Page 28 of Love Me Steadfast
“You heard me,” the guy says, jerking his chin. “You’re a fuckin’ poser. You don’t belong.”
Anger flashes under my skin like an electric shock. “Who the fuck are you?”
He laughs, but it’s as gravelly as his engine. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
I shouldn’t let the asshole get to me, but hisyou don’t belongechoes through my thoughts as I sign Mrs. Hackney’s check-in sheet then scan for Charlie’s table. She’s facing partly away, wiggling the pencil she’s holding between her index finger and thumb. Today she’s wearing a baggy pink sweater with colorful little fuzzballs sticking to it and jeans, her straight honey-brown hair tucked behind her ears. Her hair is always so shiny.
A pang of guilt tightens my ribcage. Theo’skeep an eye on her for merings through my thoughts. That obviously means that I should stop imagining kissing her. And it sure as fuck means not asking her out.
“Hey,” I say, pulling out a chair.
Her attention snaps to mine, making her dangly musical note earrings swing. “Hey.”
I pull out my laptop and log in. While Charlotte navigates the online textbook to the Westward Expansion section, I blurt, “Are you going to homecoming?”
I hadn’t planned to go, but the guys have been talking about it a lot. Last night at the bonfire, Tori dropped a hint about going together. If I don’t ask her, will she go with someone else? Then again, do I actually care? I feel like I should, but I just…don’t.
Not having a handle on this stuff makes me feel like a tool. Like I’m playing catch-up to everyone around me. Kids with normal lives.
Charlotte gives me a curious glance, her lips parted. “Not sure yet.” Is her neck turning pink? “Are you?”
“Not sure yet.”
Charlotte gives me a slow nod.
“So no one’s asked you?”
She huffs in annoyance. “No. Wanna rub it in?”
I wince. “Sorry. I didn’t mean it…like that.” I’m not totally clueless about what playing football has done for my social status, but Charlotte’s pretty, and nice. A little sassy sometimes, but it’s kind of hot.
Stop. Theo’s little sister is absolutely not hot.
Charlotte huffs a sigh before turning toward me. “I might go with friends.”
“What’s it like?” I ask to refocus. “I mean, I know there’s the dance, but do you go to dinner and stuff? Who drives you around?”
Her expression softens. “Kids that don’t drive get a limo, or an uber, or their parents drive them. Sometimes people go to dinnerfirst. Especially couples, but groups too. After, you can go to the dance or not.”
“Wait. People skip the dance?”
“Some kids use HoCo as an excuse to party.”
Not that I’m into partying, but I’ve never danced in my life, and the idea of having to do so with a girl I barely know, while everyone watches, sounds like torture. Though I also don’t want to make the wrong move.
From the circulation desk, Mrs. Hackney lifts her gaze to us, scowling.
Charlotte refocuses on my laptop screen. “We’d better get back to work. Have you finished the study guide?”
“Uh.” I click through the class pages until I find the document, but my notes are a mess.
Charlie pulls out some papers from her backpack and slides them to me. It’s a blank copy of our study guide. “Try doing it on paper.”
“Why?”
“So you don’t have to move back and forth between all the tabs.”
I search her face for any sign she’s calling me out, but she’s bitten down on her bottom lip and her hazel eyes have brightened. Is she…excited?
