Page 10 of Take My Hand

He grinned and turned back to his desk, leaving me to the deal with the discomfort he’d created.

“You going to help me, then?” Zak asked.

“Yes, she is,” Ana replied.

“Whatever you’ve decided to do, Miss Newman,” Mr Collard droned, “do it quickly.”

Rolling my eyes, I stood and moved my chair next to Zak, ignoring the giggles from Liv and Emma two rows down.

“Okay,” I sighed as I sat down. “Tell me which one you’re stuck on.”

Zak’s long fingers pushed the paper of twenty problems toward me and he tapped at the one third from the bottom.

“How come you did all those others but this—probably the easiest one of them all—you can’t?” I asked.

“It’s just really hard,” he groaned, with a hint of the bad I’d seen in his eyes.

“Okay, if you multiply this number by?—”

“This film night you girls are having,” he interrupted me. “Is it a pyjama party? Where you all wear skimpy pj’s and nighties?”

I turned to him. “Do you really need my help?” He didn’t. All the other answers written in his neat, blocked handwriting told me that much. “And yes, maybe.”

He grinned and shrugged one shoulder. “Good to know.”

“So, the maths problem.”

“What should I wear?” he asked not interested in the maths problem. “MyOddballsundies?”

I felt the colour rise in my cheeks as I looked down at the test paper. I cleared my throat. “Can we just get on with this?”

“Sure.” I heard him chuckle beside me. “But make sure you get back to me on the outfit situation, won’t you? I’d hate to look like a prat.” He swivelled the ring around on his thumb, and for some stupid reason, it made my stomach twist with excitement.

As for the sleepover, I wasn’t sure that he was being serious. But as he leaned closer, I stopped thinking about it because his pure presence overpowered me. I had no idea how to be around this boy. My dad had taught me to be strong and independent and take no shit from anyone, yet I had a feeling that Zak Hoyland might just test everything that I’d ever learned.

Chapter Five

Will

It had been a long day, and I was knackered. As Maddy had messaged to say she was going over to her friend Ana’s, to study and stay for tea, there didn’t seem much point in going home, so I’d stayed to help work the bar. It was great we’d had a busy night, but I was glad when it was time for me to go and pick up her up.

Pulling up in front of Ana’s house, I could see that Maddy was already waiting outside the front door. I parked and leaned across to open the car door for her.

“Why are you waiting outside? It’s almost eleven-thirty, Maddy. What have I told you about hanging around the streets alone late at night?” I shook my head, feeling a tightness in my chest that was a mixture of irritation and anxiety.

“Dad, this is Norford,” she protested, throwing her bag down by her feet. “Who the hell do you think is going to be hanging around waiting to kidnap me?”

Driving away, my jaw tightened. “Don’t fucking joke about it, Maddy. Even the smallest town has its share of sickos. And don’troll your damn eyes at me.” I didn’t need to look at her to know that was what she was doing.

“I wasn’t.”

“And don’t lie to me, that’s not what we do, Madeline.”

“Wow, you Madeline’d me.” She sighed. “So unfair”

I glanced at her to see her feet were up on the seat. “And get your feet off my leather.”

After a couple of minutes of silence, she leaned over and kissed my cheek. “Sorry, Daddy.”

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