Page 20 of The Star

A groan works its way up my throat while I keep wandering, holding the straps of my backpack tight. After another ten minutes, I stop walking and lean against the wall with a sigh, officially giving up. What’s even worse is I left my coffee in Carson’s Jeep – so I’m not only cranky, I’m also not caffeinated.

I slip my phone out of my pocket, ready to call the number I have for the school and ask for fucking directions, when a voice pulls my head up.

“Need some help?”

Hayden.

His tattooed fingers are tapping against each other in front of his chest, his dark eyes fixed on me in a sinister way that makes my metaphorical walls slam up.

“Nope.” I pop theP, returning to my phone.

“I could show you to the office.” When I look back at him, he’s taken two steps toward me and is grinning like the cat that got the fucking cream. As if I’ve fallen right into his trap.

“Pass.” I give him a dirty look.

“C’mon, Franklin. You’ll be standing here all day. No one else is going to help you.” He takes another step toward me, slowly.

I tilt my head to the side. “What’s your deal?”

His eyebrows flex. “My deal?”

I hum in confirmation. “You’ve been trying to intimidate me since we met at my house, so why don’t you tell me what the issue is so you can leave me the fuck alone.”

His eyes narrow, and he crosses his arms over his chest. “Are you always so reluctant to trust people, Logan?”

I show him my teeth. “Only Luxington dicks.”

The bell rings overhead, making me groan. Hayden gives me a grin. “I’m going to the office. Follow me if you want.”

Alarms go off in my head, and when he turns around and starts walking down the corridor, I panic. I begrudgingly follow after him on light feet, as if he won’t realize I’m behind him. Although, I have a feeling Hayden Monroe has eyes in the back of his head, and there’s nothing he doesn’t see.

I keep my distance, leaving at least six feet between us as he swaggers down the hall – back the way I just came – hopefully toward the office.

After a minute of silence, and what feels like creeping on the balls of my feet, he looks over his shoulder. “What’re you doing?”

I stop in my tracks. “What do you mean?”

He turns, sliding his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. “You’re stalking behind me like a scared little mouse.”

“No, I’m not.”

His gaze is full of humor when he grins. “Are you scared of me?”

I narrow my eyes. “What’s there to be scared of, pretty boy?”

He smiles wolfishly, stepping toward me. “You think I’m pretty?” He cocks his jaw arrogantly, like I’ve just shown him all the cards in my hands.

I wave a hand up and down his body. “I’m not blind.”

He takes another step, making a chill run down my spine. “I think you’re pretty, too.”

I purse my lips. “Good for you, can we go?”

He wags his eyebrows once, then turns around to keep walking down the hallway. I follow, watching his ass sway in his jeans, and when he stops walking, I flick my eyes back up, looking around for the office.

“Right through there.” He points to a door to his right – a door with no windows and no plaque saying it’s the office.

I heave a sigh, officially pissed off. “What the fuck is this?”

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