15. Wren
Iexpected Julez to leave me at the door, but instead, he walked me into class, guiding me over to one of the seats on the far side of the room, but still up front.
Every single eye in the room follows our every move, including Mr. Adler’s.
If the floor could just open up and swallow me, that would be fantastic.
“Have a good first day, Pookie,” Julez says loudly, and if I wasn’t red before, I sure am now as I attempt to melt into my chair.
Mr. Adler doesn’t seem amused, but his annoyance seems to be directed at Julez, if the way he glares after him is anything to go by. His gaze snaps back to mine for a moment before he quickly turns away and begins class.
It doesn’t take long with his back to me for me to get a grip, especially because everyone seems hyper-focused on him.
I mean, I get that he’s good-looking, but damn, this seems excessive.
Pulling out my textbook, laptop, and notebook, I jot down just about everything he says.
Note-taking is what I’m good at; it’s how I remember, study, and learn.
“Your syllabus is available in your week one folder for this class.”
Crap.
I picked up the computer, grabbed the textbooks, and even grabbed my way too short uniform, but? nobody thought to mention that the school has a special online system for classes.
“Go over it.” I look back up to find Mr. Adler looking around the room with a serious expression. “I cannot stress this enough. These classes are not meant to be a cakewalk. They are meant to prepare you and give you a jump start. They are hard on purpose.”
“Shit, I wonder if I can make him hard on purpose.” One of the girls next to me whispers to the girl on her other side, and they both snicker.
It was a bad joke, made even worse by the fact that there’s no way he didn’t hear her.
He ignores her, though, instead turning back to the board to break down his grading scale and the bulk of what this class will cover.
History is literally my worst subject, and of course it’s with Professor Sexy.
This time, I’m paying more attention and swear I see the edge of a tattoo poking out beneath his collar.
As if the student body needed another reason to fall all over him…
Class is over before I know it, and I realize with a start that I zoned out.
I’ve never done that in class before.
“Nice of you to rejoin us.” My head snaps up so fast I hear my neck crack as Mr. Adler heads toward me while the rest of the class files out, some faster than others as they watch him like hawks.
“Sorry, I… um.” I literally have no excuse.
“Thankfully for you, the first day is mostly schematics,” he says as he continues to advance toward me, and all I can do is sit at the desk like a deer in headlights.
“You looked confused when I mentioned the folders earlier. Did you need help with anything?”
His question catches me off guard: while I wouldn’t say confused, I was annoyed, and I never would have expected him to notice. He has at least forty other students in this hall.
He cocks a brow, and I realize he’s waiting on my response.
“Oh, yeah. Yes. Nobody told me about a website,” I stammer out and have to resist the urge to smack my head off the desk.
What is wrong with me?
My last class of the day has both Titus and Julez in it, and of course, Julez insists we sit together. Titus sits on his other side, looking like someone kicked his dog, but honestly, I think that might just be his face.
At least when I’m around, it is.
Class goes quickly, and just like with the other two, it’s a lot of what to expect over the next few months.
It shouldn’t be much, but given that I’m a year behind, I don’t plan to slack off.
“Where are you off to?” Julez asks once class ends, and I pack up and head out of the room.
It’s a good question, I suppose, and I stop to think about it, though it only really takes me a second.
“The library.”
No way do I want to go back to the dorm if I don’t have to. Besides, I’d only had enough time to glance around the library during his tour, and if I was going to pass all these classes, the library and I needed a much closer relationship.
“Awesome, I’ll walk you over.”
“You don’t have—”
He gives me a look that has me snapping my mouth shut and huffing because I know he will anyway.
“I can’t stay, as I have fencing practice, but no reason not to drop you off. I wouldn’t want you to get lost.” He gives me a shit-eating grin, and I purse my lips.
I got lost on my way to my second class and had to text him to come save me. Thankfully, he didn’t have a class at the time.
I would have just wandered around forever if I had known he was going to tease me about it.
“Besides, it's on the way.” He slings his arm over my shoulder and pulls me into his side, and as much as I don’t want it to, this is becoming increasingly familiar.
“No, it’s not,” Titus says from behind us, making Julez groan, and I can’t fight the smile that pulls at my lips.
Titus might be an ass 99.9% of the time, but he’s nothing if not honest.
The very first turn proves that I need to shut my mouth and let him direct me because I would have turned the wrong way.
Maybe I can get him to draw me a map? I hate needing him to take me everywhere like this.
“Here we are, a big, beautiful room full of books for my Pookie to devour. Go enjoy big-brain things so you can keep Gavin on his toes.” He leans in, pressing a kiss to my cheek before he all but pushes me into the library and leaves.
Julian is a lot; there’s no other way to say it, but as much as I hate to admit it, I think he’s growing on me.
Titus and Julez are gone as fast as they arrived, and I take a moment to bask in the feel of the library.
I’ve always loved reading, not just studying. Actually, I hate studying. I’m good at it because I have to be.
The thought makes me shiver, and I push it away. Thoughts of the past are never a good idea.
