Page 38 of Bad Boys Don’t Date Clumsy Girls

I watch her stride down the hall, her silky blond hair flowing down her straight back. Even the boys with girlfriends turn to watch her walk by. It’s like they can’t help it. Like it’s instinct. With a sigh, I turn into my classroom, smiling when I see Bek is already here.

I plop into my seat, letting my backpack drop to the floor.

“You look like you have a lot on your mind,” Bek says, by way of a greeting.

“I do?” I raise my brows. “Like I’m a deep thinker, you mean?”

“No, like something’s bothering you.”

Bek is uncannily perceptive for someone whose head is always in the clouds. “I’m thinking about all the money I’ll make when I get a job and how I will have to force myself not to buy every meal Sam eats in order to begin to pay her back for all the food she has paid for of mine.”

My dreamy friend shakes her head. “That’s not what you’ve been thinking of. But since you brought it up, you know she will never let you pay her back in any way, right?”

“I don’t know that. I fully intend to do so. Or at least make an attempt.”

Bek’s chuckle floats into the air like bubbles. “She’ll never let you. I can actually pay for most of my meals, but she doesn’t let me. She gets hurt and mad if I try. And she’s not the one paying, anyway. Her parents are. It’s just easier to let her do it. I think it makes her feel needed.”

I blink at Bek. “Seriously? You can pay for yours?”

“Yeah, when my Nona died, I got an inheritance. It isn’t anything huge and most of it is held in a trust until I’m eighteen. But I get a monthly allowance that is enough to do stuff whenever I want. I was pretty excited when I got my first allowance. I tried to pay for our dinner, but Sam got really upset.”

“Upset how?” I ask.

“You know how short she gets when she’s mad? She agrees with you, but with so much hostility, you know she doesn’t really agree.”

“Yeah. She’s like, 'Fine. Do whatever.' With that clipped tone.”

“Exactly, but she even had tears in her eyes. So, I told her I would just pay for myself. And I did. It was cool to have my own money for a change. But she doesn’t understand that.”

My shoulders slump when I think of poor, innocent Bek, just hoping to pay for a meal for a change. “No, she has no idea what it’s like to not have money.”

“She didn’t talk to me for more than a week.” Bek lets her chin fall onto her palm. “It sucked.”

“I remember that. You guys wouldn’t tell me what was going on.”

“I finally apologized, which was weird in itself, and thanked her for always being there for us.” Bek looks down at the desk and traces her finger over the initials someone carved into it. “Anyway, I’ve been saving most of my monthly allowances this entire time. I have quite a bit already. I would love to be your roommate when the time comes if you’ll have me.”

I fly out of my seat and wrap her arms around Bek’s neck. “That is the best news I’ve gotten all year, Bek. I’d love it. Thank you so much.”

“Girls, I hate to interrupt what appears to be an exciting moment for you, but I need your attention up here now.”

“No problem, Miss Hess.” I grin.

After class, I’m distracted by thoughts of my potential, future apartment life. I imagine getting a full-time job of some sort after graduation. Maybe in an office. That should pay the bills. Right? There aren’t many opportunities to be clumsy sitting at a desk, are there? Bek and I can stay home on weekends in our pajamas and binge-watch our favorite shows. Sam can stay over when she’s home from college. Life will be perfect.

“I love a girl who walks around grinning at nothing.”

I stop short and blink at Dylan who stands in front of me with a sexy smirk on his face. He nods at Lydia, who waves and keeps walking. My cheeks burn red. Not because he caught me mid-daydream, but because he knows my secret. Standing in the middle of a crowded hallway knowing he knows about my toxic life makes it feel like the information is being broadcast over the school’s public address system.

He misinterprets the blush though. “It’s okay, I won’t tell anyone. But confess.” He leans forward and whispers. “You were imagining my mouth on your…”

I gasp and lean away from him. Honestly, I can’t even imagine that. “I should never have told you that!” Apparently, it’s my lot in life to be cherry red around Dylan. “I’m walking away now.”

I scoot to get around him, but he steps sideways to stay in front of me. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t nice of me. It’s just so fun to see you flustered.”

His gaze skims my features, and I swear I feel the feather-light brush of it. Shivers race down my spine. I step to the left, but he shifts too. “I don’t have time for this, Dylan. I have to get to class.”

“Then why don’t we continue this titillating conversation after school at The Cup?”

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