Until Alex - J. Nathan Page 0,55
my amazing morning. I held my head up and kept reminding myself I needed to be there. If I stayed home, Taylor got exactly what she wanted.
Sadly, half-way through the lecture, the whispers and stares began to eat away at me. So when the professor dismissed class thirty minutes later, I stuffed my books into my bag one at a time, in no rush to endure more judgmental eyes and unsympathetic snickers.
“So, you and Hayden, huh?”
My head shot up. The room had emptied except for the girl beside me who appeared to be stalling as well. “Excuse me?”
She flashed a wide grin. Her red lipstick such a stark contrast to her jet black hair. “Oh, come on. Who can resist the strong silent type? Am I right?”
Recalling all too vividly what occurred that morning, I couldn’t hide my smirk.
“And those dimples. What girl doesn’t drool at the sight?” She burst into a fit of adorable giggles. There was something about her retro look and big smile that instantly put me at ease. “You’ve gotta see the way girls around here throw themselves at him. It’s downright pathetic.”
I lifted an inquisitive brow. “You?”
She shook her head. “I’m a realist. He’s too much man for little ol’ me.”
I smiled. She had no idea how right she was.
“Poor guy. You can tell he wants to keep his private life private, but these girls make it impossible. If you ask me, he’d rather have nothing to do with any of them. Especially since you showed up.”
Her words elicited an unspoken satisfaction.
“People say he’s this underground boxer.” She lowered her voice, unnecessarily since the room remained empty. “But no one’s ever been able to find out where he fights. We just see the cuts and bruises after a match.”
I raised a brow. Boxer?
“Now, he’s like this knight in shining armor over you.”
I wanted to tell her she had no idea, but I let her continue, appreciating any information she’d willing share about the elusive Hayden Martin.
“Don’t get me wrong, what happened to you sucked. But I think most of us would’ve traded places in a heartbeat if it meant Hayden would’ve carried us out of the dining hall in front of half the school. And then watching him storm back in and threaten Taylor—”
I nearly dropped my bag. “He what?”
“Oh, yeah. You didn’t know?”
I could only shake my head as students filtered in for the next class.
She lowered her voice again. “He threatened her, then smashed her phone against the wall. It was classic. And he didn’t stop at her. He turned to the rest of the room and threatened anyone who had the picture or intended to share it.”
My eyes widened, unable to do anything but stand utterly dumbfounded. I should’ve realized when he left me in his truck something had happened. But at the time, I was so distraught I couldn’t think of anything but my own humiliation.
“I’m Sophia by the way.”
“Alex.”
Her bright lips slipped into a crooked smile. “Yeah. I know. Come on. You’re sticking with me today, girl. My friends are good people. They probably didn’t even open the message. And if they did, you’d never know.”
“Thanks.” It sounded so insignificant. Like it wasn’t enough to express what I really felt.
* * *
After my final class of the day, I lagged behind to speak with the professor about his lesson. By the time he was done, the building had cleared out. Okay, so maybe it had been cowardly, but cut a girl some slack. The day had been difficult enough.
A beam of sunlight shone through the exit door into the empty first floor hallway. I hurried toward the light. I was almost home free.
“Alex.”
Tension grabbed hold of my body, stopping me cold. I closed my eyes, hoping to God it wasn’t who I thought it was. I pulled in a deep breath, then twisted around.
Nervous laughter fled my lips as I watched Professor Smith approach, her clasped hands twisting.
“Just wanted to let you know rehearsals start tomorrow.”
“I don’t—
She shook her head. “Please don’t do it.”
My brows shot up.
“No, that came out wrong,” she explained. “Please don’t feel like you can’t stay in the competition. You gave the best audition this year. You earned your spot.”
I chewed on my bottom lip. While Professor Smith would’ve been horrified by Taylor’s duplicity, I couldn’t tell her the truth. It wouldn’t help. I wasn’t sure anything would. “Can I let you know?”
“I wish you wouldn’t think too hard about it. You’re already in.”
HAYDEN
I sat in