Chapter 5
AGE 18
Dalewood High, Library
“I gotta make this quick, got practice in an hour and I can’t be late,” Rowan says as he pulls the chair out across from me.
I feel the eyes on us from the table over, I know what they’re all thinking. Why is Rowan Kingsley, the most gorgeous guy in school, captain of the rugby team, sitting with Violette Taylor ? That’s assuming they even know my name. Most of them are airheads who get drunk and party every weekend, but because I don’t, because I spend my nights studying and mornings prepping our school breakfast club for kids who don’t have enough food at home, I’m a social pariah.
I look up at him and my heart skips a beat as I smile. Rowan wears faded blue jeans and a white T-shirt with a black and white flannel over top, his standard Seahawks hat is on his head backward and a few stray dark blond waves escape it. God, he’s gorgeous.
How I got lucky enough to be paired with him for our final biology assignment, I’ll never know. Although, I did almost throw up in the girls’ bathroom before I came here.
I see him all the time because he’s always at our place. He’s my twin brother’s best friend and he’s always been nice to me. I’ve sat quietly and read my books while he and Jacob play video games in our basement. I’ve watched the two of them play rugby since junior year, and I’ve washed the dishes while he’s dried after many dinners at our house, but I’ve never been alone with him for any length of time, and that makes my palms sweat like crazy.
I pull my black hoodie away from my stomach a little to make sure it’s not clinging to the wrong places while he sits this close to me. I’ve been trying to stick to my diet and exercise routine because I really wanted to lose ten pounds before summer came and Rowan was hanging around our pool every day. But it was mine and Jacob’s birthday last week, so I’ll admit I’ve eaten way too much cake, and I’ve had my period, so in turn I’m feeling super bloaty today.
“You look nice today, Vi,” Rowan says as if he’s battling my inner thoughts.
I feel the blush creep up my neck.
“You always look nice,” I blurt out.
Rowan’s eyes narrow a bit and he smirks, taking a sip from a bottle of water.
“All right, well, since we both look nice, let’s get started.” He chuckles.
I’m pretty sure I’m beet red, but I start talking anyway. Small talk with Rowan Kingsley may not be my thing, but biology? I’m confident.
“Well…I’ve already started laying the project out for us,” I tell him, opening my notebook. I love science so I didn’t mind getting it started, and besides, Rowan has a lot on his plate with his varsity rugby playoffs coming up.
“Of course you did.” He grins. Butterflies take flight in my stomach. “I don’t deserve you, Vi,” he says.
“Hi, King,” Kyleigh Miller, captain of the cheerleading squad, says as she passes by our table. Just looking at her lowers my self-esteem by about a hundred points. She’s just one of those girls who is unfairly pretty. Every guy at Dalewood High thinks she’s the hottest girl in school, and her two lackeys, Brittany Tucker and Carmen Smith, follow behind, trying desperately to be just like her.
“Hey,” Rowan says without fully turning to face her. I watch his fists flex and his brow furrow, and I wonder why he doesn’t look adoringly at her like everyone else does. He pulls his book out of his backpack as she stops behind him, placing her hand on his shoulder.
“We can’t wait to watch you play Friday, you guys are gonna kill North Umber,” she says, running that hand down his broad shoulder, touching him the way I’ve always wished I could.
“Yeah, uh, thanks,” he says, shrugging her off.
She gives me the once over. Where she’s all tall and thin with blonde, shiny hair and the world’s most perfect body, I’m short and softer than I’d like to be, with wild curly hair that’s neither blonde nor brown. It’s a sort of in-between and never really straightens no matter how hard I try. And I’m plain. I don’t have big blue eyes like Kyleigh. Those blue eyes drift back to Rowan now. I’m no match for her and she knows it. She looks down at my notes and our biology textbooks between us on the table.
“Didn’t know you needed a study partner. I would’ve done that with you,” she says with a pouty little look, showing her hurt.
“Thanks, but Vi and I got this,” Rowan says, looking back at me with a grin “Don’t we, Vi?”
“Yeah,” I reply quickly, but to my horror, my voice cracks. I clear my throat. “Must be thirsty,” I mutter.
“I’ll say,” Brittany says as the other two girls snicker.
My cheeks heat with embarrassment.
