Page 9 of Life Blood
She scrunched her eyebrows at me, “Yeah, but you’re not one to gawk, either. Thought you could be cool about it.” She laughed before she popped a fry into her mouth.
“Shut the hell up, I wasn’t gawking at him,” I said, shrugging it all off.
“Hey, easy on the language,” she reprimanded me. “You drive me insane when you just start throwing cuss words around.”
“Eh, whatever.” I loved her for being so prim and proper, it kind of balanced my screwed up, sucky life.
“Just know that it makes you look, I don’t know, less appealing.”
“Well,shit, Jen,” I teased her, “we can’t have that, now can we?” I nodded toward my left where David stood, talking to some younger boys, “I wouldn’t want to ruin my reputation at this prestigious college.”
I rolled my eyes, prompting her to laugh. “True. You definitely set a standard for yourself by dating that guy.” She smirked and grabbed her tray of food, “I’m headed off to my anatomy class.”
“One more class and we’re out of here.” I gripped each side of my tray, following Jen, “You coming?” I called out to David.
“Right behind you,” he said as he picked up his backpack and glared over at the Banner table.
“Everything okay?” I asked, annoyed.
“Don’t think for a second I missed that guy undressing you with his eyes,” he said as I dropped my tray off and headed toward the exit of the cafeteria.
Once we got outside, I led him to an area around the side of the building away from eavesdroppers. “Listen, boyfriend or not, you have no right to say that shit, especially in front of people.” I said pointing my finger into his chest, “Don’t be so immature.”
“You’re my girl,” he said trying to play down his insecurities, “and Braden Banner will—”
“Oh, for God’s sake,” I said as I turned and walked away. He was at my side in a heartbeat, “I’myour girl? You know what decade this is, right?”
He laughed and slung an arm around my neck. “You know you love that I’m protective of you.”
I shoved his arm off me, “Don’t flatter yourself.”
He gave me a quick peck on my cheek and ran off to his class. Jen was long gone, and all I wanted to do was get to my next class and get this day over with.
Once settled in my seat, I skimmed through the chapters we’d been going over in history, and then I felt a weird pull of energy again. A spine-tingling shock clamped onto my spine, then shot directly up, forcing an instant shiver as soon as I looked up and locked eyes with him. One of Braden’s cousins. This Banner’s eyes looked like they could’ve been made from actual sapphires. Even from across the room, they stood out underneath his onyx hair…hair so black I could almost pick up a hint of blue in it. Braden was a knock-out, and this Banner was no different. He was lucky I didn’t jump up and kiss him right then and there.
What the hell was wrong with me? Maybe Jen was right, I had officially become a gawker.
“Hey,” he said to me, obviously noticing I was staring at him. I’m sure he was used to it by now, though. These guys were anything but average.
“Hey,” I lifted my chin and played it cool.
“Looks like the only empty seat is this one,” he said with a lazy smile as he pointed at the desk next to mine.
I glanced over to my left and back to the Banner sitting casually at the desk next to mine, “There are plenty of other desks. In fact, that’s—”
“My chair, bro!” Jeremy said, finishing my sentence, his bronze eyes lighting up his dark, caramel-colored skin as he raised his eyebrows at the desk thief.
Jeremy was theonlynice guy on the football team and the only jock I was actually friends with. I didn’t give myself too much credit, though, Jeremy was friends with everyone in our school.
“You can sit over here, Logan!” Kaley screeched from across the room.
“Why don’t you go sit by the girl over in the back corner,” the Banner said, eyeing Jeremy intensely.
Jeremy’s expression changed—almost as if his eyes went blank and he was in a trance for a few seconds—and then he snapped to again. “Hey, you’re Logan Banner, right?”
“That’s right,” Logan answered in a smooth voice.
“Don’t hog my study partner too much,” he said as he walked over to the chair next to Kaley.
