Chapter 40
James
The next morning, I dashed to school with an idea that was drilling into my head: Convince someone to throw a pool party. I had to find out.
I was parked in front of my locker. Connell kept yelling about last night’s party, spilling every detail of what he’d done between the sheets with the girl he’d slept with.
“How about doing that again tonight?” I asked.
“And where the fuck were you, Hunter? I thought you were bringing me stuff. There was only alcohol.”
“How about at your house, Connell? At the pool? Tonight?”
I watched him blow up his cheeks, which were peppered with a slight beard.
“Coach will kill us—too many parties, too many distractions.”
He looked around, following any pretty girl that crossed our path with his eyes. All of a sudden he seemed to regain interest in my idea.
“And tell me, Hunter, are your friends coming too?”
“You throw it, and I’ll make them come.”
His golden eyes glinted when June passed us in the hall.
My phone battery had died, and that morning I woke up with my phone off. What a fucking shitty idea calling her the night before. Also because I wouldn’t know what to say to her when I woke up today.
She stopped at her locker and Brian Hood came up a second later with his depressed look on his face; he was always at her heels now. What a shitty morning.
“Connell.”
I jerked my head at her.
“Invite June.”
“Sorry, why don’t you invite her? Is she with Will or not?”
“Well, I thought if the party’s at your house, you should invite her, but if you prefer—”
“No, no. Stop. I’ll do it,” he announced, puffing out his chest. He went up to June without any tact.
“Hey, blondie, you got plans tonight?” Dickhead.
She turned to say goodbye to Brian and didn’t even register that Connell was there, not even by mistake. I bit my lip to hide the smug smile that was creeping onto my face.
“I’m talking to you,” he insisted, pissing her off.
“I’m not. Think about it a bit.”
I saw Connell gather some patience, take a deep breath, and go on the offense. “I’m having a party at my house.”
“I’m happy for you,” she grumbled.
“Get to it. What’s the problem?”
“No,” she answered dryly.
“You don’t even know—”
“No.”
“No what?”
Connell was getting annoyed.
“No, asshole.”
Her insult left him speechless while I burst into thunderous laughter. She noticed, because she looked at me with a hostile expression.
I realized that the disdain she had when she looked at me wasn’t the same that she had toward Connell.
It was different.
That thought made me swell with pride. Every time that our gazes rested on each other’s, I clung to that idea. She liked me.
I liked her so much. I felt it when I was near her. I felt it on her skin, like a lion smelling prey that’d just fallen into its trap.
“You’re one of those girls who likes to play hard to get.”
Without beating around the bush, Connell trapped her against the wall with his imposing build. I turned around abruptly at that gesture.
“What are you doing?” asked Jackson warily, seeing me suddenly at attention.
“Nothing. I wanted to smoke.”
I started digging in my pockets, like he could only fall for it from far away.
“Yeah, sure. Smoke,” grumbled Jackson, shaking his head.
My eyes narrowed. All my reflexes were on the lookout. If he touched her even lightly, I’d tear him to pieces.
“Look, leave me alone, Corbell,” she taunted, just to make him fly into a rage. I felt all the accumulated tension melt away suddenly. I burst out laughing, again.
Connell watched her wriggle out from under him, then turned to me and Jackson.
“What a flippant little voice. I wonder how she’ll get when she’s under there.”
He giggled and made a vulgar gesture with his hand on the button flap of his pants. I turned away from him before the insane idea of going for his jugular came to mind.
“Maybe it’s better for us to get to class,” urged Jackson, clearing his throat.
“Imagine how much it’ll turn me on making her scream my name right here,” the asshole grunted, pointing at his ear. I’ll spare your ear, but I’ll cut your dick into little pieces.
“Hunter? Why aren’t you saying anything? What do you think of the new girl? Did she break up with William or not?”
Shit.
“She’s not your type,” I immediately clarified.
“And who decided that?” he asked defiantly.
“You like the ones who . . . how do I put it, know what they’re doing. She’s boring.”
“Boring?” Connell looked at me scowling. “What do you know? You haven’t slept with her yet?”
I shook my head. “What the fuck are you saying?”
“Look, if she’s never tried it, it doesn’t mean she doesn’t like it.”
“If you bang her, she’ll decide to join a convent afterward,” said Jackson behind us.
Connell didn’t dignify that provocation with a response, as engrossed as he was with the thought of June. We saw her greet Blaze and stop to talk with him at the end of the hallway. She kept pushing a blond lock of hair behind her ear innocently.
