Page 12 of A Wish for Us

I exhaled a long, slow breath. I stared disbelievingly at Cromwell Dean’s name next to mine.

When I turned around, only Professor Lewis remained in the room. “Bonnie Farraday, I presume?” He was holding his register with my student picture next to my name.

“Yes, sir.” I bit my lip. “I know you said there would be no switching of partners for the project—”

“I did. And I meant it.”

My stomach dropped. “Okay.” I turned to leave.

“You’re the top of the class, Bonnie,” Lewis said. “Cromwell is brand new to the college.” He sat down on the edge of the table beside me. This close, I could see a smattering of gray in his dark hair. I guessed he was in his forties. “He was top of his classes in the UK. He is bright and extremely talented. But being a new student in a new college can be daunting for anyone. No matter how unaffected they appear.” He folded his arms over his chest. “I was told by the faculty that you were a good choice to team him up with.”

“Yes, sir,” I replied again. For once I hated that the faculty regarded me as someone reliable and conscientious.

Just as I was about to leave, I said, “Welcome back to Jefferson, Professor. You’ve been a real inspiration to many of us here.”

He smiled then turned back to his work.

I left, checking the hallway for any sign of Cromwell. I sighed when there was none. He had fled the room without even checking the board. I bet he didn’t know I was his partner.

Drained of all energy, I leaned back against the wall. I had two free periods, and I was making it my mission to find him.

I was determined. I wouldn’t let his bad attitude be my demise. If I had to work with him, I would. But nothing about this partnership made me think it would go well.

Absolutely nothing.

Chapter Six

Cromwell

I moved to my desk and logged on to my laptop. Easton was at class, so I dropped my arse onto my chair and flicked on all my mixing boards. I threw my headphones on and fired up the mix I’d started a few days ago.

I closed my eyes and let the beats sink into my body. Bursts of pinks and greens flashed before my eyes. I moved my hand to the mixing table without even looking and turned up the pace. My heartbeat chased the bass as the rhythm sped up. Triangles and squares danced in jagged patterns. Then—

My headphones were taken from my head. I spun around, jumping from my seat. Bonnie Farraday stood behind me, my headphones in her hands. Ice-cold fury had immediately run through me, but it dropped when I saw it was her. That surprised me. My anger was pretty much what I was fueled by these days. I couldn’t understand why it calmed.

I didn’t like feeling confused.

I held out my hand. “Give them back.”

Bonnie slowly pulled the headphones to her chest. I closed my eyes to keep calm. When I opened them again, Bonnie had her arms folded across her chest. She was wearing skinny jeans and a white T-shirt. She had a sweater over her shoulders like one of the posh kids I’d see strutting through the streets of Chelsea in summer. Her brown hair was back in a long plait. And when I looked at her face, she looked anxious.

“What are you doing here?” I asked. I reached behind me to turn off the mix that was now blasting through the speakers. It wasn’t finished. No one heard anything I was working on until it was done. I had a new set to put on the streaming sites. Little Bonnie Farraday was messing up myschedule.

“Did you even look at the assignment list?”

I frowned. “What assignment list?”

Her eyes looked up in exasperation. “The one Lewis talked about for pretty much the entire class.” She walked forward and pressed my headphones into my chest. I looked down at her. She was only about five foot three, if that. She was tiny compared to my six foot two. Easton was just an inch or two shorter than me. He’d clearly got all the good stuff in the womb.

“You and me, superstar, are partners. In composition class. For the next year.”

I stared at her. Locked in on her brown eyes and felt the Fates laughing at me. I couldn’t seem to escape this girl. “Of course we are,” I said, sighing and turning back to my laptop. I’d only just tapped a key to bring the screen back to life when Bonnie shut the laptop again.

Her hand rested on the computer. I didn’t even look up, just said through gritted teeth, “Bonnie. I’m only going to tell you this once. Get off my laptop, and leave. I’m working.”

Her hand didn’t move. She didn’t move. I roved my eyes up to meet hers. “Don’t mess this up for me,” she said, face calm. But her words, spoken in that thick country twang, were anything but. I heard a shake in her voice that made my chest tighten.

I pushed the feeling aside and raised my eyebrows. “And how can I mess this up for you, Farraday?” My tone was shitty. Condescending. I knew it. But she was starting to piss me off.

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