Page 21 of Blindside Me
And that’s what terrifies me most.
Leaving Drew standing next to my uncle, I walk away, each step echoes louder than the last. I should feel proud for cutting it off and not falling for yet another athletic fuckboy. But all I feel is the sting of almost.
Almost wanted. Almost seen. Almost kissed.
Almost ruined.
I walk out, biting the inside of my cheek. I won’t look back.
This can’t happen again.
…Right?
CHAPTER SEVEN
Drew
She doesn’t look back.
My hand tightens around the bag handle as Jade slings her giant purse over her shoulder and walks away, chin lifted as if nothing just happened. Like she didn’t just torch me and leave me standing here, every nerve in my body sparking like live wires.
Good. I’m glad she’s gone.
That should be it. End of story.
I suck in a slow breath, palm pressed against the wall, and try to convince my heart to stop jackhammering in my chest.
It’s better this way. Cleaner. Safer. Easier.
So why the hell am I still staring at the spot where she disappeared?
She got too close. Too bold. Too damn dangerous. And I didn’t shove her away.
Couldn’t.
She talks like she doesn’t care, but the way she looked at me? That wasn’t fake. Wasn’t some act. It was worse.
It was real.
And that makes her a liability.
I rub my thumb along the ridges of my bag’s handle. My grip’s still too tight, like I’m hanging on to something that’s already gone.
The way her voice dropped when she said I wasn’t making her leave. The way her breath hitched when our fingers brushed. The way she didn’t run when she should have. That kind of chaos doesn’t just fade.
It sticks.
And I can’t afford anything that sticks.
She’s Coach Howell’s niece. She’s in my class. She’s the girl from the club.
Pick one. Any of those is reason enough to steer clear.
All three? That’s a career-ender.
I drag in another breath, sharper this time. But her laugh still echoes in my head. That quick, reckless sound. The way her voice went soft right before we almost touched. The flash in her eyes like she knew she was trouble.
And the worse part? I liked it.
