her tits.
She pales, sitting up stiffly in her chair. Removing his arm, she glares at him. “Don’t fucking touch me.”
“I second that,” Valeria sneers, standing with her hands on her hips and glaring at Lopez.
His gaze bounces between both girls, and a sly grin spreads across his mouth as he slouches in the chair, casually crossing his ankles. “If you came over here to tell me what to do, you can fuck the hell off, bitch.” Lopez’s grin turns menacing as he pins his fuck buddy with a withering stare.
