Page 10 of The Wrong Costar

So, I took hold of the handle and opened the door, not giving myself a chance to chicken out. As I walked into the room, my features only portrayed indifference, and no one could have guessed there was a buzz of nerves flickering in my chest.

Every head in the room snapped up, and twenty pairs of eyes looked in my direction. A flurry of gasps and whispers quickly followed.

I didn’t focus on the way my name seemed to echo around the room and instead kept my eyes trained on the small woman who was sat in front of the whiteboard. Her hair was a mess and her lipstick a little uneven, but she had a sweet smile as she stood up to greet me.

“You must be Liam,” she said. “I’m Mrs. Jameson, your history teacher.”

I nodded along, not really sure what I was supposed to say. The apprehension that had been building all morning was still thrumming through my veins. I was on high alert and could feel the eyes of the twenty or so students staring holes into the back of my skull.

“Why don’t you take a seat…” She gestured at a free chair toward the back of the room.

A little of the tightness in my chest eased at the sight. The other kids could hardly ogle me if I sat behind them. I quickly headed for the free seat, their whispers trailing behind me.

I was somewhat used to being talked about and watched, but normally it was at a distance, and it was far more comforting when there was a wall of muscle shielding me.

I sat in the chair and relaxed back into it like my heart wasn’t racing and I wasn’t half-terrified of the kids surrounding me. The fact I was sitting at the back of the classroom didn’t stop the students’ heads from turning.

“Back to your assigned reading, class,” Mrs. Jameson said. “Tanner, it appears our new student is without a textbook. Will you please share yours?”

“Sure thing Mrs. J.” The huge guy in the seat next to me slid his textbook across the table so it was between the two of us. I worked out every day of my life, but this guy easily put my muscles to shame. He was massive.

“Hey, man, I’m Tanner,” he said.

“Liam,” I replied.

The corner of his mouth immediately lifted in a smirk. “No shit.”

I grinned down at the textbook in front of me. I already liked this guy. The class appeared to be studying King Henry VIII, so I didn’t pay too much attention to what was written. I’d submitted essays on him before and was more curious about the classroom I was in.

Now that the initial excitement of my arrival seemed to have died down, the students were all focused on their books. I still caught a few inquisitive glances from some of the girls, but their attention was far less intimidating when there were desks dividing us and they weren’t all looking at once. I was also feeling much better now that I’d had a few minutes to breathe.

I couldn’t let myself freak out like I had before. It might have been overwhelming to deal with so many fans at once, but I had a reputation I needed to maintain here. I was meant to be keeping up my bad boy façade while at Lincoln, so the next time one of the girls looked my way, I winked at her, making her smile.

Tanner snorted, having caught the interaction.

“What?” I muttered to him.

He slowly shook his head, still smirking at me. “Just be careful who you flirt with here. Some of these girls have a few screws loose and might go allFatal Attractionon you.”

I lifted an eyebrow at him. “And you think she’s one of them?” I nodded at the blonde who now had her back to me.

“Dude, Laurie probably watched Glenn Close in that movie and took notes. Just a friendly warning.”

I huffed out a breath and frowned. A little harmless flirting with fans was practically half my job, but I hadn’t thought about the fact that these people weren’t just fans. They were people I’d be stuck with every day. I was going to have to be more careful.

“Thanks,” I said, nodding my appreciation. “This is all a little new to me.”

Tanner grinned. “Ah, you’ll get the hang of it pretty quickly,” he said. “You seemed to have everything under control during the assembly.”

“Maybe, but the corridor after was another story. Some of the girls here don’t understand boundaries.”

Tanner nodded solemnly. “Yeah, the girls here get a little excited when there’s fresh meat, and you’re like a juicy cut of sirloin steak in their eyes. I’d feel sorry for you if you weren’t a famous millionaire who dated supermodels.”

I chuckled under my breath. Yeah, Tanner seemed like a cool guy. He didn’t sugarcoat things and said what he thought. It was refreshing because I was used to dealing with people who glazed everything in a thick layer of bullshit. That was Hollywood though.

I tried to focus on the textbook, but Laurie kept looking over her shoulder at me and smiling. Each time her lips lifted, my stomach clenched in a small quiver of fear. I really didn’t need any extra craziness in my life right now, and definitely not in the form of a pretty girl. When she sent me her next flirtatious look, I ignored it and looked away.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her smile drop, and her brow furrowed as she quickly turned to the front of the class again. Mission accomplished. For now, at least. Tanner ginned at my side. “Nicely done. Maybe I should take up acting? I could totally be the next Rambo.”

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