Page 2 of The Band Geek

When we get to the library, she sets her backpack down on a table. After she takes a seat across from me, she pulls out a notebook and our history textbook. “Do you actually remember anything about the Renaissance unit, or will I have to go over all of that with you?”

She scrunches her eyebrows at me, and I stare at her while trying to think about what I remember. I remember some parts of the unit, but during the week we discussed that, I was preparing for a big game, so I was distracted. When I don't answer right away, she rolls her eyes and flips to a page in her notebook and starts writing.

“Fantastic, I guess I will be doing this by myself after all,” she huffs, writing a title on the page for the final project. “Since it's a visual representation, we need to think about how we want to convey our research. We could make a video, poster board, or PowerPoint.”

She keeps talking, but I lose focus on what she's saying. I study her face as she thinks, seeing behind the oversized glasses and noticing how pretty she actually is. Her hair is a dark chestnut brown with natural auburn highlights that capture the afternoon sun shining through the windows. On top of that, she has beautiful hazel eyes. As she talks, my eyes eventually fall to her lips and that makes my mind go places I didn't expect. They're plush and a deep, natural red that I imagine most women would kill for. That’s not even mentioning the modelesque figure she has. She’s taller than most girls I know, but I’m still a good five inches taller than her.

“I can tell you're not paying attention,” Rowan says with an annoyed sigh, jolting me back to reality. “Stop daydreaming about your next big play on the field and focus. This is a big part of both of our grades.”

I take a deep breath and force away any thoughts I had budding about her. At least she can't read my mind. If she could, she would be less than thrilled to see me thinking about how pretty she is and imagining what I would like to do with her. Maybe she'll realize I think she's good looking soon enough, and working on this project with her might be more interesting than I initially thought.

TWO

I don't take out crippling amounts of student loans to babysit football players during class projects. It's exceptionally annoying that I can't have a different partner. Sawyer doesn't even remember the Renaissance unit. He was probably too busy partying and getting drunk all the time, hooking up with the entire cheerleading squad to pay attention.

I mean, I get it. He's good looking. I've kept my distance from him over the course of the semester because the two of us run in different circles. My friends and I aren’t exactly invited to a lot of the parties people like him attend. Being up close to him for the first time is strange. He's much better looking than I initially thought.

Of course, he's good looking from far away too. But sitting across from him, I can see the spark of excitement in his blue eyes as he challenges me. The light hits them, and they turn pale, almost glowing in the fading autumn sun. I can see the dimples on his cheeks when he smiles too. It pains me to admit that as he smirks at me when he says something it's a good look on him. It almost makes me want to fight with him more.

He runs his fingers through his short blond hair as he thinks and I catch myself staring, wondering what it would be like for my fingers to be there instead.

I force myself to stop thinking about it. There's a reason I stay far away from jocks like him. Especially after what happened in high school. I learned my lesson, and Idon'trepeat mistakes.

“I think the two of us got off on the wrong foot,” Sawyer says, flashing me a charming smile to try to disarm me. I want to roll my eyes, but unfortunately, it seems to be working. “I'll be the first to admit, I'm not the best student. That doesn't mean you'll have to pick up all the slack and do everything on your own. I'm here right now, aren't I?”

I nod and take a deep breath, relaxing my shoulders as I try to forget how today started. “You're right. Let's just focus on the project and figure out what it is we're doing. We can start with you telling me everything you remember about the unit so we can figure out what we want to cover in our report.”

“Can I borrow this?” Sawyer says, pointing at my textbook. I nod and push it toward him at the same time he reaches for it. Our fingers brush against each other, and my heart races a little faster. His fingers linger on mine, and I do my best to keep from blushing as I quickly pull my hand away.

“Sorry,” I nervously say, tucking a few stray strands of hair behind my ear. Sawyer nods and looks down at the textbook, skimming over some of the topics we discussed in class. “When I think of the Renaissance Era, I think of an era of innovation, so a project focusing on different inventions of the time could be interesting.”

“Maybe we could compare it to modern technology and show how things have evolved since then, too?” Sawyer says, sort of unsure of himself with the idea. I nod and offer him an encouraging smile because I think it's a good idea.

“That's always an effective approach,” I say, writing it down in my notebook. “I have experience with video editing, so maybe we could do a short documentary-style video presentation.”

We start talking about the different things we can include in the video and both of us seem to be relaxing a bit. I almost feel bad for prematurely judging him because he is contributing to the project. Though in the back of my mind, I'm wondering how long this is going to last. Is he going to bail on me to go to some big party the first chance he gets?

I start reviewing the textbook, making a list of different inventions, and comparing them to modern day technology. As I do, I kick my leg out, and it collides with Sawyer’s under the desk. Once again, my heart beats a little faster, and I straighten up, pulling my leg away.

He looks up from his textbook with a half smile on his lips that excites me in a way I don't expect. There's a slight thrill bumping into him that I can't wrap my head around. It's not like I've never held hands with a guy before. Sure, I've hardly done anything beyond that, but this feeling isn’t normal. Especially directed toward someone like Sawyer.

I stare down at his hands, and I can't help imagining what those might feel like touching me. They were soft and warm when I brushed against them. Just the idea of his hands climbing up my thighs and slowly inching their way along my body is enough to force me to cross my legs and blush.

“Rowan!” Corinne's voice says across the room. I look at her and see her wincing slightly as she spoke a little too loud in the library. She sits down beside me at the desk and looks at Sawyer with a wrinkle in her eyebrow. “Sorry, am I interrupting?”

Yes, actually. But God, am I glad she's here. My mind was going places it definitely should not have been, so this interruption is much-needed.

“We're just working on a project for world history,” I say, turning away from Sawyer and looking at her. Her blond hair is pulled back in a messy bun, and she’s in an oversized sweater and long skirt. I remember her telling me about an exam she had today, so her somewhat disheveled outfit makes sense. She's usually very well put together.

“I should actually get going to my next class anyway,” Sawyer says, grabbing his backpack and standing. He scribbles his phone number on a piece of paper and hands it to me. “I guess you and I will just meet up sometime later to finish talking about this?”

“I'll text you,” I say, nervously smiling and carefully placing the phone number in my notebook. Sawyer waves goodbye to both of us and walks away. I try not to turn around and watch him go.

I focus my attention on Corinne, who is narrowing her eyes at me with a half smile on her lips. “Okay, what was that about? You're working with Sawyer Jackson?”

“Don't get me started,” I say, laughing nervously and looking away from her. “It's just a random group assignment.”

“A random group assignment with Sawyer Jackson is just about every girl's dream,” Corinne says, a curious look in her eyes as she scans my face. “I'm sure you're really devastated to spend quality alone time with him.”

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