“Trust me, once she learns about the pleasures of a dick, she’ll never stop.” Connell didn’t take his eyes off her for even a second, while I tensed even more, and Jackson immediately realized it. He tried patting me on the bicep to calm me down, but the reality was that I was a nervous wreck.
“Your word isn’t worth much.”
One of the asshole’s friends made fun of him while I felt the veins in my neck throb furiously.
“Don’t worry, I’ll bring you proof. Like always.” Connell giggled.
“What a group of assholes,” I grumbled, irate.
In the meantime, Jackson scrutinized me with inquiring eyes.
“Up until yesterday you were wallowing in their mud, James. Why are you so outraged now?” There was the Jackson, who couldn’t wait to nitpick as usual.
“You know what they say about the shy ones?” continued Connell.
“Are you done?” I snarled, coming closer to him.
That idiot, who was just as tall as me but much stronger and heavier, glared at me, but I didn’t give a shit.
I’d break his face with backhand.
It was a shame that I couldn’t lift a finger in school, or I’d end up in juvie again. And that asshole knew it.
“No, I’m not done,” he spat.
“I’d say you are.”
Connell didn’t pay attention to my serious tone; he kept laughing.
“I didn’t mean to offend your little friend. You wanna get with her first? Fine by me. But then it’s my turn,” he gloated before leaving.
I punched the locker; the effects of the impact were so strong that I felt my knuckles open up again and throb with pain.
“Looks like being with Cooper makes you as crazy as him!” yelled Connell when he was already on the other side of the hallway.
“Let it go, James.”
Jackson patted me on the shoulder, but the circumstances didn’t seem to improve. I was agitated.
And I still was when I got to class.
Marvin was sitting in the back of the class. Poppy was sitting at the bench in front of him, and of course June was next to her.
My eyes drifted right under the bench to seek out her thighs.
Her legs were crossed. Her skirt fell a little above her knee and there was no sign of any scratch.
What if they were hidden farther up? But it wasn’t good for me to look at her like that because every time I looked at her full flesh, I started imagining how heavenly it would be to have her ankles on my shoulders.
She was leafing lazily through the history book when all of a sudden she bent over her backpack to grab a notebook.
The white uniform shirt barely enveloped her well-developed breasts, and the middle button was subjected to a delicious pressure.
It seemed like it was wanted to pop off from one moment to the next.
I looked away, almost annoyed at that forbidden sight.
I looked for exactly three seconds—no more, otherwise anyone would’ve noticed that I was staring at her like an idiot. I concentrated on strutting into the classroom with my head held high; my classmates seemed to notice my arrival.
She was the only one who didn’t bother to look up at me. I massaged my hair nervously.
“Girls don’t like to do it in a bed. It’s too conventional.” Marvin pretended to be an expert with Poppy.
I sat down next to him without talking.
“What’s so bad about a bed?” asked June.
I almost spat out my water on Jackson’s arm.
“At least you’re comfortable,” I retorted, looking at her shamelessly.
“Yeah, but from what I understand all the girls say it’s more arousing to do it in weird places. The bed, I don’t know.” Marvin stroked the shaved nape of his neck.
“It’s definitely more comfortable,” June let slip, without looking up from the history book.
“Exactly. That’s what I say. It’s soft.”
She lifted her chin and immediately sought my attention with her eyes.
“It’s comfortable.” I watched her articulate that phrase with her heart-shaped mouth.
“And warm.”
I intensified my gaze in hers, then involuntarily licked my lips, and she did the same.
“All right, since you’ve both screwed, come on,” spat Marvin, laughing.
But she didn’t seem to appreciate that joke, because she got up from the bench irritated. I saw her rush out of class without saying anything. I took a deep breath. Magically, I couldn’t keep my ass glued to my seat anymore. I got up and followed her.
“You’re running after her now,” teased Marvin, making Jackson burst out laughing.
I glared at both of them then left the classroom. It only took me two strides to catch up with her in the hall. I grabbed her arm and took the liberty of slamming her against the first wall that I found myself in front of.
“James!”
I heard her moan while I leaned all my body weight on top of her, with both hands planted on the locker behind us.
“Are you out of your mind? Everyone is looking at us!” she exclaimed, now trapped between my arms.
I saw her pupils dilate to the extreme.
“Then let them look.” I gasped, out of breath.
She tore her gaze from mine, preventing me from gazing into her clear eyes.
“Tell me loud and clear what you want from me,” she murmured, with her chin lowered.