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.The professor discussed the syllabus as though he would rather pour the hot coffee down his pants.I may have nodded off if not for his instructions that we would be partnering up with the person to our left for class and for labs, which would be Beth again.There was nothing wrong with Beth as a partner, but fate gave me a huge opportunity and I shoved it away.I was so stupid.I should have sat by him.I looked back to see who would be Xander’s partner.My mouth gaped open.Danielle Quincy.Really? Of all the people… Obviously, she would go for Xander.Anyone in their right mind would go for Xander.Clearly, I was all up in my left mind.Any chance I had with him was gone.Beth flashed me a look, she knew.My name should be, Abby “The Moron” Miller.I wilted in my seat.During class, I stole glances over at Danielle and Xander.Apparently, she felt cold from her lack of clothing and needed to wear Xander as a blanket, which worked out, because then they could share a textbook and get cozy.He certainly found his Chatty Kathy; they talked the entire period.I guess if I had a pair of Double-D’s and shoved them in his face, he could have found it in himself to carry on a longer conversation with words inclusive of more than one syllable.After class, I didn’t bother to wait for Xander.What was the point? Turn myself into the unwanted third wheel? No thanks.Hurrying as fast as I could tolerate, I went to my second class, literature.I did my best to focus on the lecture, but my mind kept reverting to the image of Danielle and Xander.My stomach churned.It was lunchtime.I grabbed the lunch bag from my locker and went to find Mel and Beth.I needed to vent about Xander.I needed to hear someone call Danielle a tart and I could count on both of them for that.A brief walk across campus and I was back in the safety of the air conditioner.Long lines of students filled the Union.The smell of herbs cooking, the scraping of chairs along the floor, and busy chatter filled the room.Mel, Beth, and I had a table in the middle of the room.I went straight to it.Mel was there all right with her new accessory, Tyler.The heavy groping and slurping of tongues made me rethink the lunch situation.I looked for Beth, she would listen, and she would get it.Today was not my day.My eyes found Danielle first.She was bent over a table with her blue bra straining to hold back her chest.Long blonde hair streaked with electric blue, twirled around a French manicured finger.The yellow mini skirt couldn’t cover her modestly and a matching thong peeked out.After my initial shock at the Frederick’s of Hollywood display, I noticed the group she was talking to.My stomach twisted to four of the most beautiful people I had ever seen: Xander, Caleb, a redhead, and a blonde.Even sitting down, I could tell the girls were taller than me.Each with stunning profiles, curvy silhouettes, and their hair even shined under the dim fluorescent lights.It was a physical impossibility that anyone could have shiny hair under these lights.The stunning four were dressed alike, much too warm for today as though they weren’t from here or the heat had no effect on them, too beautiful to sweat.Each wore jeans fitting tight to their curves and polo shirts, colors varying.They should be in a photo shoot for polo shirts on a yacht with their shiny hair whipping in the breeze, smiling their perfect white smiles.I thought it was enough to be jealous of Danielle, and now I had these two girls.Xander was comfortable with them, sat close with them, smiled with them.I had nothing on any of them.I was a representative of the Lollipop Guild with a bad heart and a scar on my chest.Not to mention the dull hair and non-model like features.No wonder why Xander would never go for me, or why he wouldn’t want my number, or even tell me he was going to the same school as me.Why would he bother when he could get any girl he wanted.And he didn’t want me.I bit my lip to stay the tears.Danielle shifted and she might as well be sitting in Xander’s lap giving him a special dance.Somehow, I realized Xander’s eyes had locked onto mine over Danielle’s shoulder.I was staring.And worse, he knew I was staring.I had to get out of here.Spinning, I almost ran into a boy who was struggling to balance his tray that had enough mashed potatoes to replicate the scene from Close Encounters of the Third Kind.I almost stayed just to see if he could eat it all.Muttering an apology to him, I sped out.I didn’t know where I would go, but I kept on, as fast as I could handle.I had to stay away from Alexander Wright.Stop thinking about him, stop dreaming about him, stop wanting him, and for goodness sake, stop loving him.Xander was a heartache on two muscular legs.Eating outside was a bad idea, but there was no way I could stay in the Union.I found shade under a mesquite tree hosting a cicada symphony.I hoped it would be over soon; my temples began to throb.I opened my lunch, but hunger abandoned me.All I could focus on was the man I loved getting a rub down by Danielle, plus the two others.A foursome? My heart hurt.I popped my earbuds in.Music would probably help.It should help.Nope, the tears were coming and that horrible lump grew bigger in my throat.Just as my teeth sunk into my lip, a shadow appeared on the grass in front of me.Blinking, I looked up, but the Arizona sun had the power to sear retinas.I cursed myself for leaving my sunglasses at home.Pulling my earbud out, I squinted.“Hey, Abby.I thought I saw you inside.” Caleb knelt down on the grass.His hair was styled in a faux hawk today, eyes like bright aquamarine.“You should have come over and sat with us.”I prayed my eyes weren’t red like they always were when I cried.“Hey, Caleb.Um, yeah…you and your brother looked…busy.And I had to get some work done, anyway.” Blatant lie.His brows shot up.“Already? Must be some first day of school.”“Yeah,” I croaked.He gave me a pity nod, the kind the neighbors gave my parents as they handed them a casserole when I came home from the hospital.“Don’t work too hard.I’ll see you around [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]