Fearless The King Series Book One - By Tawdra Kandle Page 0,2

a good half a foot, and he had light brown hair that hung just a little long over his ears and forehead. But the eyes that held mine were what made breathing tough. They were huge, deep green and framed by the most improbable lashes I’d ever seen on a boy. And they were fastened on me, filled with an expression I couldn’t quite read.

Impulsively I pulled the focus of my mind away from Nell’s and aimed it toward the boy. I only picked up a few stray phrases over the buzz of the people pushing around us.

…the girl… beautiful… wonder what… her name… Nell up to her…

“Michael, this has nothing to do with you,” Nell said smoothly. “Leave us alone.” She gave him the same stare she’d given me a few moments before. He only rolled his eyes.

“It sounds like you’re giving her a hard time.” Michael jerked his head in my direction. “Wouldn’t it be nice to let the new girl settle in before you begin the torture?”

The temperature around us seemed to suddenly drop several degrees. Nell took a step closer to Michael. “It’s none of your business. Leave us alone.”

“Not going to happen.” Michael stood relaxed in front of Nell, but I sensed the subtle alertness lying just beneath the surface. Nell might have realized it, too, because she gave a slight shrug.

“Whatever.” She flicked her eyes across my face. “We’ll talk again later. You might want to give some thought to my advice.” She walked away from us without looking back.

I watched her go, still more than a little mystified by the hostility. A sudden tingle jolted my attention back to Michael; he was touching my shoulder, looking down at me with concern.

“Are you okay?” he asked. “Don’t worry about Nell. She’s that way to pretty much everyone. It’s not just you.”

“I guess that’s a relief,” I said. “She’s a little intense, isn’t she?”

Michael laughed, and my heart flipped over about ten times. “Just a little. What happened to set her off?”

I liked that he didn’t assume it was something I did. “I don’t know. She wants me to drop Chemistry class. She said it was—exclusive or something. No, she said the teacher was selective. That’s kind of weird, isn’t it?”

He shrugged. “Typical Nell.” He waited a beat, as though to let that subject drop completely. “By the way, I’m Michael Sawyer. This is your first day here, isn’t it?”

I nodded. “Yeah. Tasmyn Vaughn. I just moved here. Thanks for stepping in with Nell. I appreciate it.”

“No problem. Try to stay out of her way, and she probably won’t bother you again. She’s kind of a bully.” He hesitated again. “You’re a junior, right? You have lunch sixth period?”

“I am a junior. I have no idea about lunch—I’m just taking it class by class.” I waved the paper schedule that was my lifeline for the day.

“Well, all the juniors and seniors have sixth period lunch. If you want someone to eat with, look for my friends and me. There’s room at our table.” He glanced over his shoulder, and I realized that the walkway was almost empty. I was going to be late for my next class, and I didn’t even know where it was.

“Thanks. Um, I have a class called speech and debate next.” I scanned my schedule quickly. “Room 32? Can you point me in the right direction?”

Michael grinned. “Sure. Go to the corner of this building and make a left. Should be just a little way down.” His eyes lingered on me just a moment longer. “I hope I’ll see you at lunch.” He turned and jogged away from me.

I hoped so too.

The cafeteria was located near the center of the school. There was indoor and outdoor seating, and at the moment I approached, a long line of students snaked out the doorway.

I joined the throng, looking around for Michael. I didn’t see him, but it was so crowded, I could have easily missed him. Having so many people around me was also making it hard to keep up my mental walls, and I frowned in concentration. The last thing I wanted was a headache with my lunch.

I finally made it through the doors. It was a typical high school cafeteria. Long tables with attached benches were set up along the walls. I saw another door leading to the outdoor eating area. Immediately in front of me were the tray pick up and the food line. The room was filled with milling