“Oh, I think I know who they are. They own the garage in town, right?”
“Yep.” I let thePpop on my lips. I freaking hate talking about myself. Especially now that there’s no guarantee that I won’t just lose it in front of the whole school on my first day here. I clear my throat. “Max, why do you keep calling me Cupcake?”
“Because if we aren’t careful, the guys around here are going to eat you up like a goddamn treat.”
My mouth drops open, and I laugh in disbelief. “Excuse me?”
Daphne shakes her head with a small smile. “He means nothing by it.”
All three of us are suddenly distracted by a flurry of activity. Up ahead, the hallway fills with broad shoulders in jackets.
“I really don’t.” Max nods his head toward the wall of well-muscled guys headed our way. “I’m more interested in them than in you.”
I glance around, lowering my voice. “Oh. Sorry, I—”
“It’s okay. It’s well known around here that I bat for the other team. You ever want to watch baseball practice, football practice, hell, any practice with dudes in tight pants, I’m your man.”
My lips press together, suppressing a smile. “Understood.” As they get closer, recognition dawns on me. My eyes widen. “That’s Xander in the middle, right?”
Daphne’s head whips toward mine and in a low voice, she whispers, “How do you know Xander?”
Confused by her sudden anxious tone, I whisper back, “I’ve seen him twice while I was out running this past week. I guess he runs, too?”
Max shakes his head, chuckling. “Mm, sort of. He’s the football team’s wide receiver. His buddy Beau, on the left? Running back. And the giant on the right is Micah. One of the tight ends.” He snorts and then says under his breath, “And boy, is the position fitting.” He wriggles his eyebrows at me suggestively.
“Are the two of you …?”
“I wish. He’s as hetero as they come. Doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy the view. Anyway, they are Rosehaven royalty and you’d do well to not get on their bad side. They're the ruling class, Cupcake. The OG Roses. Their families, along with a few others, founded the school three generations ago. Their shit doesn’t stink. Like, at all.”
I give him a disbelieving look and snort. “Whatever.” Is this place for freaking real? I feel like I’ve stepped into some made-for-TV movie, and not the good Netflix Original kind.
We have no choice but to step aside as they pass. When they do, Xander’s gaze connects with mine and holds. None of the warmth, kindness, or humor I’d seen from him when we first met is present. In fact, his stare is cold and unrelenting and sends a shiver down my spine. I tear my gaze from his and look down at the floor, color flooding my cheeks. As they pass by, I can sense that he hasn’t looked away. Not for a second.
“What. The fuck. Was that?” Max looks at me with curious eyes.
A commotion from the other direction has us turning our heads.
Daphne wrinkles her nose and murmurs, “We can discuss it at lunch. No time now. Here comes the HBIC and her cheer bitches.”
I grumble, “You lost me again.”
“The Head Bitch in Charge. Aria Warrington, the head cheerleader. And those are the closest of her minions, Alora Berridge, Danica Seeger, and Farrah Kendrick.”
Max laughs. “Again, steer clear. You’ll have a better experience here if you do.”
Daphne pats my arm. “You’ll catch on soon enough. I’ve got to get to class. See you two later at lunch. Max, you’ll get her to her second class?” At his nod, she gives us a little wave and hurries away.
It takes so long for the hall to clear of the football team and cheerleaders, we’re almost late. When Max and I walk in the door, I look around and see there are only two seats left. The room is set up with rows of tables, two students at each.
A guy calls out to Max from across the room to come sit with him, leaving just one seat open. My breath hitches as I watch Max leave my side and turn my gaze in the direction of the only open seat.Of course. Because this is my lucky day.
It’s the one right in front of Xander.
It would seem half the football team has taken up residence in the back two rows of the classroom, with the exception of that one empty chair.
I walk slowly toward it. All eyes are on me.
“How’s it going, Red? Saved you a seat.” Xander pats the top of the chair in front of his, and winks lazily at me as his face twists into a devastatingly brutal smirk. The deep, gravelly tone of his voice hits me low in my stomach, and my eyes flare wide at the uncomfortable sensation. How can someone look so cruel, but somehow be so damned appealing at the same time?And what did I do to deserve his sudden hostility, anyway?