back, didn’t tease, and unlike the last few weeks, the playful Maddox disappeared. In his place was a bitter, sulking boy.
I turned away and looked at my own paper. Why did I care? I shouldn’t be bothered by his change of attitude. He was having a shitty day, so what? Everyone had bad days. Hell, I knew the exact meaning of shitty days.
When the bell rang, I didn’t move from the chair. I couldn’t bring myself to, even though I should have gotten up and walked away. Like always.
Instead, I found myself waiting.
Maddox walked past me, without a word or a fleeting look. He didn’t bump into me, didn’t pull my hair, didn’t throw me one of his annoying smirks. Nothing.
I blinked, confused at my own mixed feelings.
I didn’t care; I shouldn’t care.
Any other decent person would have ignored Maddox and moved on – probably be thankful for another peaceful day.
Me?
I found myself following him.
Oh, how the tables have turned.
Maybe it was the fact that I was ready for him today. The last few weeks, Maddox had been a constant pain in my ass, and as much as I hated to admit it, I’d grown used to him being a jerk. The verbal sparring and the pranks became a part of my daily routine, and somehow, I found myself disappointed that Maddox wasn’t in the same mood.
“You’re dumb,” I muttered to myself as I followed behind Maddox, only a few steps away. “Stupid, stupid, stupid.”
Turn back. Walk away. Now.
You see, there are two sides to Lila. The indifferent side of her and the intrigued Lila – I was currently the latter.
Something about Maddox was different today, and it intrigued me. I had always liked puzzles, and Maddox Coulter was a difficult one to solve.
Maddox stopped by his locker, and he carelessly stuffed his books in there. His irritation was apparent, and he wasn’t even trying to mask it. No wonder everyone was keeping their distance from him. The students stared, but quickly scrambled away, when he directed his scowls at them.
I should have kept my distance, too. Ignored him and walked away.
But apparently, I liked to play with fire and to push my boundaries. Maddox and I were playing tug-of-war. It was an everyday battle between us.
Stopping a mere foot from him, I leaned my shoulder against the locker next to Maddox. “Is it shark week?” I remarked with a grin.
He didn’t spare me a glance, but his lips had thinned into a hard line, his jaw tensed. Maddox’s blue eyes darkened, but he otherwise ignored me. The scowl on his face was intimidating, but it only made me want to push his buttons even more. “Did your period attack you today?”
He blew out a breath before slamming his locker shut. His knuckles were red and bruised. The wounds on Maddox only made him appear more brutal… and slightly broken.
Maybe that was why he piqued my interest.
My grandma always said I was fixer. Since I was a kid, I always picked up the stray cats and the injured birds. Our house was a tiny zoo for all my little friends.
Too bad Maddox Coulter was not a friend.
He was my nemesis, and I didn’t want to fix him, I reminded myself.
“What do you want?” he asked, his voice low and hard. A shiver ran down my spine, and I stood up straighter, hiding the obvious effect he had on me and my body.
“Just wondering if you need a tampon. Or, do you already have one stuffed up your ass? Is that why you’re so grumpy?”
“For fuck’s sake,” Maddox grumbled.
“Ah. Definitely shark week.” I waited for him to snap, but he only gritted his teeth together, so hard I wondered how his jaw didn’t crack under the pressure. “It’s okay, you’ll eventually get used to all the messy hormones. If you need any advice on how to deal with it, I can make a PowerPoint for you.”
“Not in the mood for your pranks, Garcia.”
“You love my pranks.”
My stomach dipped when his chest rumbled with a low growl. “Get out of my way.”
He tried to walk past me, but I was having none of that. Could be my curiosity or my stubbornness, but I wasn’t ready for him to leave.
I sidestepped into his path. Maddox squared his wide shoulders, standing taller, and his eyes narrowed on me. “Move.” There was a warning in his voice, but I chose to ignore it.
“Are you okay?” I asked before I could stop myself.
I told myself I