Not Never (Sample of Published Book)

Chapter 3 - Part 1

Maddox's eyes caught Ashley's from where he sat at the back of her class when she entered. Her heart did a fluttering lift as she momentarily held his gaze, before pulling her attention back to getting to her seat before Mr. Brown turned his attention back to the class. She was relieved she had made it into her seat before he had noticed she'd been missing.

What the hell was wrong with her? Maddox had been in her class all year, so why suddenly was the morning different? It was the first time he had made a point of looking at her for a second longer than he usually would have. Why did she even care? She argued with herself as she got her books out and opened them up.

And where was Sally? She was her biology partner. The empty seat beside her confirmed Sally wasn't at school.

They were supposed to be dissecting a frog. Just the thought of it was enough to turn her stomach, and she was sure she had turned a pale shade of green. Blood and guts weren't something she could stomach. The fact that the creature wasn't alive didn't make it any easier to contemplate.

"Miss Rae," Mr. Brown said, giving her his attention. "I see your partner is missing today."

She nodded, already well aware of the fact. "Yes, sir."

"Will you be able to handle this on your own?" he questioned with a raised eyebrow to the dead frog in the middle of the table.

Still unsure, she nodded again anyway, not willing to admit the truth. She had little choice. Ashley stared with distaste at the dead amphibian on the stainless-steel plate, trying not to allow herself to shudder in disgust. The overwhelming smell of formaldehyde didn't help either.

The teacher began to walk from table to table, issuing instructions as students began to work on their frogs. Slowly, she slid on the rubber gloves while she tried to build up the courage to even pick up the scalpel in her hand. She trembled as she picked up the instrument and brought it closer to the unmoving creature. Her stomach did another somersault and she felt like she was going to throw up. She tried to talk herself into it, but nothing helped. None of her reasoning made any difference as she held the sharp scalpel unsteadily over the stomach of the frog and tried unsuccessfully to lower it.

"Miss Rae?" Mr. Brown said beside her workstation, and she jumped at the sudden interruption. "Is there anyone who would like to help Miss Rae? She seems to be having some difficultly?"

"I'll do it."

A hush fell over the room as she turned look at the person who had offered.

"Fine, Mr. Larson," Mr. Brown said with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

Horrified, she watched as Maddox made his way from the back of the classroom to brush past her to take the seat next to her. His presence across the room had made her heart flutter, and now his closeness sent her heart racing. He made her feel nervously breathless, while she tried to feign indifference.

Why had he done that? Without a word, he took the scalpel from her unsteady hand and began to methodically dissect the frog. His eyes were set on the task as she watched silently, trying to calm her nerves. She tried to stop herself from thinking about how he affected her, the way he made her heart do strange things and the way her breath seemed to leave her lungs in one swoop as his eyes had met hers.

"Good," Mr. Brown murmured while he looked over Maddox's handiwork with the scalpel.

Her insides still felt queasy when she peered for too long at the dead frog and its insides that were laid bare for inspection. Her stomach turned again and she was pretty sure she had gone a shade greener. She averted her gaze to help stop herself from bringing up her breakfast across the table.

"You okay?" Maddox whispered under his breath when his eyes followed the teacher to the back of the class.

"Yes," she answered, refusing to admit she wasn't.

He grinned. "You sure?" His tone was teasing. "You look like you're about to lose your breakfast."

"Yeah..um..I'm sure." She shrugged, trying to minimize her weakness. Why had he offered to help her when she had made a point of not being nice to him? What was his ulterior motive?

She didn't get a chance to ask him. The class carried on and she spent the rest of the period trying not to look directly at the frog.

Relief was the only emotion she felt when the bell rang. Hurriedly, she packed her books so she could get some fresh air and get away from Maddox and the frog. The close proximity to him had made her super aware of his every movement, from the way he frowned slightly when he wrote his answers, or the way he played with his pen when he was listening. And all she could ask herself was why had she been so mesmerized, like she was truly seeing him for the first time? It made her uncomfortable and she didn't like it one bit. Why was she so fascinated with him?

"You can rule out being a doctor one day." His voice followed behind her as she left the classroom.

"What?" she asked, slowing down to face him.

"If you can't cut open a frog, you won't be able to slice people open one day," he said matter-of-factly. Each time she looked at him, her heart did a strange stutter.

"I don't want to be a doctor." She began to walk away, and he fell in step beside her. Even if she had the stomach for it, her parents didn't have the money to put her through medical school. She would have to find a way to pay for college for herself.

"Now I know two things about you." His words stopped her in her tracks, and she pulled him by the arm to the side.

"What do you want, Maddox?" she asked directly, refusing to allow herself to succumb to how her body betrayed her when he was around.

For goodness sake, she reminded herself, she was still dating Logan, although—after this morning—who knew if they were even still together.

He smirked, and she rolled her eyes. "No," she stated with determination, suddenly changing her mind about wanting to know what he wanted.

"How can you say no when I haven't answered your question?" He shook his head. She could tell by the gleam in his eye that he was getting a kick out of this, and it annoyed her. Why did he seem to take so much enjoyment from her discomfort?

She knew better than to get entangled with him even when her mind drifted off on its own with images of him pressing his lips to hers. What was wrong with her?

"Whatever you want, the answer is no," she clarified for him, determined to stop him from interfering in her life.

His smile widened despite her rejection. She shook her head, already intent on walking away, but his hand shot out to stop her.

"Let me go," she instructed, pulling at his firm grip, but he refused to budge.

"Just hear me out," he argued, still with a smile on his handsome face, and she glared at him, her annoyance turning to anger.

"There's nothing you can say that I want to hear."

He finally allowed her to shrug from his hold.

"I know why you do it," he said softly, still within earshot.

She froze. Her eyes found their way back to him.

Then she scanned the area around them to make sure there was no one watching their interaction as she moved closer. "Do what?" she whispered angrily.

"The ledge," he answered. She hated the way he looked at her like he knew what made her tick.

"You don't know anything." She brushed him off.

"Just listen to me, and if you don't agree, you can walk away."

Against her better judgment, she studied him for a few moments. "Fine. You have two minutes."

"I only need one." That confident grin was back. How could one person have so much confidence?