For a fraction of a heartbeat, I thought he’d break. I saw it flicker across his expression, a momentary need for comfort rather than confrontation.
But his walls snapped back into place, hiding him away from the world.And me.
“You don’t know a damn thing about me,” Maverick snarled, shoving me away. I stumbled back slightly with the force of it. “Go fuck yourself.”
Not giving me a chance to say anything else, he stormed down the hall. I watched him go until he vanished. I was left alonewith dozens of people just staring at me. Their little whispers of curiosity and gossip muddled together in my ears, sending the temperature in the hall soaring.
My lungs forgot how to breathe in his absence, and I dragged in air that didn’t help.I was fine.I deliberately straightened my shirt to give myself something to do. I plastered on a fake and practiced smile. If I could make them believe everything was fine, then maybe they’d forget the whole thing had happened. Maybe I wouldn’t be the center of their attention, and they’d move on to the next undeserving soul.
Yeah. Everything was just fine.
CHAPTER 05
maverick
People were fucking stupid. If one more person asked me about my face, I would hurt someone. Yeah, I looked like crap. Aidan had done a number on me when he found out that I’d given Mom money. Afterwards, he’d locked up the cabinets because if I was going to waste my food allowance money on her, I wasn’t going to waste the food he worked his ass off to buy. The joke was on him because I had a few small things stashed in asecret spot and wouldn’t starve if I rationed them carefully. He wanted me to come groveling, but I wouldn’t do that shit.
I didn’t need everyone in my business about my face. Two teachers and the assistant principal had pulled me aside to ask questions. They damn near interrogated me. It was frustrating because nothing ever changed. At this point, I just lied to them. It made things easier. I knew the system was broken, but fuck… way to make a kid feel like they didn’t matter.
I couldn’t do it anymore, so I ditched class. I didn’t have a lot of room to keep doing so, but I couldn’t handle another minute around anyone. They called it concern for my well-being; I called it being invasive and pointless.
I camped out behind the equipment shed all over again. It wasn’t like I had anything better to do, so I sat there and festered. I was just so mad. Mad at my mom for showing back up again. Mad at Aidan for all his Mad at everyone pretending they wanted to help me. And mad at Harley for getting under my skin with all of his audacity.
Somewhere around lunch time, he showed up, rounding the corner like we’d set a time to meet. Like I wanted him there.See? Audacity.
“What part of go fuck yourself don’t you understand?” I demanded while Harley made himself comfortable on the ground next to me.
“Wouldn’t that count as being kinky… fucking yourself in a school?” he replied. I barked out a laugh, caught off guard. “You said it yourself, I’m not kinky.”
“You’re a weird one, Harley Lowell,” I said.
“Maybe.” He sighed. Reaching over, he grabbed my cigarette. I watched as he took the tiniest of drags from it. “I’m a fast learner.”
The little curve of his lips as he smiled was a turn on—the kind I couldn’t afford. Granted, everything about Harley I couldn’tafford to be attracted to. Still, the way my dick stirred as I studied him told me I was fucked in that department.
Harley was gorgeous in an unattainable kind of way. No one around here looked half as good as he did with his perfectly combed, faded blond hair and soulful blue eyes. The dusting of freckles on his nose gave him an innocent look, and the fullness of his lips made me want to kiss him all over again,
But he wasn’t that kind of guy. Me? Sure. I chased dick wherever I could get it. Harley was very clearly inexperienced, innocent, and doing his own thing. I knew the rumors going around school about him being a prude because he wouldn’t kiss the girls who came onto him. Hell, from what I’d heard, the two girls who had kissed him said that he’d practically crawled up the wall when they did.
All that told me was he probably didn’t want to fuck around. Prude? Probably not. I usually didn’t call people that shit. Asexual maybe. Who knew? Either way, he didn’t want me for my dick.
And the kid had more money than I could fathom, so he didn’t want me for that either.
It left me wary. What the hell could a guy like Harley Lowell want with the likes of me?
“Why are you here, Harley?” I asked tiredly. “Don’t you have rich friends to hang out with? Give me that. You look like an idiot.”
I snatched back the cigarette.
“I don’t know,” Harley admitted, his voice soft. “I liked hanging out with you.”
“Why?” I scoffed. There were better people for him to spend time with.
“I just… I don’t feel like I have to be anything around you,” he said.He what?I looked at him, but his gaze was firmly set on his fancy shoes. “The… panic attack was because I failed a test.”
“Been there,” I scoffed.
“Yeah,” he replied. “But I’m not allowed to. I have to… be perfect. I have to dress right and get good grades, and act… perfect. And if I don’t… my mother… I just can’t not be perfect.”
