I cast one more look back at Brooklyn through the rearview mirror as Tyler hitches a right turn and speeds out of the parking lot. Standing there in her hoodie, hands jammed into her pockets, she looks so small and alone.
Gavin is holding the door of his car open for her, which sends a twinge of annoyance through me. Okay, maybe it's more than a twinge. Full-blown irritation courses through me, and I clench my hands into fists.
I don't like the idea of Brooklyn getting closer to Gavin (which he's clearly desperate to make happen) and I don't like that I don't like it. Both of them can do whatever they want. Brooklyn doesn't mean anything to me. I barely know her.
"You seemed pretty friendly with Brooklyn," Beth's voice jolts me back to the present.
"Not really," I reply, hoping she'll drop it. Of course she doesn't.
That's not what it looked like from where I was standing," Beth tells me, irritation coloring her voice, which makes me more annoyed than I already am. Beth doesn't actually have feelings for me. At least not as more than a friend. But something about Brooklyn seems to set under her skin, and I have no idea why.
I've hooked up with other girls, and she's had no problem with it. So why is she so sensitive about Brooklyn, a girl I've barely shown an outward interest in? She knows that the photo of us circulating around school was taken the day of Imeria's funeral, at which point I'd have cut off my hand before touching another girl.
"Yeah, well, she's afraid of needles," I say, letting some of the frustration I feel bleed into my voice.
"I think it was nice that you wanted to help," Marina says from the passenger seat. "Brooklyn's clearly having a hard time adjusting. She could use all the support she can get."
Marina's not wrong, but her words only serve to make me more angry. Angry at myself because I know I'm a huge part of the reason she's less than happy and at Gavin again. Because even though I don't want to admit it, he's the kind of "support" that she really needs and I hate myself for how much that bothers me.
After Imeria, I swore that I'd never let myself fall in love with someone again. I'm not in love with Brooklyn, nowhere even close. But I'd be lying to myself if I didn't admit she intrigues me. Makes me want to know more about her. And that can't happen.
From this moment on, I resolve to keep my distance from her. I won't antagonize her, but I won't go out of my way to be nice to her either. I also know I can't continue to tear her down just because she reminds me of painful events. I'll be collected and distant. I'll see her as little as possible, and after the end of the school year, I never have to see her again.
YOU ARE READING
Eastwood Academy
Romance"I have to bite back a gasp as River's hand comes up, brushing my long hair back behind my ears. He doesn't stop there, letting his hand travel to my cheek and stroking lightly. His thumb brushes over my lips, parting them, and I barely stop a moan...
