Chapter 19
I sit back to take in the look of my work so far, before bending back over my shoe, adding more marks with my purple sharpie.
The white canvas is almost completely covered in the irises.
I smile to myself. It may be the most proud I’ve been of any of my works. Most of the time I’m just fucking around, drawing random-ass shit that doesn’t really mean anything.
But this one speaks to me. I’ve spent days trying to get them to copy the feeling the actual flowers give me. A good, glowy, nice feeling.
I’m starting to think that maybe it’s the person I associate them with and not the actual flowers that make me feel so good.
A shadow falls over the table, and when I look up and see Carter standing there, I’m genuinely confused.
The rest of the cafeteria is loud and crazy as usual, but he stands calmly, looking at me with a smile on his face. “Hey,” he says cheerfully.
I flick my eyes left and right, looking for someone else he might be talking to, but when he pulls out a chair and sits down at my empty table, it leaves no doubt that he’s talking to me.
“Uh, hey,” I say hesitantly.
In general, I don’t like most people, but Carter has a special place at the top of that list. He hasn’t even done anything to me personally, but he’s messing around with the guy I’m in love with, so he can go fuck himself.
My eyes quickly glance down at his mouth, noting the shape and fullness of his lips. For lack of a better term, they look stupid. And all I can keep thinking is that this dumbass is an idiot for refusing to kiss Javi.
I kissed Javi. And my world hasn’t stopped spinning since.
Dude is missing out.
Part of me would love to shove Carter’s face in it.
But what is there to really gloat about? I let Javi practice on me. He said he wanted to make sure he didn’t suck at kissing guys.
Despite how I’ve been feeling, Javi had the blankety-blankest face I’ve ever seen on a non-robot when I pulled away from him.
That’s nothing to brag about.
Especially because it’s been a week now and he still wants to kiss the douche in front of me.
Carter keeps looking at me. I do a weird, awkward, flat-lipped smile and keep drawing, but when I glance up, he’s still fucking looking at me.
I shift my eyes a bit to find Javi. His eyes are already on me from where he sits across the cafeteria. He lowers his brow in confusion, and I try to give him a subtle but equally confused look back.
“Don’t you live across the street from me?” Carter asks, still staring at me while he leans his elbow on the table, propping his chin in his hand.
I look back at him for a quick second, before shrugging and concentrating back on my shoes. “Not sure where you live, bro.”
That’s a lie. But I don’t like that he thinks I’ve noticed him. I hope it knocks him down a peg.
It doesn’t seem to work. He laughs. “Yeah. I think I’ve seen you. You’re always hanging out with Javi too, right?”
I don’t look up from my shoes. “Yep.” I make it short. I’d really like him to leave right now.
“Hmmmm.”
And then he just keeps sitting there. Silent. I don’t look at him, but I can feel his eyes on me the whole time.
I’m about to just say “fuck it” and get up from the table—deal with whatever consequence Dean Nelson wants to give out for leaving the cafeteria when I’m not supposed to.
But then Carter leans in. His voice is lower than before. Only for me to hear. “Do you know how pretty you are?”
My hand freezes, fucking up one of the irises when the sharpie bleeds a dot on the canvas.
Something gross skitters across my skin.
Hearing that out of Carter’s mouth is all wrong. It raises my hackles. It makes me feel sick.
“I’d like to get to know you as well as Javi does,” he says even lower as his hand inches toward my leg under the table.
I watch it the whole time it creeps in my direction. The moment I feel the weight of his fingers on my knee, I stand out of my chair like a shot.
It throws my chair to the ground, making a loud banging noise echo throughout the cafeteria. A hush falls over everyone as they look in my direction.
Javi starts standing, his eyes alarmed. He does some slight nod of his head, and even though he doesn’t say anything, I can tell he’s asking if I need him.
I shake my head at him and start gathering myself.
“Think about what I said,” Carter says.
I don’t answer or look at him as I sling my backpack over my shoulder and get the hell out of there.
Pretty much the moment I pass the threshold where the cafeteria ends, I hear my name. “Mr. Turner. You know you can’t leave lunch before the designated time.”
I ignore him too. That’ll definitely get me in trouble.
But it’s better than being anywhere near Carter Hayes.