Page 1 of Sweet Punk
ONE
KELLAN
This girl is leading me on a merry fucking chase. I run faster, trying to keep up with her, my heart pumping hard and my legs a blur. But damn, she’s fast. And how the hell she’s running in a pair of flip-flops like that, I’ll never know. That fire alarm went off, and she hadn’t even stopped to put different shoes on, which I can’t really fault her for because I hadn’t put on a shirt on my way out either. Maybe she didn’t intend to run across campus when she fled Duke Hall, but here we are, doing just that. She makes a sharp left and darts across the quad, heading toward the academic buildings. What the fuck is she doing?
Star St. James is a mystery to me. Ever since she moved into the suite across the hall two months ago, I haven’t known what to make of her funky blue-framed glasses or the pink stripe in her glossy dark hair. Or the fact that she holes up in her room more often than not with her computer. Or the way she sometimes sticks her foot in her mouth with how blunt she is.
As I run behind her, I smirk to myself. I guess I wonder about her because she’s kinda like me with the same level of introversion and distaste for partying or even hanging out with people in general. She gets along well—at least I think she does—with her two suitemates, Lux and Raven. Thinking back, though, I’m unsure if I’ve ever seen her with anyone else, and I do occasionally spot her around campus—especially in the art building. She’s taking some intro to art course, and her class ends at the same time my studio time is over. She’s always alone.
I force myself to move faster, and the second Star senses me behind her, she whirls around, a mask of sheer terror on her face, and thrusts the small can of pepper spray that’s attached to her lanyard and keys out in front of her, aiming it right at me.
“Don’t fucking spray me again.” I come to an abrupt halt about ten feet from her, throwing my hands up to shield my face. Memories of the intense burning sensation from our last unfortunate encounter are still fresh in my mind. That fucking aerosol caused my nose to run like a faucet and had irritated the hell out of my skin. My eyes had practically swelled shut. I don’t want to go there again for anything. That shit hurt like a motherfucker. I shudder involuntarily, reliving the pain all over again.
We stare at each other for several moments, each of us taking the other in. Star’s eyes wander over me from top to bottom, then back again, her breath hitching when her gaze returns to my face. Jesus, I have no idea what’s in her head. Her hand shakes as she finally drops the canister, letting it dangle from her lanyard. Whatever she’s thinking is on the tip of her tongue. Sure enough, a second later, she blurts, “Why the hell are you following me, Kellan?”
I rest my hands on my hips and work my jaw back and forth, assessing her. She’s trembling all over, her face paler than I’ve ever noticed it being before. “Why are you acting so goddamn sketchy lately? That’s why I came after you. You were safe in a crowd of people—it’s just another pulled fire alarm, yet you ran off like the devil was chasing you.”
Her eyes shift down and to the side, and she blinks rapidly before huffing, “I’m not acting sketchy. You’re the one who keeps following me.” She sucks in a breath, her eyes flicking to my chest and wandering over it, tattoo by tattoo, rose by inked-on rose. “Do you ever wear a shirt?” Her cheeks flush pink with her indignant question.
Staring right back at her, my brows draw together. She doesn’t know me well enough for me to begin to answer that loaded question. I ignore it in favor of shooting my own back at her. “Seriously. Why’d you take off like that?” I can’t deny it. I’m completely curious at this point, especially with the way her focus keeps darting around. And I have a habit of studying people, trying to figure out what exactly makes them tick—though most of the time, I observe and hypothesize. There’s so much to be learned by paying attention to nonverbal cues. But with her? I want to know. And I want her to be the one to tell me.
“I don’t like crowds.” She pauses, fidgeting and refusing to meet my eyes. “Or very many people, period.”
A harsh laugh trips out of me before I can stop it. “You’re totally fucking lying.” I surprise myself with how growly my voice sounds. I don’t know what I’m reacting to that she’s putting out there into the universe, but something’s not quite tracking for me.
“Am not. I don’t like crowds. Never have.”
I narrow my eyes on her. She didn’t answer the question. “That’s not why you ran off.”
She covers her face with her hands and speaks through them. “Just drop it, Kellan.”
The plea in her voice stops me cold, the fear I sense in her words hits me square in the chest. I want to know what her deal is, but she’s stubborn. “Fine. I’ll walk with you wherever you’re going.”
She shakes her head, slowly backing away. “No. That’s okay. I— Just let me go, okay?”
The fuck.I exhale sharply. I don’t want this to be a battle of wills, but I also don’t like the idea of her walking around campus by herself at this hour. Scraping my teeth over my bottom lip, I study her. I can tell I’m not getting any further with this tonight. “Fine.” I look down at the ground between us for a few seconds before I meet her eyes again. “Would you text Lux or Raven and let them know where you’re headed? If you can do that, I’ll take off and leave you alone.”
Finally giving in, she doesn’t say a word but nods and pulls her phone out of her pocket. She thumbs it open and quickly taps out a text. I’m no dummy, though, I shoot a text to Hawk at the same time.
Me:Just checking—did Lux or Raven get a text from Star?
She glances up at me, her tone accusatory. “Um, what are you doing?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Ensuring that someone is in contact with you.” I grit my teeth, watching for Hawk’s response.
“Is that seriously necessary? I’m not a child. And I’m not your responsibility.” Her forehead pinches, leaving a crease right down the center.
I can totally tell she’s not amused, but tough shit. “It is.” I wouldn’t feel right if no one else was paying attention, and I left her here alone. My jaw sets as I eye the way she’s beginning to squirm uncomfortably and move from one foot to the other. Not only is our conversation wigging her out, but I bet she’s cold out here, just like I am. A T-shirt, jeans, and flip-flops doesn’t cut it against the late-October cold in Connecticut.
“Whatever,”—she tucks a chunk of her pink-streaked hair behind her ear and jerks her thumb over her shoulder—“I’m going.” She begins to back away while I’m distracted by the incoming texts from Hawk. I glance down, quickly scanning his messages.
Hawk:Yes. Both Lux and Raven got one.
Hawk:WTF is going on?
Me:Your guess is as good as mine.
Before Star can get very far, I grit out, “Hey.” She flinches, but stops in her tracks, her green eyes wide behind her glasses. “Tell me you’re okay, and I’ll back the fuck off.”
