I choke on my own spit and he turns his attention back to me.
“Look at me,” he demands.
I take a deep breath before shaking my head. At my refusal, Austin cups my jaw, and forcefully tilts my chin up to meet his gaze. To anyone else, the action would look sweet. Two loverssharing a moment. He strokes the side of my face and offers me a cruel smile, enjoying how uncomfortable his touch makes me.
The glint in his eyes wreaks havoc on my nerves, but he gets whatever reaction he’s looking for because he finally steps away, giving me space to breathe.
“Better run before I get any ideas,” he laughs.
Not giving him the chance to change his mind, I bolt for my class, ignoring Kim’s furious expression as I all but run past her. That I’m doing exactly what he said, running, makes no difference. I just want to get away.
Austin’s loud laugh echoes behind me and I rub my arms as goosebumps break out over my skin.
Not seeing him over the last part of summer break has left me ill-equipped for the reality of facing my attacker every single day. Especially when he enjoys cornering me at every opportunity.
PacNorth boasts over thirteen thousand students. I don’t know or even recognize the good majority of the people going here, yet I still can’t seem to escape him.
Fate is a fickle bitch, and I swear she likes to screw with me.
Even now, what should be a beautiful day is tainted by only one interaction. I chance a glance over my shoulder. He’s right where I left him, a wide smile on his too handsome face like he was just waiting for me to look his way. Austin doesn’t have a care in the world, and I hate it. Hate him.
Sliding into class, I take a seat toward the back of the room before checking to see how much time I have before class begins. Five minutes.
My classmates filter into the room, taking their time as they loiter with friends. My cell phone buzzes in my pocket and a quick glance at the screen shows me I have two new messages. The first is from my mom.
Mom: Have a wonderful day! Maybe after your classes we can do lunch!
I sigh, and ignore it.
Mom hovers a lot. She hides it under the guise of bonding, but if she’s not working or otherwise occupied, her favorite place to be is glued to my hip. I’m letting it be for now, pretending I believe her when she says she wants my opinion on a dress so I need to go shopping with her. Or when she says my father refuses to watch a particular rom com with her and would I please hang out in the living room so she isn’t forced to watch it alone.
For the record, my father has never said no to a thing that woman has ever asked for. My dad loves my mom. It can be gag-inducing at times, just how much they love each other, so I know when she uses lines like that, that Dad refused her some random inconvenient thing, that she’s full of crap.
But I pretend to be offended on her behalf and sit beside her while she munches on popcorn and fake cries at all the lovey-dovey parts. She probably thinks spending time together helps me.
It doesn’t.
The second message is an unwelcome surprise. I didn’t even know she had my new number.
Kim: We’ve barely broken up and already you’re moving in on him? Get a life, Cecilia!
My blood heats but, before I can decide how to respond, a hush falls over the classroom, and I look up in time to see Gabriel walk in. Our eyes meet and he doesn’t look at allsurprised to see me. In fact, without missing a beat, he heads straight for me, stopping beside the empty seat on my left.
“This seat taken?” he asks.
Not giving me a chance to reply, he drops down into the chair and my heart chooses that moment to kick start into action, punching me in the ribs as it pounds inside my chest.
He slips his backpack off his shoulder, setting it down beside him before he props his feet on the back of the chair in front of him as he settles in. My brows furrow. Is he lost? Gabriel isn’t in this class, but with the way he’s relaxing, it seems like he thinks he is.
Chewing my bottom lip, I take him in through my peripheral, too proud to turn my full attention toward him. Why is he here? The question rolls around in my head. After being cornered by Austin in the hall, something about this feels wrong. Did he send his friend in here to terrorize me? Is that why he’s here?
Gabriel doesn’t say anything. Just sits there, looking like he does. Which is hot, by the way. I may have zero interest in guys as a whole, and even less in someone who associates with the likes of Austin Holt, but I’m not blind. Gabriel Herrera is overwhelmingly attractive. He has the whole tall, dark, and handsome thing going for him.
Around six four with tan skin, dark brown hair, and light honey-colored eyes, it’s easy to see why the other girls in class are suddenly staring. He keeps his face shaved. His hair loosely styled in a way that says,I care, but not so much that I’ll waste unnecessary time. His jaw is chiseled, and the corners of his mouth curl on their own, giving him the smallest resting smile.
He’s like a Hispanic Thomas Doherty. It’s devastating in a way. Again, not because I’m interested. I just have eyes.
Today he wears ripped jeans and a long-sleeved, gray shirt. The sleeves are pushed up to his elbows, exposing his muscular forearms and the thick leather cuff he wears on his left wrist.It’s a simple design. Dark brown leather with a wolf embossed on the side. PacNorth’s mascot is a wolf. Probably a symbol of school pride or something.
