"I'll see what I can do," I say, giving a non-committal response.
He accepts it with a grin even though we both know I won’t be there. "That's my man. I'll catch you later."
He leaves and I head to my first class of the day.
An uneasy feeling lingers in the pit of my stomach. I try to ignore it. Cecilia isn't my problem. And if what Austin said is true, she isn't a chick I want to risk being around either.
I'm here on scholarship and all it takes is one accusation, even a false one, to put my place at PacNorth University in jeopardy.
It shouldn’t matter if a part of me wants to check in on her. Make sure she’s okay. It's not a risk I can afford to take. Right?
I suck on my front teeth as I step into my class and drop my bag beside me. I close my eyes, recalling Cecilia’s wide eyes and stricken expression from the hallway.
Fuck.
Wrong. So fucking wrong.
CHAPTER 7
CECILIA
For a nobody at school, I’m getting a lot of attention. Zeta Pi must have spread some garbage about me already, because even before everything happened this past summer, when I was still on the University cheer squad, I was never on the receiving end of this many whispers and pointed looks.
It should bother me. On some minuscule level, I think it does. But for the most part, I can’t find it in me to care. No one here matters.
They’re not my friends.
My family.
They're nobody to me.
Who cares if they know I tried to kill myself? Twelve percent of college kids attempt suicide at some point during their first four years. I know because I Googled that too.
A lot of them have probably been in the same place I was...am.Albeit for different reasons, but this doesn’t make me some weirdo. It means I was hurting. I’m still hurting. So, screw them. If they want to stop and stare, that’s on them.
In the grand scheme of all the things that are fucked up in my life right now, being the center of campus gossip registers pretty low on my give-a-shit meter.
I head for the parking lot after my last class of the day, ignoring the looks as I make a beeline for my Jeep. I'm parked near the soccer field, and would you look at that, my guardian angel steps out onto the field, shirtless and looking very much like his namesake.
Sunlight glistens off his tan skin, droplets of sweat sliding down his muscular abs. He has the coveted V at his hips all the girls lust after, and without even trying I spot at least a dozen girls drooling over him from the sidelines.
A flash of interest stirs inside of me, but I immediately squash it. I’m not interested in any guys, least of all one who associates with Austin Holt.
I shake my head and right as I’m about to look away, Gabriel’s head lifts, his eyes somehow finding mine. He tilts his head to the side, a silent question in his gaze, but for the life of me, I’m not sure what he’s asking.
He lifts one hand in the air, offering me a small wave.
I frown and look around. Did he mean to wave at me, or is that for someone else? I glance around, not spotting anyone else nearby and his eyes stare straight at me.
A few girls near the field follow his line of sight, their expressions hardening when they see I’m the one holding his attention.
I bite my bottom lip, but don’t bother to wave back. He has to know I won’t return the gesture.
But his smile never dims, and from where I’m standing it almost looks like my lack of response amuses him. Is he messing with me? He has to be.
That thought alone infuriates me, and is enough to push me into motion.
I turn on my heel and unlock my Jeep, ignoring the heat that's now creeping up my skin. Why did he do that? Single me out the way he did?
