Page 64 of Rockwell Academy: The Twist

“What makes you say that?”

“Because of the way he searches for you when he walks into the room. The expression on his face when he catches sight of you and the soft smile he appears to keep for your eyes only.”

“I wish.”

She laughs softly. “He gives out all the signals but never follows up on that. Perhaps I should let this go and concentrate on some of the other guys who hit on me.”

“And there are a lot of them.” I remind her because Imogen appears to be the number one new attraction at Rockwell Academy, but she doesn’t realize that.

“He’s not the only one who can’t tear his eyes away from you, honey.”

She blushes and I laugh out loud. “See what I mean. You’re so cute and the guys here want to protect you and are confident they can do that best while fucking you.”

“Summer!” Imogen gasps and then giggles, her face flaming as she changes the subject.

“What about you? You disappeared the other night and returned with Luca Romano. Have you got a death wish or something?”

“Or something.” I grin and her eyes widen.

“You like him?”

“Guilty.” I shrug. “If he’s to be believed, he likes me too. The trouble is–”

“Frankie.”

“Not this time.”

“You mean he’s given you the green light? So what’s your problem?”

“The problem is, Imogen–” I grin. “Guys like Luca want what they can’t have. If I made it easy for him, he would lose interest.”

“So, what’s your plan?”

“The Claiming.”

“You’re taking part?” Her eyes widen and I smirk as a couple of guys pass and stare at her with a longing gaze.

As always, she appears oblivious to that, and I chuckle inside. For all her sass and steel, Imogen is more innocent than a child. She really can’t see what effect she has on the guys, and it’s endearing and amusing to watch.

“I am. What about you?”

“Why would I?”

“Even if a certain guy named Jesse was taking part and made it clear he was only interested in chasing you?”

She blushes and I nod. “I thought so. Do you want me to make some enquiries?”

“Don’t you dare.” She groans. “I knew I shouldn’t have said anything.”

I laugh out loud. “Come on, what are friends for if not to meddle in one another’s love life?”

“Anyway–” I check my phone. “We’ll be late for art and, as I’m majoring in that, I can’t afford to fall behind.”

We head insideand I can tell he’s here before I see him. It’s as if my body has an alarm fitted whenever he is in the vicinity and as I scan the room, I notice him lounging at the back with a strange expression on his face.

He completely ignores me even though he must have seen me arrive, and I am a little disgruntled at that.

Miss Sloane is handing out charcoal and as she stops at his desk, she leans down and whispers something in his ear. He nods and if I’m not mistaken, her fingers brush against his as she hands him the charcoal and then as she continues meandering through the room, his eyes don’t leave her for a second.

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