Page 22 of Grumpy Darling

“You must have some idea,” Bonnie replied. “Which guys talk to you? Which guys have you threatened, accidentally or otherwise? Which guys see you in the corridor and run the other way?”

She folded her arms as she waited for his answer. I was eager to hear it too.

“Like, are we talking this week,” he said, “or...”

I released a groan and turned to Bonnie again. “We really are going to have to go to the ends of the earth to find someone for me, aren’t we?”

“I’m sure it’s not that bad. We can—” She paused, and her eyes darted to something behind me, before a slow smirk lifted the corner of her lips. “Well, hello, Antarctica.”

We followed her gaze to the cafeteria entrance. Reed had just walked in, and he was standing with a guy I didn’t recognize. He was massive, perhaps even taller than Reed and Gray, with tanned skin and sandy-blond hair that fell so softly it was like something out of a shampoo commercial. I couldn’t quite see his face properly from where I was sitting, but even at this angle it was easy to tell he was good-looking.

“Oh. My. God.” Bonnie said, shaking her head. “How did I not think of this before.”

“Think of what?” I turned away from the mystery guy to face her.

“That must be the new guy everyone’s been talking about today,” she explained.

She wasn’t the only one who appeared intrigued. Every eye in the room had turned to greet our newest arrival. There was nothing more fascinating than a new student at school. Especially one who joined midway through the year and had already made friends with Reed Darling, the reluctant king of Ransom High.

“New guy?” I wondered out loud. “I hadn’t heard about that.”

“I only found out this morning,” Bonnie replied. “It’s his first day. And do you know what that means?” She didn’t miss a beat before she answered her own question. “He’s a blank slate. Untainted by Grayson’s infamous reputation. The perfect candidate for your first kiss!”

“You’re right...” I quickly turned to look for him once more. But he and Reed had disappeared into a crowd of people. My heart was starting to race, but I couldn’t be sure if it was driven by nerves, excitement, or something else. I had no idea who this guy was. I didn’t know if he had a nice smile or a friendly face. I didn’t even know his name. But he was exactly what I needed: someone who Grayson hadn’t scared off.

Gray grunted his disapproval.

“See, even Grayson thinks you should go for it,” Bonnie continued. “He looks hot. And he’s so tall. You’d have to climb him like a tree if you want a kiss, but that’s half the fun...”

Before I could tell Bonnie to keep her voice down, a strangled noise sounded from Grayson.

I turned to see what was up with him now, but I was shocked to find his face had turned a shade of pink I hadn’t seen before.

“Oh my god. Gray! Are you okay?”

He nodded and held up his hand, as if he was trying to tell me he just needed a moment. But I wasn’t sure he had a moment. It sounded like he was choking on his lunch.

I leaned over and smacked him on the back. He didn’t even flinch. Had I done it right? He was so big, he probably needed far more force than I could muster. I really wished I’d paid more attention when we’d learned first aid, because I had no idea what to do. I gave him another hard slap on the back, and he appeared to cough something up. I held my breath as I waited to see if I’d done enough. His face was still bright red. Perhaps one final thump to be sure? I lifted my hand, but Gray interrupted me before I could bring it back down.

“You can stop beating me up now.”

I slowly lowered my arm. “Are you okay?”

He coughed to clear his throat. “I’m fine.”

He didn’t look fine.

“Seriously, Paige.” He grabbed his bottle of water and took a long drink.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Because if you’re still choking, I think you’re too big for me to do the Heimlich on.”

“Like I said, I’m fine.”

“Should I call Parker or Reed over here?”

---