Page 16 of Surge

He pushed off the locker and walked beside me as I headed to the parking lot. I should have answered him, but why waste my breath when they were on a mission to make me miserable?

"Did you need something?" I was comfortable confronting him since there was a school resource officer about fifty feet away.

"Can't a man walk a lady who is all by herself to her car?" He moved his motorcycle helmet into the opposite hand. "Wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you."

"I think I'll be fine." I sped up and stepped into the parking lot, careful to pay attention to anyone backing out. I'd had a few close calls. "Motorcycle parking is over there." I pointed without looking at him as he continued to follow me.

"Where are you going?" He stepped beside me again and I groaned.

I stopped walking and he turned to look at me. "It's none of your damn business where I'm going."

"Woah, there. I was just being polite. You should be grateful I'm by your side, protecting you from all these... cars." The shit-eating grin returned to his face and his hazel eyes twinkled with something unreadable. "Maybe we're headed to the same place."

"Doubtful." I purposely bumped into him as I passed him, making his hip bump against a car.

I now understood what drove people to beat the shit out of others. I was liable to punch one of them if they didn't leave me alone.

My car was my one safe haven where I could just drive away and forget about them. I took off toward the highway to head to my dance studio. For an hour, I could forget reality while I danced.

"Riley! Just the person I wanted to see!" My dance instructor, Bernardo, came around the counter and gave me a giant hug. "We might have finally found you a dance partner to compete with. He's coming in today, so go get dressed."

I instantly perked up. I loved competing on the amateur level, but always had to dance with an instructor. It was hard to find a partner around my age that could keep up with me. Teenage boys just didn't ballroom dance.

I quickly went to the bathroom to change into a skirt, tank, and my dance shoes. I touched up my make-up and redid my hair in a ponytail. As I slid the clasp on my shoe into place, I was hit with a reminder that I didn't have any money to pay for my lessons next month. My chest tightened as the reality of my situation sank in.

If my mom really had skipped town, I had no way of supporting myself. It was doubtful I'd get any help from the authorities since I was so close to adulthood, and the money in my college fund was only available for college.

A knock sounded on the door and I jumped. "Riley, your new partner is here." Bernardo lowered his voice. "He's hot."

I checked the mirror one last time and put my bag on the shelf in the corner before heading out to the dance floor.

Spotlight Studio was one of my favorite places to be outside of school. It was a large, open room that had a smaller studio room that could be blocked off by curtains. The walls were lined with floor to ceiling mirrors, and at night, the florescent lights were turned off and the chandeliers were turned on.

It might just have become my favorite place now, since school had taken an unfortunate turn.

My mom had dragged me to an open house my freshman year. Despite her Mexican heritage, she liked to say the rhythm must have skipped a generation because she danced with two left feet and no hip action. Although I'd never met my grandma, my mom said she was lusted over by men all across Salina Cruz.

I hoped whoever this new guy was, he could move his hips, because that was a constant problem with the males. I almost just wanted to give up and go the female partner route.

Bernardo clapped his hands together in excitement as I approached the guy leaning on the counter. His back was to me, but he had disheveled dark hair that was cut short on the sides and a muscular-looking back. I couldn't help but look at his ass, which was just the right amount of plump.

I really hoped he could dance well.

"This is the lovely Riley Kline, one of our most promising young dancers." Bernardo waved his hand with a flourish in my direction as the man turned around.

I came to a halt and clenched my jaw to keep from crying out in frustration. What the hell was Morgan doing in my dance studio?

The smirk on his face said it all, and I cursed myself for mentioning ballroom dancing the day before to Jax. This had to be planned and a way to further make my life miserable.

"Riley Kline." He reached for my hand from its spot at my side and brought it to his mouth, kissing the back of it. Heat spread across my cheeks. "It's my pleasure."

What I really wanted to say was, "Cut the crap, you sadistic asshole," but instead, I said, "The pleasure is all mine."

Bernardo had his hands clasped at his chest and mouthed oh my god to me. He'd have kicked him to the curb if he knew what had been going on. Instead, he did Cha-Cha lock steps all the way to the stereo and plugged in his phone.

I cringed at the thought of my feet being assaulted. Morgan was a swimmer and had never shown any inkling that he could dance or had any rhythm. During junior year, he had stood on the lunch table and tried to twerk and sent everyone into a fit of laughter before the school resource officer told him to get down.

"Can you even dance?" I've Got the World on a String by Michael Bublé came over the speakers and I made no move to offer my hand to him. "This is ridiculous. Do you even know what dance this is?"

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