Page 51 of Sweet Punk
STAR
I wake up Friday morning alone in my bed, more frustrated with myself and this entire shit show than I was yesterday. It probably has to do with me being cranky as hell because I couldn’t sleep. Worst night ever.
When I first realized Milo was here, it hit me that he’d likely be watching, looking into the lives of each of my friends. Poking around where he doesn’t freaking belong because he knows threatening them would upset me. Milo’s never let me have a normal life, a boyfriend, or even friends. I bite down on my lip.Shit.I don’t know why I thought Kellan had been spared. Because he hasn’t been. This asshole has been biding his time all along, saving the person who matters most for last. For his grand finale. But what’s he planning?
Grumpy, I pull my phone in front of my face. Seven o’clock. I have to be in my freaking history class at eight. With a dramatic sigh, I throw the covers back and slip out of my bed.
Twenty minutes later, I’ve showered and dressed. I pretty much look like crap today since I haven’t done laundry in forever, but I don’t care. A pair of old jeans and a graphic T-shirt that readsComputer Nerdacross the chest will have to do. If I take off now, I can hit the Bean for a cup of coffee before class. Grabbing my bag, I sling it over my shoulder, step into a pair of Vans, and snatch up my hoodie off the back of my desk chair.
I unlock and pull my door open and almost kick Kellan. I blink a few times, thinking maybe I’m still asleep and dreaming or something, but no. Kellan Murphy is sprawled out in front of my door with a pillow and a blanket, guarding me.
My heart flutters wildly in my chest.Oh man, is this ever sweet.
His eyes open, and for several seconds, we stare at each other, our green eyes locked. He lets out a raspy, “Hey.” Nothing more.
“What are you doing, Kellan?”
“I’m not abandoning you because you’re scared.”
I nod, sighing. “You’re sweet but I don’t know what else to say.” My voice sounds rough, so I clear my throat. “I have to get to class.”
“Fuck. You have an eight o’clock.” He sits up, scrubbing his hands over his face. “I can walk with you.”
“Don’t you get it? He’ll make it worse for us the more he sees us together.”
He lets out a frustrated grumble, then wets his lips. “Can you come find me after our art classes are done today, then? I want to show you something.”
I let out a shuddery breath that I swear is torn right out of my soul. “It’s important?”
“There’s something I need for you to understand. So, yes.”
* * *
I haveno idea what Kellan meant earlier, what he needs me to understand. Once everyone clears out of my class, I venture across the hall to the huge room where Kellan’s class is prepping their art pieces for the show Sunday afternoon. There are paintings everywhere, each of them having three that have to be ready to go by the end of today. There’s a huge open area on the first floor of the building that’s perfect for student displays, which is where they’ll set up the art show this weekend.
Scanning the room, it looks like everyone else is gone for the day. Instead of calling out to him, I walk toward the same back corner he’s been in for the last couple of weeks while he’s been working on these paintings. He’s kept them mostly to himself, setting up so that he’s facing the rest of the room while he works and no one else can see what he’s doing unless they come around the corner and peek.
When I step into his area, he’s still working. He’s got one paintbrush tucked behind his ear, a smudge of paint on his chin, and he’s working shirtless. My gaze roams over him, the play of muscles in his torso as he wields the brush like a weapon is impressive. Once I’ve gotten an eyeful, my gaze shifts to the final painting he’s working on. I take a few seconds examining it. He’s taken the first two abstract paintings, which were different, yet somehow part of the same set, and has combined them on the third canvas. They come together at the very center in a vortex of sorts. It swirls together, the two images merging as one.
“Thoughts?”
I startle, as I’d been so involved in studying every nuance. I exhale slowly, my eyes flicking to his. “It’s breathtaking.”
He smiles, his lip caught between his teeth, then nods. “I thought so, but I’m kinda biased.”
“Are you gonna tell me about them? I want to know—from your perspective.”
“Yeah. I will. But something else has to come first. Why don’t you sit down? I’m gonna grab another chair.”
I suck in a breath. I feel like we’re at a crossroads of sorts—either this is going to work… or it isn’t. And I don’t want it to be my fault.
Kellan comes back into view, a chair over his head. Steadying my breathing as he sets it down, I blurt out, “I need to tell you something before you get started.”
He’s placed the chair facing me, so close that his jean-encased legs are spread around mine. He leans forward, bracing his forearms on his thighs. “Okay, then. Go ahead.” I wonder if he has a clue what I’m about to say.
“I’m sure you see already that Milo has it in his head that I’m his girlfriend… even though he’s my stepbrother.”
Kellan chews on the inside of his mouth. “Yeah. I picked up on that more than once. Especially when I realized he’s been squatting in my speech class. He’s got your ring, by the way. I wanted to tell you yesterday, but—”
