Page 65 of Breaking Away

When Tyler sees me, a flash of something sharp crosses his face. Annoyance? It can’t be. By the time I reach him, he’s grinning at me. In front of everyone, he makes a big scene of hugging me. But then he must sense I’m wobbling on my feet, for he takes me away from the group and leads me back to the exit.

“You look so beautiful that you take my breath away,” he praises. “But babes, you shouldn’t have come. You aresosick and you need to rest. And if you stay, you’ll make the rest of us sick. I know you’re not selfish like that.”

I wince.I didn’t even think about that.

When Tyler holds my hand and takes me further away, I assume he’s going to drive me home. But then he takes out his wallet and pulls out money. “For a cab, babes. Make sure you get home safe.” His forehead furrows. “You have to text me when you get home, otherwise I’ll be worried all night long. Please, don’t forget to text me.”

“I wanted to see them crown you?—”

“Who cares about that? We have the rest of our life to celebrate other things.”

Not knowing what else to say, I leave him and go outside. I should call a cab, but I need a minute to myself. I’m sucking in fresh air. One hand is on my stomach. My gaze wanders?—

Fuck.

Dmitri Lokhov.

From the outside, I’m frozen in place, but it doesn’t feel that way inside me. My atoms are buzzing. I don’t understand why I always have this reaction around him!

It’s not that he’s attractive, which he is. That shouldn’t matter because Tyler is also handsome, but I don’t have the same intense reaction to him.

No, it’s something about those brown eyes. Sometimes they are dark, and sometimes they are golden. Ever since Dmitri joined our high school, I’ve noticed them. And there are days when I think they follow me around, but when I try to look back at them, Dmitri’s head snaps away. Or he glares. Scowls. Leaves immediately.

He must hate me.

I don’t think I’ve been hated before like this.

Something about it tugs at me. I’m maddened by it, needing to know whether it’s all in my head or if I’m reading Lokhov right. So… I have this tendency to secretly watch him.

He’s quiet and broody, and constantly aware of his surroundings. It makes my heart dip. What makes a person stay consistently on guard like that? He never talks about his personal life, and doesn’t talk about doing normal teenage things like going to the mall or the movies. For the longest time, I thought he hated dating, but then he started hanging around Sam. Except, I haven’t seen her around him much lately. Are they broken up? Were they ever together in the first place?

There’s another thing…

This very little thing he does.

When I’m called upon to answer questions in class, and I bunch into myself because I don’t know what the right answer is, and I butcher my words, he chimes in. He comes out of nowhere and fills in some of those blanks. I mean, his tone is impatient.Probably because he hates how I slow down the class, but he still does it. Often enough.

And—I’m grateful. Because the focus moves off me, and I can breathe again.

I don’t know. It shouldn’t matter. I should think Dmitri Lokhov is mean, especially because he rolls his eyes at everything Tyler says. I should take my boyfriend's side when this happens, but if I’m being really honest, sometimes Tyler says exasperating things. Though as soon as I think that, I feel ashamed. Tyler promises to love and support me. He’s got a good heart.

I’m the captain of this hockey team and the most popular guy in school, but I pick you.

My head spins. In the parking lot of our high school on the night of prom, I’m about to collapse.

I sway and waver, and then, suddenly, strong arms lift me up.

Dmitri Lokhov rescues me.

Later in my bedroom, he wipes my makeup off. I must be dreaming, imagining it. It makes me want to cry, because I’ve felt a lot of things around my family and Tyler, but this I haven’t.

Tenderness.

Dmitri heard me complain about the makeup on my face, and he helped me. I was heard and listened to. When was the last time that happened?

My heart is floating, and I’m trying to understand why. Is it because I’m deliriously sick or is it because of Dmitri?

I don’t know, and I can’t confirm one way or another because Dmitri slips away. He doesn’t show up to cross the stage at graduation. The next time I hear his name is on the sports channel, when I learn he’s signed to the Vancouver Wings.

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