Why am I so awkward?
“See ya later then, King. Oh, and we’re having a party after the game at Carm’s. You should totally come,” Kyleigh adds as she turns to walk away, purposefully giving him the view of her ass in her skinny, ripped jeans.
“Yeah, I’ll see what the guys wanna do,” he answers, picking up his phone to answer a text. “See ya,” he adds, then sets his phone down and looks up at me.
“Sorry about that.” His smile is genuine. “Kyleigh doesn’t know how not to be invasive.”
I laugh as I pull open my planner.
Almost everyone in this school acts like I’m invisible, but Rowan is always nice and treats me sort of like his little sister. He has all through high school, even though we’re in the same grade.
“She obviously likes you,” I observe as I tap the end of my pen on my notepad.
“Meh.”
He leans in and the scent of his standard spicy cologne hits me. Sandalwood and mint. He holds a hand up to his perfect lips as if he’s gonna tell me a secret.
“I’d have better luck pairing up with this chair as a study partner,” he jokes, patting the back of the chair beside him. I give in and laugh too.
“Yeah, maybe, but she sure is pretty,” I say, watching her and her two friends fully disappear through the library doors.
“She’s alright, but trust me, I made the mistake once of thinking she was nice. She’s not.” He shrugs. “And that’s kind of a big stipulation for me.”
I didn’t think it was possible for me to crush on my brother’s best friend any harder than I already was ten minutes ago, but apparently it is.
“So, what do we have so far?” he asks, resting his forearms on the table. For five long seconds his navy blue eyes transfix me, and I have to physically force myself to close my mouth. I look down to my notes.
“Pollutants,” I fumble out awkwardly. “Types of mutations, artificial vegetative propagation…” I explain the basis of our project where we’ll have to go find all the relative air, water, and soil pollutants common to our area.
We spend an hour going over the plan, places we’ll visit for samples and how we’ll lay out our presentation. It’s worth 20 percent of our final grade and we have four weeks to do it. We map out a schedule of when we’ll get together, and I’d be lying if I said spending three days a week with him for the next month wasn’t making those butterflies in my stomach flutter wildly.
Rowan pulls his phone out and checks the time. “Shit, I gotta go.” He stands and starts to gather his books, pausing to look down on me. “Hey, uh, Vi, thanks for doing this with me. I really need us to get an A on this…or, um…I might not pass this class. I hate science, if I’m being honest. I have a hard time even understanding protons and electrons.” He laughs.
My mouth falls open. “You could fail? I had no idea,” I mutter, leaning back in my chair. I don’t tell him electrostatic connection is chemistry, not biology.
“Yeah, I don’t exactly broadcast that shit. Give me trig, calculus, algebra any day and I’ll ace it. This just isn’t my thing, and the truth is, if I don’t pass, I won’t graduate. But no pressure,” he adds quickly, probably seeing the worry on my face. “I’m gonna pull my weight and then some. I promise.” He smirks at me, holding his hand over his heart. His full lips have a way of turning up in an almost lopsided curve that gives you the smallest preview of his gorgeous smile. It showcases the dimple he has in his left cheek.
“No problem,” I say, a little starstruck. “I love biology. You can put your weight on me,” I blurt out. “ The weight!” I correct, feeling the heat of embarrassment creeping up my throat for the second time this afternoon.
He smirks even bigger, and the underside of the table is looking better by the second. “We’re good to get together for this over the next few weeks?” he asks.
“I’m free every day but Thursday.” I shrug. “Breakfast club prep,” I remind him of the club I head up as part of the National Honors Society. It even gives me special access to the school so I can prep meals for kids who aren’t lucky enough to have a good healthy breakfast at home. At least every Friday, they get one.
“Oh yeah, club pres, right? That’s cool.” He smirks. It is?
“See ya tomorrow, Vi.” He chuckles, slinging his backpack over his shoulder waving at someone across the library as he goes. I watch him shamelessly under the curtain of my hair.
His walk is an easy steady stride, everything about Rowan just oozes swagger and confidence, and he doesn’t even try; it’s why everyone likes him and all the girls want him.
I sigh as he disappears out of sight.
I wonder if there will ever be a day that I don’t drool over Rowan Kingsley.