Chapter Nine #2
“But Damian did give you a ride on his bike, right?” Addie asks as she hops onto my bed. Carly and Raven settle down on her bed.
I place my bookmark in my book and set it aside.
“It’s not really a big deal,” I admit. “I mean, I kind of freaked out about the bike thing because I’d like to at least have my first kiss before I die, but it wasn’t as scary as I thought.
We made it to the bookstore in half the time and I was able to get all the books I wanted.
Well, thanks to Damian. He snagged the last copy of this. ” I hug the mystery book to my chest.
“He actually helped you look for your books?” Addie asks with excited eyes.
“Not only that. He even paid for them.”
“Oh my gosh, really?” Carly is nearly bouncing on the bed.
I hold up my hand. “It’s not as good as it sounds. My parents decided to be mean to me and cut me off, so I basically looked like a poor beggar at the bookstore. Damian stepped in because he felt sorry for me. Even though he claims it wasn’t charity or pity, I know he felt bad.”
“How did you even end up on his bike?” Raven asks.
“My car decided to be mean, too, and die on me. Ugh, that reminds me. I need to get it to the shop.”
“So instead of postponing your trip to the bookstore to a later date, you decided to hop onto Damian’s bike?” Carly asks with furrowed brows.
“Not exactly. He offered to take me there.”
“You weren’t scared he’d, um…” Addie’s voice trails off like she’s not sure how to ask the question.
“Scared that he’d kidnap me or something? Of course. But the truth is that he’s not a bad person. He was nice to me the entire time.”
“But why?” Raven asks. “Yesterday you made it seem like he was the worst student you ever tutored.”
“I thought he was the worst student I ever tutored. But I guess I misjudged him.”
The three of them are quiet as they think over my words.
“So are you guys friends now?” Carly asks.
I scoff. “Doubt it. I don’t think Damian makes friends with goody-goodies like me. But I think our lessons will be more enjoyable.”
“That’s good,” Raven says.
Addie looks disappointed. “Are you sure you guys can’t be friends? You know, friends make the best romantic relationships.”
“Oh my gosh, Addie.”
“What? He’s really cute and you guys look really cute together.”
I roll my eyes. “How many times do I have to tell you I don’t like bad boys?”
“Until you admit you’re lying to yourself.”
Addie’s not being annoying, she just wants Raven and me to experience what she and Carly have experienced—an epic romance.
She and Caleb are perfect for each other, and I know they’ll be together forever.
The same for Carly and Ryder. While I do believe deeply that happily ever afters do happen, I don’t believe they happen to everyone.
So while there will be the few lucky ones who will experience the romance of their dreams, most people can only hope and yearn.
Which is completely fine because if I won’t be one of the lucky ones, I’ll always have my romance books.
“At least you got to experience a motorcycle ride even if it wasn’t a romantic one,” Carly says.
“The dude’s muscles are so hard,” I tell them. “He must work out.”
“Ooh, you’re talking about his muscles.” Addie pokes my ribs.
“It was just an observation because I was forced to wrap my arms around him.”
“Did he like you touching him?” Addie asks with light in her eyes.
“I can’t read his mind, Addie.”
“But you could tell based on his reaction.”
“I was busy worrying about my short skirt.”
“Yeah, right.”
“Seriously! Next time, I’m going to wear pants.”
Carly’s brows shoot up. “Did you say next time?”
My lips shut tight when I realize that those words indeed left my mouth. “Well, if I ever ride on his bike again,” I clarify.
“So you want to do it again?” Addie pokes my ribs again.
“Addie, you’re blowing this way out of proportion.”
“Soph, I think you should be careful,” Raven says. “We don’t know anything about Damian. I’m not saying he’s bad news, but I did overhear kids talking in the hallway…”
I lean closer to her. “What did they say?”
“They said he got into a lot of fights in elementary school. Maybe he’s a violent person.”
“I think the big question is, why is he at our school all of a sudden?” Carly asks. “We didn’t even know Harrington had a son. And now he’s living with her?”
“It’s not our business,” Raven points out.
“True. But it’s curious, isn’t it? Especially because he doesn’t dress or act like all the other rich kids here. He seems like he’d fit in more with…”
“Us?” I ask.
“Yeah. Kind of.”
We’re quiet as we think.
“Look, it doesn’t matter,” I say. “I don’t have the time or patience to try to figure him out. All that matters is that I can help him learn the material and catch him up in all his classes. That’s it.”
Raven and Carly nod while Addie frowns again.
She might have been right about Carly and Ryder, but she’s totally wrong about Damian.
It doesn’t matter how nice he was to me today—he’s not even remotely close to anything that I look for in a guy.
Except for the fact that he was kind to offer me a ride to the bookstore.
And that he didn’t give up searching for the mystery book.
And that he saved me from a humiliating situation—
Geez, there are more examples than I thought.
But still, he’s a bad boy. And why am I even thinking like this when all he did was give me a freakin’ ride? It’s not like he confessed his undying love for me.
“Your mind is on overdrive, Sophie,” Raven observes.
I blink. “Hmm? Oh, sorry. Just thinking about this precious.” I hug the book to my chest again. “I bet I’ll stay up all night reading it.”
“Until I force you to go to bed,” Raven warns.
“Please do. I’ll need a good kick in the butt. You know I hate being tired in class.”
“We know,” they say.
Carly glances at the clock. “It’s almost time for dinner. I heard we’re having Chinese.”
“Yum!” Raven says. “I hope it’s from a local place and not from one of the chefs here. I want the real stuff.”
“Same,” Addie says.
They get up and head to the door.
“Soph, are you coming?” Carly asks.
“Nah, I’m not hungry,” I say as I open my book. “I need to know what happens next.”
They don’t bother to argue because they know they’ll never win. When I’m absorbed this much in a book, there’s no tearing me away.