Just Love Me Once Again

Page 6

"Well, don't hold out on us, Dustin. Who is Caleb tutoring?" Natalie's eyes flickered from Dustin to Cisco.

"Ask Caleb." Dustin's teeth crunched into the burger.

I couldn't take it. "Beatrice Borromeo. I meet her yesterday afternoon." The muscles in Natalie's face clenched, and she took a deep breath before taking stock of the reaction of Cisco and Dustin.

"Beatrice Borromeo!" Both Cisco and Dustin were shocked.

"Beatrice Borromeo is sexy and hot. I'd tutor her." Cisco stared over at the stoner table, practically drooling.

"I said I'd tutor her, not take her to prom." I was nervous about what Natalie will think of me.

Natalie glanced at Beatrice, eyes wandering up and then down. "You are right. She is sexy, and rumour has it she's only into one-nighters. Also, the whole school knows, she lost her boyfriend, her virginity, her reputation, and her self-respect in less than a month. That's why she transferred here.

Girls like Beatrice Borromeo ticked me off. She uses drugs, strides into the room like she owned the earth, and smirks when boys compete over themselves to get a chance to date her.

The bell rang. I checked out Beatrice again. She appeared to be in deep conversation with some guy.

While I threw away my remaining lunch, Natalie sidled up beside me and whispered," I am eagerly waiting for our Saturday night." Giggling, she left my side without a second glance.

Saturday night is supposed to be our date night. It's either her or my house.

School is over. My shift at the Pizza Hut started at five. I glanced the clock hanging over the reference librarian's desk. What part of "meet the guy, who will be tutoring you directly after school at the public library" did she misunderstand?

I focused on the door. Five more minutes and I could happily call this session a failure.

The door opened and cold air swept in, causing goose bumps to rise on my arms.

Ah, hell. I leaned back in my chair and folded my arms across my chest.

Beatrice Borromeo entered the library.

Her eyes swept the room, and the moment she saw me, her smile faded, and her blue eyes erupted with thunderstorm. Welcome to the fucking club.

I kicked out the chair opposite me. "You are late."

She threw her bag on the table as she sat in the chair. "I was in the parking, fucking Andrew Collin." She took out her phone from her pocket and started scrolling something.

Typical Beatrice. "You could have stayed. We could have cancelled the session."

"Nah. Andrew, not a good fucker." She shrugged off her jacket and smirk at me.

She smelled of cold and leather. Her white cotton shirt dipped below her beige tank, exposing the top of her cleavage.

"I have got to go."

"What?" Her forehead crinkled in disbelief.

"Unlike you, my parents don't pay me for everything. I've got a job, Princess, and if I don't leave now, I will be late. See you around."

Grabbing my books and jacket, I left the table and immediately exited the library.

The cold January air smacked my face. Ice-covered several spots on the pavement.

"Hey, smart ass! Wait."

I looked back. Beatrice bounded after me. I didn't stop for her, but I slowed my pace, curious as to why she followed me out.

She caught up quickly and kept step beside me. "You tell Mrs. Wilson that we are meeting as many days after school as you want, and I will back you up. I won't have to see you, and you won't have to look at me. And call me Trixie. Deal?"

While catching up my pace, she hit a patch of ice and lost her balance. My right hand swept out and snatched her wrist before her body could smack the ground.

I kept hold of her while she steadied herself. Before I could let her go, her eyes widened, and she stared down at the floor. I followed her gaze, a cotton band-aid, soaked in blood was lying there. She attempted to yank her hand away, but I tightened my grip and swallowed in disguise. A dark red blood clot was there on her forehead, must be a size of a lemon. And on her wrist, red marks of someone's grip was there. "What the fuck is this?"

I tore my eyes from the marks and searched her face for answers.

She yanked for the second time, successfully jerking out of my hold. "Nothing."

"Nothing? That something had to hurt like hell when it happened."

She resembled a corpse. The blood rushed out of her cheeks, and her body quaked with silent tremors. "Leave me alone."

She turned back and ran away.