Total pages in book: 160
Estimated words: 155405 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 777(@200wpm)___ 622(@250wpm)___ 518(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 155405 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 777(@200wpm)___ 622(@250wpm)___ 518(@300wpm)
Trent Walker. He’s a football player and one of the guys in their friend group. Not one I told Anae about because I knew instinctively he would be too vanilla for her, but he made the invite list.
Landon hasn’t noticed me yet, but I’m hyper aware of any slight movement of his head that might change that.
I make it past his current line of sight and make a beeline to my desk without looking back. I wait for the telltale burn of his gaze when it hits me, but it never comes.
I should feel better that he hasn’t noticed me. That should be a relief.
But it’s not.
Instead of getting it over with, I find myself completely preoccupied as I open my history textbook and organize my notes. My mind can’t concentrate on any of the papers because try as I might to focus it, all I can think about is him.
This is why I have avoided having classes with him for so many years.
I was lulled into a false sense of having my shit together this year because being in this class with him hasn’t really bothered me for the last couple of days.
But it’s because it wasn’t my first sighting. There was no dread and anticipation of wondering what he might do that day.
It didn’t feel the way it used to because it wasn’t like it was before.
Today it is. Today I don’t feel like “let’s all make a fresh start” Parker with her “kumbaya shit,” as Anae so eloquently put it.
Today I’m the Parker who doesn’t have to be around Landon as long as she can avoid him at school, and I’m realizing now that Mom was right: I should not have brought him his lunch.
The mere thought of it reminds me so much of that day years ago when I approached his desk trying to be helpful…
Nope.
I’m not going to do it.
Maybe I’ll split the extra lunch with Hannah or something, but I’m not delivering it to him like his dutiful little errand girl. The Parker I was a few hours ago didn’t care, but flashback Parker kinda does, and I’m not inviting that kind of emotional chaos into my day.
Clearing as many thoughts of Landon as I can from my head, I give it a shake and roll out my shoulders, then I try harder to get ready to learn.
It’s as impossible to trick my body into being completely unaware of him as it would be for a gazelle to knowingly prance around in front of a hungry lion, but once the class gets going, I’m able to focus enough on the material to make it through.
As soon as class ends, I gather my things as quickly as possible and fly out the door.
I almost think I’m in the clear.
Then Landon sidles up beside me.
My whole body tenses at his proximity. Instinctively, I fall to the right a few inches to put more space between us.
He notices. I can tell by the way his lips tug up when he looks over at me. “Hey, Sis.”
“Never say that again.”
His eyes sparkle with amusement. “How’s life without me?”
“Peaceful.”
He moves to the right, eliminating my buffer space. I can’t even create more because if I move over any farther, I’ll ram into students stashing books in their lockers before they head off to lunch.
Rather than let him see his nearness bothers me, I stick my nose in the air and hug my books tighter against my chest. “How’s exile?” I shoot back.
His smirk grows. “It’s not so bad. Malek’s house is bigger than mine, and his dad doesn’t have a new lay he needs to impress with his parenting prowess, so he’s not on my ass all the time. Not to mention their maid…” He pulls an obnoxious expression that seems to indicate she’s hot.
My insides frost over. I shoot him a cool look. “How lovely for you.”
“Mm-hmm,” he agrees, amused that he’s getting to me.
I should rise above it, but his obvious taunt accomplished exactly what he wanted it to. I’m so annoyed at him, I can’t stop myself from blurting, “I doubt Brittany would be happy to hear that, but…”
He shrugs indolently. “I don’t answer to her.”
“That’s not the flex you think it is,” I say, rolling my eyes.
He cocks an eyebrow. “What, you want me to answer to her?”
“No, I just think if you don’t give a damn about the girl, you should stop stringing her along and maybe let her find a guy who does.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see him shake his head at me. “Parker Johansson, defender of school slu—”
I throw out my hand, covering his mouth before he can finish. “If the next word out of your mouth isn’t ‘women,’ I swear to God.”
He grins, pushing my hand away. “You’re so fucking easy to rattle.”