Page 22 of Beautiful Defiance

11

SEVEN

Iwake up to a weight on my body and a curtain of hair on my face. When the hell did Leigh make her way from the bedroom to the couch? Fuck, did she need something and I was deep in my nightmare?

Doesn’t matter. What matters is she’s safely in my arms. I swipe aside her hair, and not wanting to wake her, I adjust her body so that she’s closer to the back cushions rather than the edge of the couch, and her cheek is resting in the crook of my neck. I’m not stealthy enough.

Her eyes flutter open, and covering her yawn, she locks her gaze on mine.

“What time is it?”

“Good morning to you too.”

“Seven.”

“Early,” I say.

“What day is it?”

“A school day.”

“Shit.”

“I second that.” I slide my arm across her lower back, wanting to stay in this position for as long as possible.

Leigh has other ideas. Of course she does. She peels my arm off her back and rolls off me and onto the floor. She reaches for her cellphone on the coffee table and glances at the screen.

“Five-thirty. I’ll make the bus.”

“Why when you can climb back on top of me, we can snooze for awhile longer, and I’ll drive us to school?”

“Be seen with you? Uh-uh.”

She stands, and sliding her fingers in her hair, she shakes out the strands, then combs her fingers through them.

“What’s wrong with being seen with me?”

“One, your entourage of girls will come after me, harassing me to no end. Two, Thomas gave me strict orders to stay away from you. Something to do with your dad disliking gold diggers and any girl without pedigree is seen as one. And three, me and you are not friends. We already agreed on that, remember?”

Yeah, I see her points. They’re valid except the one about my dad. A girl started that rumor after I didn’t return her interest. Girls can be fickle that way.

“Leigh, I saved your life. You owe me.”

“Are you guilt-tripping me into being your friend?”

“Fuck sakes, no. I’m good with us being frenemies.”

“Jesus, how do you know that word? Never mind, we are more enemies than friends.”

“Yeah, okay.”

“That’s not convincing, Seven. Pinky swear.”

“I’m not one of your girlfriends, Leigh.” I rise off the couch and stand.

“No, duh. You have something between your legs they don’t have.”

I roll my eyes. Jesus H. Christ, I rolled my goddamn eyes like I’m an exasperated girl. When I get a chance, I better check and make sure I have a dick. I’m beginning to think being around Leigh is reducing me to being a pansy-ass pussy.

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