Page 31 of That's Too Pucking Bad

I grit my teeth, refusing to look up. “Don’t call me that.”

He chuckles. “Why not? You liked it the other night.”

I freeze, my hand tightening around my pen, but I don’t respond. I won’t give him the satisfaction.

He waits a beat, then adds, “How’s the new phone?”

My head snaps up. “I didn’t ask for it.”

Zane shrugs. “Doesn’t matter. You needed it.”

“I don’t need shit from you.”

He leans forward, his elbows resting on the table as he looks at me with that infuriating smirk. “You’re welcome, by the way.”

“Are you serious right now?”

“Dead serious.”

I shake my head, trying to keep my voice steady. “You broke my phone, Zane. That phone meant a lot to me. And you just smashed it like it was nothing.”

His smirk falters for a second, but then it’s back. “You needed a better one. Now you have it.”

I stare at him, trying to figure out what the hell his deal is. Is he really this much of a narcissist, or is there something deeper going on? Either way, I don’t have the energy to deal with it right now.

“I don’t want your phone,” I say quietly, pushing it back toward him.

Zane’s hand shoots out, grabbing my wrist before I can pull away. His grip is firm but not painful, and for some reason, the contact sends a spark through me.

“Use it,” he says, his voice low and serious now. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

I stare at him, my heart racing in my chest, but I force myself to keep calm. “Why are you doing this?”

He tilts his head, his eyes studying me like I’m some kind of puzzle he’s trying to figure out. “Because you’re interesting.”

I laugh, but there’s no humor in it. “Interesting? You don’t even know me.”

“I know enough,” he says, his grip on my wrist loosening slightly. “And I want to know more.”

“Well, I don’t want to know you.”

Zane smirks again, releasing my wrist and leaning back in his chair. “We’ll see about that.”

I stand up, grab my bag, and sling it over my shoulder. “I’m done with this conversation.”

As I turn to leave, I hear him call after me, his voice lazy and confident. “I’ll see you later, Remy. Don’t lose that phone.”

I don’t even bother responding. I walk out of the library, my pulse racing and my mind spinning. I don’t know what the hell Zane Coburn’s deal is, but I do know one thing. I’m in way over my head.

I walk out of my clinical psychology class, the usual headache starting to creep up behind my eyes. It’s been a long day. I passed my test, which is great, but something’s off. I took the time during the class to transfer all the things from my iCloud and downloaded it onto this new phone. I double check that I have everything I need and even my text messages from my broken phone transfer over. Thank god.

My mom sounded sick earlier when I called. She brushed it off, said she was fine, but she didn’t sound like herself. I’d feel better if Colin checked in on her, so I dial him while walking to the campus exit.

“Hey, babe,” Colin picks up on the second ring. His voice is calm, warm—just what I need right now.

“Hey. What are you doing?” I ask, trying to sound casual even though my stomach is in knots.

“Just studying.”

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