Surge - Maya Nicole Page 0,3

the morning doing their hair and make-up. I was the girl that didn't even spend a quarter of that on special occasions, much less for going to school.

He looked at his phone. "Yeah, it’ll be fun. What else do you have to do?"

"Why?" I was so confused because the Tritons, as they liked to call themselves, didn't hang out with the lower echelon of the high school hierarchy.

He threw his head back and laughed, giving me a great view of his Adam's apple and his smile. "Can't a guy just want to hang out?" His aqua eyes darkened as they met mine and my heart skipped a beat.

He stood and held out his hand. I looked up at him and hesitated. Guys like Jax didn't give me the time of day. I was considered a bookworm, and our crowds rarely crossed paths.

I took his hand, and he pulled me to my feet before he reached out and grabbed the strap of my bag that had slipped down my arm. His knuckles brushed across my bare skin and my nipples tingled in response.

My traitorous body needed to chill out. I didn't have time to let my hormones run amuck when college applications were right around the corner. All it took was one bad choice to have everything I had worked for come crumbling down.

I needed to text Ivy immediately to get her take on this whole situation. Sure, I had crushes, but I had never hung out with a guy alone before. It wasn't for a lack of them trying. I just had no interest.

I should make more of an effort for senior year. I wanted to have all the typical high school experiences; homecoming, prom, senior activities. Most of my important classes for college were complete, but could I afford the distractions a boyfriend or dating brought?

And did I want to draw the attention of the likes of Jax West?

He walked next to me toward the building where the yearbook planning sessions were taking place. Every year, yearbook staffs were invited to a summer weekend of workshops and planning. It was a great way to get a head start on the book.

"I was thinking we could order a pizza and watch a movie." Jax put his arm around my shoulder and I stiffened. "Relax, it's just an arm."

Just an arm.

Something told me it wasn't just an arm, but maybe hanging out with Jax would be a good thing to help me come out of my shell. My mom might even get off my back about being more social outside of my tight-knit group of friends.

After convincing Jax that it would be better to eat pizza with the rest of the yearbook staff who had attended, he took my hand and we walked down the path toward the dorms. The sun was setting, and I felt out of place walking hand-in-hand with him.

I didn't understand what he saw in me. There was a cheerleading camp going on too; he could have easily had any of those girls.

He stopped at a fountain and sat down, pulling me down next to him. "Am I making you uncomfortable?" He squeezed my hand and looked at me with his hypnotizing eyes.

"You aren't making me uncomfortable. I'm confused though." I crossed my leg and then uncrossed it.

"Confused?" He scooted closer so that the sides of our thighs touched. The fabric of his board shorts slid across the bare skin of my leg. "What is there to be confused about?"

I held up our clasped hands and then let go, bringing my hands together in my lap. "There are thousands of girls on this campus right now, and probably a frat party or two you could get in to."

He leaned forward with his forearms on his knees and looked over at me. "Why is it hard to believe I'd find you attractive? There might be a thousand girls within swiping distance, but that doesn't mean that's what I'm in the mood for." I scrunched my nose, and he flinched before laughing and standing. "That came out wrong."

"I'm not interested in being someone's mood for the evening." I stood and started to walk away.

He jogged to catch up and blocked my path. "Just come watch a movie with me. What else are you going to do?"

"Read." After I binge watched the most recent season of Riverdale with a bottle of Sprite and a shareable-size bag of Skittles.

"Come on, you can't be serious. One movie and then you'll still have