All-American Princess - Maggie Dallen Page 0,33

her and… Hell, I didn’t know what I wanted from her. All I knew was that she was intoxicating to be around. There was something intriguing about her that got under my skin and made me want more.

More touches, more glimpses, more… her.

“How’d you manage to get the same class schedule?” I asked.

She arched one brow. “You don’t think I could get into an AP class without bribing someone?” There it was. A flash of something real. It was real… hurt. And she covered it with a smirk. “I’m not as dumb as I look, Jack.”

That flicker of hurt was enough to make me feel like the worst sort of jerk. “I don’t think you’re dumb.” My voice came out gruff, and I covered up my sentimentality by adding, “I might think you’re a lot of things, but dumb is definitely not one of them.”

I was rewarded by a little smile. She shifted from one stiletto heel to another, her toned, tanned legs drawing my attention as she fidgeted beneath my stare.

Her skirt was short and her top clingy.

There was no way every guy in school wasn’t lusting after her right now, and there was no way every girl didn’t know it.

As if on cue, one such girl spoke loudly from behind us. “Seriously? Look at those lips. There’s no way she doesn’t inject them with something.”

This came from Katherine, one of Amber’s friends. Why she still hung out with that girl, I’d never understand.

One of the other girls Katherine was with giggled. “I bet she’s all plastic.”

Through this not-at-all-hushed conversation, Lila’s eyes never met mine. I got annoyed on her behalf—I mean, I might not like the girl, but they didn’t know her motives for being here, and their comments were just rude. Yet, Lila looked unfazed.

And then… well, then she just looked amused.

When they reached our side, she casually turned to face them. “All real, ladies.” She did a move with her free hand, sliding it over her curves with a sexy stroke. “But I know the name of an excellent plastic surgeon if you want to do something about that nose of yours.”

Katherine slapped a hand over her nose as she and her idiot friends ran off in a flurry of hushed whispers and whining.

“Lovely,” I said when Lila turned back to me with a smirk.

She lifted a shrug in false modesty. “Taking down mean girls is one of my favorite pastimes.”

“Because you are a mean girl?”

“Because I own mean girls,” she said with a funny little drawl. Her smile broadened, and for a second, I couldn’t look away because it was genuine. I was starting to realize, genuine emotions of any kind from this girl were what made her so intriguing. These glimpses of somebody real were what had kept me up at night and what had me thinking about her at the most inappropriate times this past weekend. Those glimpses made me want to see more, to peel back her lovely, perfect, refined layers to see the heart that beat underneath.

But then, just as quickly as it appeared, her grin vanished, replaced by a look of boredom. “Are you going to show me where AP English is or not?”

I sighed and turned to lead the way again. Truth was the classroom she was headed to was just around the corner. I could have told her where to go and sent her on her way. But I didn’t.

Instead, I walked with her, and I felt the stares. I heard the whispers. And despite every intention not to… I felt sympathy toward this girl. She might’ve worn her haughty princess façade like a shield, but I’d seen the chinks in that armor. Underneath it all, she was a girl. Maybe not normal but not untouchable like she’d have me believe.

Like she’d have us all believe.

And whether I wanted to or not, I found myself feeling protective of this spoiled brat with her there-and-gone smiles and her sexy legs.

“A word of advice?” I said as I paused in front of her classroom door. We both spotted Brandon sitting front and center before she turned to face me.

“I don’t suppose you’re about to give me advice on winning over Brandon.”

I let out a huff of laughter. “Hardly. If anything, I’ll be in his ear reminding him to steer clear of you.”

She arched one brow. “Well, I guess I should thank you for being honest.” Tilting her head to the side, she shifted the books in her arms. “So, what