Page 111 of Love Me in the Dark
Leaning back further, he stared at me from across the table. “How would I know?”
“You’re so full of shit. You’re going to sit there and pretend like you don’t know the pull you have at this school? I walked down one hallway with you, one time, and I saw you’re the big man on top. Every guy wants to be you or your best friend, and every girl wants to fuck you.”
His face went completely blank.
Leaning forward on my elbows, I laid it out for him. “While I’m only planning to be here a short while, I don’t need the attention you attack.”
“Please,” he drew the word out as he rolled his eyes. The only expression on his otherwise blank face.
“Those girls wanted to claw my eyes all because you were walking down the hall with me. While I can take care of myself, I don’t need their bullshit.”
Pushing forward, he crossed his arms and laid his chin on his arm. “Oh, I have no doubt you can take care of yourself. What I want to know is why you’d like them win.”
“Win?” What the hell was he talking about?
“You’re giving them exactly what they want.” When I didn’t respond, he continued. “To stay away from me.”
“Listen, pretty boy. This might come as a shock to you, but not everyone wants to get dicked by you. I’ll be just fine living in the shadows until it’s my time to leave.”
“But you shouldn’t have to live in the shadows, Harley.”
5
SLADE
“But you shouldn’t have to live in the shadows, Harley.”
Her brows scrunch in the most adorable way. I don’t understand how she’s infiltrated my every thought, but she has. It pisses me off and excites me all the same.
I don’t like the thought of her hiding for her remaining time here. The girls here are all bitches. And she’s not. Maybe that’s why I’m drawn to her. Or maybe it’s simply from saving her life the first night I met here. Even then something made me follow her.
“I don’t need to shine, Slide. All I need is to get by with the least amount of resistance.”
I had a feeling the resistance she referred to was her mom.
I couldn’t imagine having my mom against me. It was bad enough knowing I’d disappointed my parents, but for them to be actively against me would kill me.
I guess I understood why Harley felt the way she felt.
“If you don’t want to be seen with me, I won’t force you, but really, I wouldn’t pay too much mind to the girls here. They’renot used to new people taking their spot, but give it a couple of days and they’ll be ignoring you.”
Lifting her head to meet my gaze, she bit her bottom lip. “When I see it, I’ll believe it. I would appreciate being left on my own.”
“Can I still run with you?”
A lone brow lifted, and the corner of her mouth twitched. “If you mean follow me at a distance than sure.”
“What if I want to run beside you?”
She went back to gnawing on her lip, and then shook her head. “I’m not ready for that.”
And I knew I wouldn’t stop until I was jogging right alongside her.
“Then I’ll hang back.”
Pulling the papers closer, she read over them, and I knew she was trying to escape from my penetrating gaze. Once she was done which took far longer than necessary, Harley propped her chin on her hand. “Are you always like this?”
I mirrored her body. “Like what?”
