Page 59 of Burning Embers

I want to knoweverything.

And that terrifies the shit out of me.

Twenty

IZZY

It’s in art class that I finally meet the mysterious Reid.

He didn’t show up for my fourth period class—the one I also share with Emery—and I could tell that irritated the handsome, flirty twin. He immediately whipped out his phone and began to text someone. I tried not to snoop, but I saw Ashton’s name on the screen more times than I cared to admit.

So you can imagine my surprise when I sit at an easel near the back of the room and am immediately bombarded with whispers from my classmates.

“Can you believe it? Reid’s actually here.”

“I haven’t seen him in this class since the first day of school.”

“He used to be so fucking hot.”

“What the hell happened to him?”

“I heard it has to do with his ex…”

I zone out the incessant gossiping, though not before I throw the three girls and one guy in front of me a withering glare. I don’t even know this Reid person, yet I feel…protective of him, in some strange way. Or maybe I’m just protective of my new friends. Either way, irritation thrums through my veins at hearing them so blatantly gossip about a fellow classmate.

Where even is he? What does he look like? I pick my brain for any information I might’ve gathered about Reid but come up blank.

Straining my neck, I begin to scan the students entering the room, wondering if I'll somehow recognize him…

I quite literallysmellhim before I see him. The overwhelming stench of body odor barrages my senses, making me want to gag.

I don’t know how I know that this stranger is Reid, only that I do. Heat spirals tight in my stomach, burning in preparation to strike, as I hold myself perfectly still.

A huge figure looms over me for only a fraction of a second before claiming the empty stool beside mine.

I don’t dare even breathe—and not just because of the potent, stomach-churning smell permeating the air. I feel like a bunny caught at the end of a hunter’s gun, and any sudden movement will determine my fate.

Live or die.

Prey or predator.

Thisis the elusive Reid who Ethan, Emery, and Ashton talk so highly about?

I try to study him inconspicuously out of the corner of my eye.

He’s huge. That’s the first descriptor I can think of to use. His arms are the size of tree trunks, and his entire body seems to be rippling with power and strength. I swear even his muscles have muscles. He has dark, auburn hair styled into a messy fauxhawk. The shorter strands on the sides of his head somehow emphasize his sharp facial structure and piercing blue eyes.

The gossiping girls—and one guy—in our class were right when they said he could be a heartthrob. He’d probably still be one if it weren’t for the pungent smell emitting from him and the acne on his face. Lots and lots of acne. The bright red is astartling contrast to his pale skin, a mountain range of crimson and pink.

Wait…acne?

He looks like a man—ahugeman—but that splatter of acne on his forehead and cheeks makes him look years younger.

On closer inspection, I see that his auburn hair is dark because it’sgreasy, not because it’s naturally a shade of inky garnet.

Numerous stains cover his shirt as well, and I can’t tell if they’re from food, sweat, or something else.

He could be unbelievably sexy if he showered, put deodorant on, and changed his clothes. It’s like he’s trying to be as repulsive as possible, though I don’t understand why. And of course, I don’t want to assume anything. Perhaps he just doesn’t give a shit about what he looks like or wears.

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