Kiss To Forget (Blairwood University #2) - Anna B. Doe Page 0,127
eyes at her accusatory tone. “I was worried,” she adds, this time a little softer.
“No need to be. I simply overslept,” I reassure her, feeling slightly guilty. Brook is my best friend, always there for me and standing by my side, even when things aren’t pretty. How many people do that? She knows how difficult it is for me to return to school each fall, so of course she’s worried. “I should be there in time for homeroom. Save me a seat, will ya?”
It’s not like somebody is going to take the front row seats anyway. Most of the time, the two of us are invisible. Most being the keyword.
Some strange noises start coming from my car, and a light on the console turns red. “Ohh shit!” I groan loudly. “Not now.”
“What’s going on?” She sounds worried. “Why are you yelling?”
“Something’s wrong with the car. I have to pull over. I’ll see you later in class, okay?”
“Later.”
She hangs up, and I pull over to the side of the road. Not knowing what I should do, I simply stay in my seat. Looking in front of me, my hands grip the steering wheel tightly, turning my knuckles whiter than they already are.
“You can do it, Lia,” I murmur to myself as I take one deep breath and open the car door. “You can do it.”
Going to the front of the car, I lift the hood and look inside. All those wires and tubes and… whatever. Blackness and dirt, that’s all I understand about it. How the hell should I know what’s wrong with this thing?
I bite into my lower lip to stop it from wobbling. I’m already tired and frustrated from my dream and from oversleeping. The last thing I need today is to be late for class or to have a mental breakdown—and here I am on my way to both.
Taking the phone out of my pocket, I try dialing my dad, but it goes straight to voicemail. “Just fucking perfect,” I swear under my breath. After the beep, I explain to him what happened and where my car is.
If I start walking now and hurry, I’ll be late for class by just a few minutes.
I’m about to close the hood when I hear the sound of a bike nearing. It’s some kind of fancy, sleek, black bike. It starts slowing down, only to stop next to my car.
The driver’s also dressed in all black—black helmet and leather jacket, black jeans and biker boots. He takes off the helmet and holds it against his side while he runs his right hand through messy strands of dark brown hair.
He’s handsome, so handsome he looks like someone who should be on the cover of a magazine.
“Need help?”
His voice is smooth, easy-going. He gives me a crooked smile, and his almond-shaped, gray eyes have a hint of teasing light in them.
“If you know how to get this thing going.” I shrug, pointing with a thumb over my shoulder at my good-for-nothing car. I’m not usually so careless to talk to or accept help from a complete stranger, no matter how hot they are, but I don’t have much choice right now. Not if I want to get to school on time and not draw attention to myself on the first day of classes.
“Let’s see. What happened exactly?”
He gets off the bike in one smooth motion, like he’s done it a hundred times before. He probably has. I tell him about the strange sounds and the light going on as he gets under the hood.
I look at him while he works.
He’s around my age, but could be older. It’s hard to guess because he has this whole older, bad-boy vibe going on, and I’ve never seen him around school or town. I would know; everybody knows everybody around here, all the way back to diapers.
Add to it that he looks a little bit dangerous. Everything about him screams beware, bad boy, trouble—all dark and mysterious, giving sexy half smiles and trading fingers through hair. And is that a tattoo peeking through the sleeve of his shirt?
He turns around, startling me. “It’s definitely the oil.” Gray eyes narrow, looking at me. “Were you just staring at my butt?”
“What?” A shriek leaves my lips. “I did no such thing!”
His smile grows even wider, confidence oozing from every pore of his body. “You so were.” He leans into the car. “But it’s okay. Good to know all the workouts pay off.”