A Broken Forever(35)

"I'm alright, sweets; don't you worry about me."

My heart skipped a beat, literally. I've read that horribly cheesy line in more books than I could count, but now here I was-feeling it, experiencing it, and loving it. The butterflies in my stomach fluttered anxiously and my cheeks reddened under the intensity of his gaze.

"Good, well, I need to go to class."

"So you have mentioned, yet here you stand." He was toying with me and I knew it. It should have irritated me that someone so nonchalant about everything could make me so-loopy. In a matter of minutes, I might add.

"You're right. Well, I'll be going now." I leaned over, picked up my books and took two steps to walk away when he spoke up.

"Or you don't have to."

'Just keep walking' was the mantra swimming through my skull as I turned back around to him.

"But I have class." His soft red lips twitched up in a smile as I once again repeated myself. Before he could say another word I added, "Don't you?"

He shrugged his shoulders casually as he picked a random black piece of thread from his shirt.

"I suppose I do."

We stood in silence for a moment; me not understanding his lack of hustle while he probably wondered why I bothered.

"So, why aren't you going to class?"

"It's my first day of school here. I don't really give two shits about anything today. So I intend on using the 'I got lost in the halls' excuse for every class I have."

"Oh, why?"

Once again he shrugged. "Why aren't you going to class?"

I nodded my head, looked to the ceiling and thought for a moment. "That's an even better question. Have a nice day of avoiding school."

I only managed a few more steps when he spoke up, yet again. "Why don't you avoid it with me?" 

I froze in my spot, wondering why on Earth someone I just met would ask me that, but I was also wondering why I would even be considering it.

"But I have … "

"Class," he said with a smirk, finishing my thought. "I know. Ditch." He made it sound so simple.

"I can't," I replied.

"You can."

"And do what?"

"There's a baseball game today; horrible seats, cheap hot dogs, and a day in the sun and not in some stuffy ass classroom."

I didn't want to admit it, but that all sounded wonderful. "I can't," was how I responded instead.

He leaned forward, and in a stage whisper added, "You can."

I shook my head and took a step back. "No, I can't, I'm sorry." I walked away and didn't stop this time when he called after me.

"I'll be waiting out here at the end of class … if you change your mind."

I wanted to say I went to class and got my work done like I did every other day in every single class. The perfect student-that was me-except for today. My mind raced of thoughts of the mysteriously alluring man from the hallway. The entirety of my fifty-five minute class was spent doodling, and it wasn't until I looked down at my notebook did I realize how truly captivated I was by him. Dozens of sketched out eyes covered the page, and that was when I had my answer.

It was wrong. It was irresponsible. But it was overruled by the way my head swam with thoughts of him, and the way my body hummed with the anxiety and anticipation that the bell would ring in less than a minute and he wouldn't be waiting there. What if he already left? Or what if he was only screwing around with me and had no intentions of ever talking to me again?

I let my head fall forward and bang on the desk, but the second the bell rang I was up out of my seat. I filed into the group of students leaving the room and the second I was back in the hallway I was walking in the direction of our prior collision. I didn't have to go far though because leaning against the wall with one foot crossed over the other and with his hands in his pockets was my mystery man. The smirk on his face grew to a full-fledged grin that made me smile back. I felt the secret between us, and the risk we were about to take had my adrenaline racing.

"I knew you'd change your mind." I bit back my smile as I closed the space between us. "But first, let's put these books away-they're a fucking hazard," he said, taking the books from my arms. I followed him to a bank of lockers and waited as he twisted the lock back and forth before yanking it open.

"Why this locker?" I finally managed to ask as I broke from the trance of watching his intense concentration.

"Because if I put your books in my locker, it guarantees me that I'll see you again." My cheeks blushed as I cast my eyes and smile to the floor.

"Greyson Rose?" My name coming out of his mouth shocked me; I hadn't told him yet, and no one call me by my full name.