Not many people are here, and I’m not sure if that’s the norm or if I just happened to come at a good time.
The only people I see are two girls who sit close to the door, though they seem more interested in their phones than any book, the librarian at the counter, and a guy who disappeared behind one of the many stacks when we walked in.
I move further in, and one of the girls looks up before her lips pull down in a frown, and she turns her attention back to her phone.
Hiding in the stacks it is.
Everyone knows that every good library has hidden sections where ?people who don’t want to be bothered go. I just need to find that.
The library is huge, two stories with the upstairs overlooking the main floor.
Everything is made of deep brown wood that looks hand-carved and probably a few hundred years old.
Massive wooden pillars, crossing support beams, and arches are everywhere you look, and through it all are rows and rows of books.
It takes a while, but I enjoy my time exploring, finding a few books that catch my eye along the way. But now I’m about to give up and turn around. I’m wasting time, and my arms are starting to hurt, but as I turn the last corner, I stop dead in my tracks.
“Wow…”
The space isn’t too different from the rest of the library, but it's upstairs on the second floor, tucked away from the railing where the rest of the tables are. The table has eight chairs total and a fireplace in the corner, giving the whole space a cozy vibe.
It feels like it was pulled out of a fantasy, but then again, I’m not sure how many normal nineteen-year-olds dream of libraries.
I can hardly contain my excitement as I move to the table, pulling out my books and laptop and settling in.
This is perfect, and for the first time since coming to Meadow Ridge, I feel like I have a place I can belong and be myself without everyone hating me.
The closest thing to home I’ll have for the next few years, but that’s okay; I’ve always been good at adapting.
I’m not sure how long I’m lost in my own little world before movement catches my eye and I nearly jump out of my chair.
He stands at the far side of the table, close enough that I definitely should have heard him walk up, but I didn’t.
His skin is lightly tanned, his eyes like honey, and face clean-shaven, but even still, he looks rough, a very bad boy.
Unlike everyone else, he doesn’t seem to wear the uniform, or at least not most of it.
He doesn’t have a vest or blazer, only the white button-up that's rolled to his elbows, showing off tattoos on almost every bit of exposed skin, and disappearing under what looks like black leather gloves.
Maybe he doesn’t like germs?
He has one of those nose piercings I always thought was so cool, but Jordan swore was for a bull.
His hair is black and hangs down in front of his eyes, shaggy and purposefully messy, I assume.
He looks like a messy work of art.
I hadn’t gotten a good look at him earlier, only a glance, but now I feel like I can’t look away.
He’s hot as hell, but everything about him also screams stay the fuck away from me.
So why is he here?
“Oh God, is this your spot?” I stand in a rush, nearly toppling over as I clumsily begin to shove books back into my bag.
“No.” His voice is deep but smooth, and I pause, looking up at him to find his lips turned up in just a hint of a smile.
“Oh,” I say, unsure what to do now that I’ve made a fool of myself.
Maybe I should just go...
“Is this seat taken?” He points to the chair in front of him, the one directly opposite the chair I’d been in just moments ago.
I set my book back down and tuck a strand of hair that escaped my braid behind my ear as I hold his gaze.
This feels strange, and for a moment I worry he’s here to tease me or bully me in some other way. I’d never actually been bullied thanks to Jordan, but he’s not here to save me anymore, and while I’d hoped we would be too old for behavior like that, you never really know.
“Um, no.” I shake my head as I continue to stand there like a deer in headlights.
He drops into the chair and pulls out a textbook I don’t recognize before opening up the same laptop that I have and getting to work.
Well, I guess there’s nothing else to be done.
I sit, watching him for a moment, but it would appear as if he really was just looking to sit with me.
Why? I couldn’t tell you. The rest of the library was pretty dead when I was wandering around. It’s strange, but it sure beats him coming to bully me or worse, which is what I expected of him.
I cringe knowing I should probably apologize for that, but when I open my mouth, nothing comes out. Letting my mouth fall closed, the words forgotten as I let it go in favor of going back to my studies.
At least books, I understand.
I fall back into my studies, looking up to see him still sitting across from me every few minutes at first, before something settles and it feels easier, like I can breathe.
He doesn’t talk, and neither do I. The only sounds are the clicks of our keys, the turning of pages, and pens that drag along the paper.
Comfort.
I don’t get nearly enough done, but after I yawn hard enough that a tear rolls down my cheek, I have no choice but to call it a night. It’s not like I was going to catch all the way up in a night anyway; I have time.
I pack up and find the handsome stranger has as well, though he doesn’t look in a hurry to leave. He catches my eye as I stand from my chair, and the golden color of his eyes is so beautiful, but also slightly familiar, though I can’t place why.
“Have a good night.” Again, his voice washes over me, and I can’t stop the pull of my lips.
“You too,” I tell him before I turn and leave, unable to face him anymore as I feel my cheeks heat.
Apparently, I’m not immune to the hot bad boys the way I’d thought I’d be. I guess some lessons we never really learn after just one go.