Kiss Off

Chapter 4

The sun cascading through the thicket of trees bordering the east side of our home would give no indication that hell was approaching. It seemed like any other day. Bright, alive... calm. There was no way for anyone to know that these golden rays would soon be swallowed up by a whirlwind of chaos. And I especially wasn't prepared to be thrown smack dab in the middle of it.

"Take an extra sweater with you today," my mother urges as I hurry to gulp down my orange juice and shrug on my backpack at the same time. I nearly choke as I nod at her, not in the mood to argue. Typically I'd roll my eyes and mutter how pointless it'd be to drag extra clothing to school with me when it's only going to end up in my locker. But today, I simply go with it.

I pull a hoodie off the back of the sofa and sling it over my shoulder as I yell a "goodbye" and shut the door behind me. My car waits for me on the curb and I cringe as I listen to her cold, metallic engine protest as I crank her to life. Seems she's just as reluctant to get the day going as I am.

"Why does it feel like the dead of winter today?" Chloe asks the moment I park and fling my door open. She'd spotted me pull in and made a beeline for me the moment I came to a stop.

"Who knows," I shrug, just as unenthusiastic about the sudden dip in weather. Fall's supposed to last a month at least. It's barely been two weeks.

"You staying after today?" my blonde-headed friend inquires as we slip out of the cold and into the blazing furnace of Chesterfield High.

"Yep," I nod. "Horticulture."

"Oh joy," she says with an eye roll. "Well, in case I'm late for lunch, can you grab something for me... the good stuff? You know, before it's all gone? I've got a debate club meeting and you never know how long those things will last."

"Right," I drawl with a wink, "debate club." I tap my chin, pretending to be deep in thought. "But, I thought his name was Devon Rayfert, not Debat—"

"Shut your pie hole," Chloe groans. "See you at lunch!"

She hurries away before I can throw a sarcastic response at her, and then I spot him. I swear the words don't just die in my throat; they actually retreat back into my lungs to dig their own graves. I can barely breathe at the sight of him and it's so tragically pathetic.

He sees me and offers a head nod and a warm "hey" as he passes, and the entire time, I simply stare. I'm preparing to sigh in relief when suddenly he doubles back and slides his fingers around my upper arm to gain my attention.

"Hey, Everly," he says, not seeming to notice just how rigid my body has gone. "You haven't seen Cooper yet, have you?"

"Um..." I tear my eyes away from his hazel ones to scan the hallway. Chances are, Coop hasn't even arrived yet, but I refrain from informing Bryson of this since I desperately need that split second of zero eye-contact in order to gain my composure. "Nope," I shrug. "Haven't seen him. Maybe he's not here yet. Anything I can help you with?"

Okay, who asks that question? I'm not Cooper's secretary. I don't jot down messages for him or take his calls.

Bryson lifts a single brow before letting a grin sneak across his lips. Then he's shaking his head and dropping his hand away from me.

"Naw... Thanks," he says, suspicion tangling with the amusement in his eyes. "It's nothing important."

"Oh." I nod once. "Okay."

"See you around, Everly."

Again, I just nod and watch as he walks away.

My goodness, that boy has some serious power over me. I feel like a complete imbecile every time he's around and it's not earning me any points. It also appears that even after Cooper's 'not so accidental' slip about Bryson being 'my type', I'm still not on his radar. If only I was brave enough to take a chance and actually try and get to know the guy. He might even like me a little. All I have to do is show him who I am. But, the fact that my brain takes a vacation every. single. time. he's around, makes that a bit tricky.