Page 7 of Insanium
I rolled my eyes playfully. “As if you’ve ever needed help attracting attention.”
His laughter warmed the space between us. “It’s always reassuring to know I meet the Kennedy standard of non-mediocrity.”
Oh, someone was being coy. I told Hael he was nice to look at almost every day—multiple times a day. “If you didn’t, you wouldn’t even be a contender for the illustrious harem I’m planning.”
“Woah, woah. A contender? You mean I’m not already grandfathered into the group?”
The girl with the pixie cut suddenly turned around, her face scrunched in disapproval.
“Isn’t that a bit vain? Relationships shouldn’t be all about looks.”
“That mindset is precisely why some settle for simple and boring,” I shot back, my gaze slicing briefly toward Darell to punctuate my point. Unfortunately, he was too far ahead to notice. “And excuse you. Eavesdropping isn’t exactly polite, is it?”
“What’s on the inside counts more,” a girl I assumed was her friend chimed in, completely ignoring my previous comment.
“Of course it counts,” I agreed, my voice dripping with earnestness. “Not just the size, but the skill, too.”
The first girl’s face soured as if she’d bitten into a lemon. “That’s not what I meant. I wasn’t talking aboutthat.”
I snorted. She couldn’t even saydick. How ridiculous. I bet she’d sucked and licked more than a few until she was rewarded with a facial or a few shots of protein. I wasn’t sure why it was then too vulgar to speak about. A couple of the others who had clearly caught our conversation snickered, causing her friend’s frown to deepen.
She dropped her voice, a hint of bitterness seeping through. “Wow, she hasn’t changed at all since high school.”
Was that comment meant to be a whisper?
And honestly, screw her invalid opinion that was wrong to begin with. Sure, I’d always been a knockout, but I liked to think I had gotten more appealing since finishing that four-year bid.
“She’s actually the one that hasn’t changed,” Aisha remarked.
“We went to school with her?” I must have asked that quite loudly, because now the girl looked offended.
“Kenzie, we had like three classes with her,” Aisha murmured, trying not to laugh.
I eyed the girl’s auburn hair pulled into a tight bun and the scatter of freckles across her cheeks, and recognition suddenly hit me.
“Oh, goodness, Janelle. I’m terribly sorry for not recognizing you sooner,” I implored with exaggerated remorse. “Now it all makes sense. Your boyfriend might not be the poster boy for good looks, but you’ve stuck by him loyally. That’s really admirable, Janice.”
“My name isn’t—”
“Personally, I value both high aesthetic and deep qualities—much like Hael, Aisha, and, naturally, myself,” I continued, smoothly talking over her unwanted correction.
Her friend scowled at me and mumbled something under her breath, too low for me to catch this time.
“For what it’s worth, I actually agree with you,” a new voice chimed in. “Attraction is natural. It’s all about holistic compatibility.”
I turned toward the source of the comment, my interest piqued by his insightful input. The speaker, a guy with sharp features and thoughtful eyes that hinted at depth beyond his casual facade, met my gaze with a reserved smile.
“See, this guy gets it. What’s your name?”
“Liam,” he replied, his tone friendly yet measured.
“Nice to meet you, Liam. I’m Kennedy.” I offered him a smile. “And would you look at that? You’re quite handsome yourself.”
His laughter echoed softly in the tense air, a clear sign he appreciated the compliment.
“Seems a bit shallow and childish to dwell on looks in a situation like this.”
“Shallow, or hitting too close to home, Darrel?” Hael retorted sharply.
