Page 143 of When Hearts Ignite

“So, Adrian, tell me about yourself. What brings you to Warwick? Are you really older than the rest of us? Is it true your mom went here when she was younger? Where were you studying before? What are your plans after graduation?”

Her low heels make click, clack staccato sounds on the marble floors as she walks quickly in front of me, the energy practically radiating from her aura. Her navy-and-green-checkered skirt sways side to side, highlighting her toned legs, currently clad in white, knee-high socks, with a thin green stripe near the top where they meet her smooth skin, and the round curves of her backside. A warm, fluffy scarf is curled around her slender neck.

I may have a different opinion about our uniforms now. I think I like them.

She stops mid-stride and I nearly plow into her. Emily stares at me expectantly, genuine curiosity brimming in her eyes. How refreshing after the chilly reception I experienced outside of the school just now.

“Are you going to ask me for my social security number next and the inseam of my dress pants?”

Her eyes quickly dart to the front of my pants and she looks away, the pinkened cheeks making a reappearance. She resumes walking and tosses her hair back. “I see how it is. You’re going to be one of those grumpy boys at school.”

“Men.”

“Huh?” She glances up at me as I take a few large strides and catch up to her.

“I’m not a boy. Far from it.”

The beautiful pink may be a permanent shade on her skin now. I bite the inside of my cheeks to keep from grinning, the burn of anger slowly doused by whatever water magic this curious pixie is inflicting on me.

“Scholarship student. Yes, I’m nineteen. Yes, she graduated from here. Lomita High. Not sure—college, maybe. And no, I’m not a grump. I just don’t like to talk a lot.”

Emily arches her brow at my quick responses. A small smile graces her lips. “Hmm. Interesting. I’ll get more out of you at some point this year.”

I let out a deep chuckle, the rough sound seeming foreign to my ears. How long has it been since I truly laughed? Too long. The heaviness, which apparently abated in the last ten minutes, is slowly seeping back into my chest at the thought, slithering back into its familiar home.

“So, the campus is divided into four buildings with a central courtyard. This building is for liberal arts and languages, the one on the other side is for sciences and mathematics. That one way over there is for extracurriculars, including the gym, the pool, art workshops, theater, etcetera. The final building houses the dining hall. Most students end up eating on campus because the food is actually really good here. With the insane cost of tuition,” she pauses and rolls her eyes as if recognizing the ridiculousness of this environment, “they’ve hired a wonderful chef here.”

“A chef? Why am I not surprised?”

“I know this all seems very pretentious…and most of the time I’d agree with you, but there are some really wonderful people here. Not everyone comes from affluent backgrounds. The school has a few slots each year for top performers who live in the vicinity. In fact, my sister Jess’s best friend, James, was one of them, and he’s an awesome person. He’s at MIT now. There are also exchange students and scholarship students. I think it’s pretty great most of the time. You’ll see.”

I arch my brow, my expression no doubt dripping in disbelief, and she grins cheekily at me. “Trust me, Adrian, you’ll have a good experience here. Emily Kingsley will not lead you astray.”

Shaking my head, we round a corner as she points to a closed door on the far right. “That’s us. Mr. Nichols is pretty awesome too.” She stares at me and arches her brow. “I sense more skepticism radiating from you. Trust me, Emily—”

“Kingsley will not lead me astray,” I mutter under my breath, finishing the sentence for her, unable to stifle a smile as I turn the doorknob and let her proceed before me.

Her gaze shines with laughter as she crosses the threshold, her heels accidentally tripping on the raised step in the doorway. She tumbles forward and I quickly curl my arm around her waist to steady her. Her breath quickens as my heart skips another beat and I stare into her widened eyes, noticing the small, golden flecks shimmering against the light. Despite the thick clothing between us, I could somehow feel the heat of her lithe body seeping through the layers of cotton and wool. My fingers tighten and curl reflexively. She gasps, her soft lips parting. My eyes flicker to the movement and liquid heat rushes to my chest.

“T-Thank you. Quick reflexes there,” she whispers breathlessly, the apples of her cheeks flushed.

I quickly release her and drag my hand through my hair, my fingers still tingling from the brief moment of contact. I clench and unclench my hand, wanting to release some of the sudden tension there. Someone clears his throat loudly and I feel the heavy weight of someone’s stare. Dragging my gaze away from Emily, I survey the classroom for the source of the unease, and locate a hulking jock with gleaming, white-blond hair shooting daggers at me through eyes with barely concealed fury. Frowning, I glance away.

The murmuring in the classroom comes to an abrupt halt. Twenty pairs of eyes track my movements as I amble over to the teacher. Tiny droplets of sweat bead on my forehead, the tie feeling too tight around my neck. I ignore the pointed looks. The damn whispers. My eyes trail over to Emily, who has taken her seat in the third row. She gives me a wink, one dimple forming in her smooth cheek. My lips twitch in the smallest of grins.

“Thank you, Ms. Kingsley, and you must be Mr. Callahan.” A lanky man, probably five years or so older than me, walks over and shakes my hand. “I’m Mr. Nichols. Your desk is that one, fourth row down. Please take a seat.”

Ignoring the soft murmurs in the classroom, I stride over to the empty desk behind Emily, my eyes trailing over her features. She gives me a nod of encouragement. Someone coughs again.

“Loser.”

The rest of the class snickers.

My head whips toward the offender, the blond jock from earlier, who is smirking at me while his group of hooligans cackles beside him. “What are you looking at, scholarship kid?”

I crack my neck and clench my hands in tight fists as a burning fire unfurls from my abdomen, threatening to break free. My lips twist in a snarl and I take a deep breath. I’m not here to make trouble. Six months, then I’m out of here.

“Ryan, what the heck was that?” Emily whispers to the blond jock, her brows furrowing.

“Just coughing. The stench of trash is so strong, I can’t help it. But don’t you worry about me, darling.”

“Ugh. I’m not your darling. Will you just drop it already? And stop being such an asshole.” Emily turns around as I settle in behind her. Sorry, she mouths.

I shake my head as I tamp down the heat of anger swirling inside me. She gives me a sad smile and turns toward the front of the classroom. Ryan flips me the middle finger. I clench my jaw.

Fuck. This is going to be the longest six months ever.

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