Page 10 of The Comeback

He scrambles up and punches Jax on the shoulder. The dark-haired girl behind the counter doesn’t look so friendly anymore.

“Stop it.” I hiss at them, waving around the cafe.

Lucy grunts out an accusation. “His fault.”

Jax glances over at the girl glaring at him and lifts his shoulders in an apologetic shrug, giving her puppy dog eyes. Her full mouth pulls down even farther at the corners at his attempt at an apology.

He sweeps the chair off the floor, swinging a leg over the back to sit down. “So…”

“So what?” I ask.

“What class have you got first? Beau and I have Accounting. What about you two?”

“I’ve got Anatomy,” Jax replies, rolling his eyes at the suggestive look he gets from Dev.

“Oh ummm. I flip through my phone to find my schedule. Music and Pop Culture.”

“That’s sweet. Bird course for sure. That should lighten the load for you.”

“That’s the point. I don’t have time for any electives that are too intense this year.” Jackson took M and P last year and he promised me that the teacher Matt is a super cool old hippie with an intense love for the Beach Boys. The course load is easy, so I can focus on the courses in my major and not stress about this one.

A line has formed at the counter by the time we’ve finished our coffees. On the way out, something posted on the community board catches my eye. I don’t think too much about it grabbing the contact info from the bottom tab. Coach’s words about getting out of my head are itching away at the back of my mind.

Chapter 7

Abby

Unfamiliarfacesfillthepacked classroom. It’s in one of the medium-sized lecture halls with stadium seating that gives you a great view of the front of the class. I smirk a little at all the non-music students leaning back in their seats. They’re in for a rude awakening.

Everyone on campus knows this class is an easy A, so there’s always a rush to sign up for the elective no matter your major. Little do they know that the easy-going teacher who usually teaches the course is off on leave, so Slater has taken it on for the semester. Slater is a familiar face in the music department. I had a music history 101 class with her and she’s a brutal grader. I wonder how many of them will drop out once they realize.

I sit near the front in most of my classes, but I was running behind after an incident with my car. And by that I mean it’s a piece of crap and it didn’t want to start. I snagged one of the last few seats in the back row. Each chair shares a desk with one other in this room, but the one next to me is still empty. Maybe I’ll have the space to myself? Spread all my worldly belongings over the surface.

A few of my acquaintances from the music department are scattered around, but no one I’m tight with that I would choose to share a desk with. Dax took this one last year. Lucky jerk got the fun prof.

A cool ocean scent slides over me in a wave that reminds me of family vacations to Florida. Mixed memories. Swimming in the ocean. Great. Mom poking at my body in a bathing suit. Not so great. I shut my eyes and inhale before it hits me that the aroma is familiar for a different reason. My skin gets tight as I remember the uncomfortable moment from the party a few nights ago.

“Shit. Sorry, I’ll move. I didn’t realize…” The deep voice jolts me out of the memory and into the reality.

I swing around to meet a pair of eyes I’ve seen change from light gold to earthy brown depending on his mood. His tongue darts out to moisten full lips and it sends a jolt to my core at the memory of those lips on mine. I shouldn’t even know what they feel like, and I definitely should not be excited at the thought of them pressed against mine. Sebastian is a grade A jerk and I have zero desire to spend time with him.

He scans the room, but the last few seats filled up while we shared an awkward silence, so there’s nowhere to go.

A soft sigh slips out. “It’s fine. It’s only one class. We’re adults. We can share a desk.” I turn back to face the front, trying to ignore the tingle of awareness from his gaze that has me tapping my pencil on the desk.

“What are you so nervous about?” His large hand closes over mine, stilling the rat-a-tat of my pencil.

“What do you mean?” I ask, feigning innocence.

“You only get antsy like this when you’re nervous about something.” Irritation cools the heat. He knows me too well, and he shouldn’t.

“How would you know?” I peel his fingers off mine, moving my hand to my lap to continue tapping on the down low. Try as I might, I can’t still the nervous energy that’s riding me in his presence.

He looks confused. “I know you. We go way back.”

“That’s right. Way back. We haven’t been friends for several years, Sebastian.” I put a little extra emphasis on his name. One extra reminder that we’re not friends anymore, therefore nicknames are a thing of the past. Bastian was the nerdy boy that used to talk fantasy fiction with me after he roped me into schooling my butt at Clue for the umpteenth time. He’s long gone now. Hostile takeover by the high school asshat that made me worse than invisible. Being invisible is easier. Once you catch the attention of the cruel and shiny power players, they’ll step on you to gain any edge.

“Look, Abby…” Before he can continue his sentence, the professor enters. Tall, and rail thin with black hair pulled into a bun so severe that it has a Botox like effect, smoothing out any wrinkles. My lips pull up in a smile when I catch the look of confusion on Sebastian’s face when she writes her name up on the screen at the front of the classroom.

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