his head back once more, and I can’t decide if the noise irritates me or…arouses me. Definitely the former.
Definitely.
“Whatever,” I huff.
“And if you must know, I usually do exactly this,” he says simply.
“Terrorize innocent females?” I mumble under my breath, but he still manages to hear.
“Sit in my Jeep. Listen to music. Smoke a few joints. Forget about the world,” he answers, and I have a feeling he’s being sincere. Which is strange. If what he said is true, then words are special to him.
So why did he waste them on me?
And why do I care that he did?
When we arrive at school, Elias once more branches off to park in the student lot while I head into the building. I don’t know why I’m so reluctant to let him go, but I find my eyes trailing after the Jeep until it disappears around the side of the building.
As the wise Taylor Swift once said, shake it off, Peony.
The hallways are already full when I enter, and a few heads turn my way as I walk towards my locker. Self-consciousness pierces me like an arrow shot from a bow, and I have the sudden, irrational need to duck my head. To hide my face and pretend that everyone isn’t staring at me.
Is my skirt too short? Can they see my scars? Do I look weird? Ugly? Different? Do I look like a freak?
I try to shove those insecurities and fears in a steel coffin and bury them, but they continue to pop to the forefront of my mind like a damn jack-in-the-box. Even after all of these years, I’m still riddled with one lone, pesky thought—I’ll never be good enough.
“Damn!” a boisterous voice carries over the bustle of the hall. I turn from where my head is buried in my locker to see Emmett swaggering forward, his football jersey emphasizing all of his delicious muscles. “You look hot.”
“Thanks, Em.” I smile softly. “And you don’t look too shabby yourself.”
He looks the exact opposite of shabby, if I’m being completely honest with myself. He looks hot as hell. Like, if my vagina hadn’t just dried up like a desert from my interaction with Elias—denial is my close friend—it would be gushing right about now.
When the fuck did I get so horny?
“You excited to cheer tonight?” he asks, leaning against my locker and gifting me an incredibly effective smolder. Seriously, Emmett smolders with the best of them, easily surpassing Prince Charming in the rankings.
“Are you excited to football tonight?” I retort immediately, and he quirks one eyebrow.
“That was…honestly adorable. But to answer your question, yes. I’m super excited ‘to football’ tonight.” He flashes me a teasing smile. “But I’m more excited to see your tight ass in that little skirt doing the splits.”
“Oh my god!” I exclaim, laughing and shoving at his shoulder. “You’re a big horn dog.”
“I would take offense to that if it wasn’t true.” He shrugs, unashamed as his languid gaze continues to undress me.
“Oh. Em. Gee!”
Mariabella races across the hall and practically tackles me with her hug.
“Mar…” I say with a laugh as she pulls away, an undefinable gleam in her eyes.
“You look sexy as fuck!” she breathes, dropping her gaze to my legs. She instantly blushes and meets my eyes. “Sorry. That was blunt. But damn, cheerleading looks good on you.”
“You too,” I respond, and I mean it. Mariabella looks completely in her element in the skin-tight uniform, one that showcases her luscious curves. Karsyn really is a lucky man. It’s a shame I have to destroy him and then eat his insides.
She giggles slightly, another blush erupting in her cheeks, before she turns towards Emmett with an enigmatic grin.
“So…”
“So?” Emmett raises an eyebrow as he stares down at her fondly.
“What are your chances of winning tonight?”
“With Alder as QB, I’ll say pretty damn good. It’s really going to be a defensive game, since both of our offenses are evenly matched and—”
His words go through one ear and out the other.
Football stats? Not my thing.
Mariabella, on the other hand, nods endearingly as he prattles on and on about how close the game is going to be, especially if they don’t work as a coherent unit. She interjects once or twice to ask for clarification, but overall, she’s attentive and genuinely interested.
Once again, a pang explodes in my chest when I think about how perfect she is for Karsyn. Sweet. Funny. Beautiful.
It’s no wonder he loves her.
And it’s no wonder he never bothers to give me the time