“I’m—”
“Kidding!” He loops his arm through mine and guides us forward. “She calls me Bunny.”
I wince. “I don’t want to know.”
Each time I’m in the presence of Bryce, I feel like I’ve stepped off the planet Earth and into a different realm where things are happy and everything is right in the world.
He jerks my body against him as his excitement grows. “You should come with me next time I visit her. My grandma would love you. She doesn’t take any shit from anyone. Just like you. You guys are like twins.”
“Twins, huh?”
“Identical. Boobs and all!”
“What?” I look down at my chest.
“Kidding, kidding!” He looks at my chest. “No, you’re right, not identical. Seriously, though, you’re fraternal—at least in your badassery.”
I shake my head, unable to stop the urge to laugh.
“Listen! I swear, one time when I was shopping with her, she rammed her shopping cart into the back of a guy in the wine aisle because he was yelling at the store clerk for not having his Merlot in stock. Then she proceeded to tell him to go suck a cork and find his damn manners.”
Bryce makes it easy to let go of the tension I’ve held on to lately. The smile on my face feels familiar and natural, like an old friend who decided to visit. I’ve unintentionally erected a wall so thick I forget to enjoy moments like these—not that there have been that many in the past few months. But right now, here with Bryce, it gives me hope that I haven’t lost myself completely.
“Something funny?”
Bryce jerks us to a stop. Damn, that voice! Damn him. Three of the four Vipers, Levi, Kade, and Edge, stand side by side. Their muscled bodies create a barricade across the hallway. Gunner, the missing link, I’m guessing, isn’t too far behind.
“Most definitely funny.” I force my next laugh, emphasizing the hilarity of the story. “We would share, but it’s a private joke.” I lightly slap Bryce’s arm. “Right, Bryce?”
“Yeah… private,” he mutters in a slightly shaky voice.
I wish I could wipe the intimidation off his face. He went from carefree to frozen all in one go. I need to get the poor guy out of here before he shits himself. In the short time I’ve known Bryce, which includes two morning run-ins and one lunch, I’ve learned that he enjoys drama but dislikes being at the center of it. If the Vipers are in the mix, drama is inevitable.
It’s my turn to loop my arm through Bryce’s. “Bye, boys, we’re off to see the wizard.”
I barrel between Levi and Kade. Throughout the entire exchange, I purposely avoided Edge’s face and those dangerous eyes. Getting trapped by those stormy depths is like sliding through wormholes only to find you landed in a place where you lost all control over your own body and common sense. I was caught off guard yesterday. Today, I know better. His beautiful face, even with his well-practiced glare, haunted me until I finally fell asleep last night.
Bryce wipes his forehead with the back of his hand. “How the hell can they induce a sweat attack on command?”
“Come on, Bunny, forget about them.” I tug him along, not knowing if his class is in the same direction as mine.
“Will I see you at lunch?” he asks.
“I’ll be there.”
He unhooks his arm as I push through the large doors leading to the courtyard. “Don’t be a coward like me.” He wiggles his fingers in a goodbye gesture.
Art is another day of disaster. I have no idea where the hell to begin with my project. I’m almost positive the art professor agrees that I’m a total failure after she tries to help me. There’s finally a sliver of peace when Brielle leaves halfway through class and thankfully doesn’t return.
“Just so you know, I gave you a ten out of ten for your performance after school yesterday,” a familiar flirty voice says.
I look over to see Gunner. His leg is propped up on the stool Brielle vacated. He offers me a cheesy wink while twirling his paintbrush through his fingers. The act wouldn’t be complete without his signature grin perfectly in place. I’m not sure if he looks hot or if his flirtatious side has gone a step too far. With his loosely knotted tie and his cuffs rolled to reveal tan forearms, I lean toward the hot side. The cool of his blue eyes grabs my deeper ones.
“Is that going to be a daily occurrence? If it is, just hold off long enough until I get there, okay? We can make some sort of signal to let the other know we’re ready.”
There’s only a grin showing his excitement. He’s got to be joking.Right?
I shake my head, not believing this conversation is happening. “Jeez, what is it with you guys? I was just getting comfortable, for fuck’s sake. Wearing these stuffy clothes all day, I feel like every cell in my body is being choked out.” I scoff. “Besides, if you think that’s stripping, then you obviously haven’t seen anyone do it right.”
