Stupid soccer.
Ihatesoccer.
My thoughts break when he moves.
He takes a huge sip from the bottle that I didn’t know he was holding — a liquor bottle, I presume; the liquid inside it looks as transparent as water though — and slams it down on the hood.
Throwing his hoodie aside, he springs up on his feet. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
I hug the backpack to my chest. “I came to –”
He doesn’t let me speak. “Shouldn’t you be at rehearsal?”
“Rehearsal is done. I –”
He fires off another question before I can finish, his eyes searching something beyond my shoulders. “How in the hell did you get here?”
“I, uh, got a ride from a friend.”
His gaze comes back to me, all belligerent. “What friend?”
“From dance. Her brother was picking her up and she said that she could drop me here. It was on her way back.”
His gaze grows even unfriendlier. “Herbrother.”
“Yeah. You know him. He’s a senior too. Jonathan Andrews.”
This piece of information makes Reed’s jaw so tight that I have to bite my lip at the force.
“Andrews gave you a ride.”
“Yes. I’ve talked to him some and he seems nice. He’s in the drama club and –”
“Fuck drama club. And fuck Jonathan Andrews.” His nostrils flare. “You’re going to stay away from him.”
“What?”
“Stayaway. From him,” he growls angrily.
“Why?”
“Because he’s got a fucking hard-on for you. That’s why.”
Is that why he agreed so easily?
To not only give me a ride but also to keep it a secret at school. Sophie, his sister, isn’t going to be so accommodating, I know. But I’ll deal with that later.
My only aim was to get to Reed.
I blink. “I didn’t… He didn’t… He was just trying to help me.”
Reed shifts on his feet as if getting ready to do battle. “Yeah, I don’t think so. What he wastryingto do was lay down the groundwork so he could make a play for you later. So you stay away from him, you understand? He’s a fucking asshole.”
“And if I don’t?”
His chest pushes out then and again I can see the carved muscles of his pecs, his ribs shifting under his t-shirt, making him look even more dangerous than usual.
I think the hoodie takes away from his danger, cloaks it in false softness.
