I shot him a look. Beth wasn’t blind; I’m sure she knew she looked like hell. The last thing she needed was someone to point it out to her.
“What?” he asked me. “She does.”
Beth groaned and rested her head on my shoulder. “I feel hung over.”
I held out half of my sandwich to Beth. “You want some?”
She must’ve lost, like, five pounds while puking her guts out. And since she was five feet tall and only ninety pounds, those missing five were vital.
She lifted her head and wrinkled her nose. “Ugh, no. I’m never eating again.”
Josh sat up. “I’ll take it.”
Everyone laughed, but I just shrugged. “All right.” I handed him Beth’s half, since I wasn’t really hungry. I usually wasn’t when something bugged me.
That morning–and most of the day before–my brain couldn’t focus on anything but Thomas. I’d replay our conversations over and over, and couldn’t stop picturing his face–it was burned into my memory now. I knew every line, every curve. I knew the lengths of his lashes–how they were full and the lightest shade of brown. I knew the depths of his eyes as their color deepened, and the intensity of his stare. I knew the exact shade of his hair and the way it carelessly fell across his forehead.
But he was a jerk, and I hated that I couldn’t stop thinking about him.
Josh ate the sandwich half within just a couple bites, so I relinquished my other half to him too. I pulled out my grapes as he lay between Beth and I, draping his legs over Beth’s and resting his head on my lap.
“You wanna feed me some of those grapes?” he asked.
I popped one into my mouth. “Why?”
“I’ve always wanted someone to do that. It’d be really hot.” He opened his mouth, fully expecting me to feed him.
I rolled my eyes and laughed. “Yeah, right.” I dropped the bag onto his chest. “You’re a big boy, you can feed yourself.”
As he popped a grape into his mouth, smiling up at me like the big kid he was, I saw what Beth liked about him. It wasn’t his all-American good looks, it was his charm.
“Oh. My. God.” Beth lifted her sunglasses as her mouth dropped open.
I followed her gaze into the sunny patch of courtyard about forty feet away, seeing Thomas talking intimately with a girl. A gorgeous girl.
Her blond hair cascaded down to the middle of her back in soft curls, and her big, dark blue eyes and full lips looked perfect on her heart-shaped face. She must’ve been around six feet tall, because she was only a few inches shorter than Thomas. Even the plain and casual clothes she wore couldn’t hide her supermodel potential.
My heart sank, and I looked away, scowling in response. I was such an idiot.
First of all, I shouldn’t have cared if he had a girlfriend. He was rude, hypocritical, and an all-around dick. I should be wishing her luck instead of feeling…jealous? Or was it hurt? Either way, it didn’t feel good.
And second of all, I shouldn’t have been surprised that he had a girlfriend. Of course he did. He was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.
Maybe that was why he bothered me so much–I didn’t want to accept that someone so lovely could really be that ugly.
Chapter Ten
I dreamed of Emily again last night.
This had to stop. I was a wreck. I couldn’t close my eyes without picturing her face or body. I didn’t want to sleep anymore because I was terrified of what would happen. The dreams themselves didn’t bother me–I just hated waking up alone and realizing none of it had been real.
Fortunately, I’d just gotten out of my last class of the day. I’d been useless all morning, what with my newfound ADD and all. Right now, I needed a break and I needed to be alone.
I cut through the courtyard on my way to the student parking lot. As I fished my keys out, I glanced around the sunny quad. Twenty feet ahead, there was a tall blond girl with her back to me, checking out the campus map as she talked on her cell phone. I didn’t think anything of it until she turned around, stopping me mid-stride. Our eyes met, and my stomach plummeted to my knees.
For a moment, Mel looked just as surprised to see me, but the shock quickly wore off. “Found him,” she said into her phone before hanging up.
I had to force my feet to start moving again, slowly walking towards the twin sister I hadn’t seen in four decades. “What are you doing here?” I asked.
Her lips formed a tight smile. “It’s nice to see you too, Thomas. You look well.”
“You shouldn’t be here.”
Her smile tightened. “Mom says hi.”
I winced. “Mel, come on. Stop.”