I chugged down a strong coffee while getting ready. Classes today were going to suck. Hopefully I’d be able to stay awake until the end of the day. I still put in the effort to paint on perfect winged eyeliner along with a neutral tan eyeshadow, some highlighter, and blush. I pulled my hair into a ponytailbefore sliding into a pair of ass hugging jeans and a cute pale pink top with flowing sleeves.
I let Athena lead the conversation during the drive to school. I did my best to nod along and add commentary where necessary. She didn’t seem to suspect anything.
When we arrived on campus, my adrenaline spiked. Stray would be here. I would have to see him in the light of day. Somehow I would have to stop myself from remembering the way he made me feel last night. With his body against mine and his fingers inside me. He’d had no trouble making me come. I wondered how much better his cock would feel.
No, I didn’t. Shoving that thought aside, I parted ways with Athena and went to my first class. Legal studies. Interesting but sometimes on the boring side. It did little to keep my thoughts occupied.
When my first class let out, I ventured into the hall, my gaze darting around as I searched for any sign of Stray. I kept expecting him to be there. Lurking. Watching me. Without hanging around, I hurried to my second class. Since it didn’t start for another fifteen minutes, I was forced to wait in the hall for the previous class to finish up.
I watched everyone surrounding me like a hawk. Eventually, Stray would make an appearance. I didn’t want to be caught off guard. When a dark haired guy with a similar build rounded the corner, I literally jumped. It wasn’t him. Dammit.
The constant adrenaline rush of waiting for him to ambush me was enough to keep me awake. I made it through my next class without nodding off. A text from Luna vibrated my phone. The girls were meeting outside for lunch. Surrounding myself with my friends felt like a good way to keep Stray from getting me alone.
“I love that top,” Ripley gushed as I walked up to the table where the rest of the girls sat. “I swear you can pull off anything, Codie.”
The sun shone down hot, making me grateful for the air conditioned school. As summer gradually came to an end, I found myself already looking forward to the brisk chill of fall. My favorite season.
“So can you,” I said, taking a seat next to her. “There are no rules. Wear whatever makes you feel good.”
I was a big fan of being true to one’s self and not allowing outside opinions to influence decisions. Too many people didn’t cut their hair the way they wanted or wear the clothes they liked because they were worried about what others would think. I’d never bought into that shit.
Ripley was super pretty with her naturally blonde hair and sky blue eyes. I suspected that her poor relationship with her mother had a lot to do with her insecurities. I hoped to see her break out of her shell one day.
“What did you get?” Storm nodded to my cafeteria tray.
I unwrapped the chicken and veggie quesadilla, angling it for her to see. “I thought I would try something different. I haven’t had this before.”
“Looks good. I made the mistake of getting the loaded fries. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but the fries are soggy, and the gravy is too salty.” Storm stabbed a fry on her plate with her fork, frowning as she popped it in her mouth.
The flashing diamond on her left hand caught my eye. It had come as a surprise to our friend group when she announced her engagement to Rebel Kane. They hadn’t been together all that long. Some might say they were moving too fast. They seemed ridiculously happy though, and I was happy for them.
Yet I couldn’t help but wonder what that was like. To feel so sure of someone. To truly believe you wanted to be with themforever. Even if it didn’t work out that way, in the moment they believed it. I’d never had that. Of all the guys I’d dated, none of them had ever made me want to bind myself to them for life.
“How’s the wedding planning going?” I asked. “Ready for the big day?”
“Not even close. I thought I wanted to do something big and lavish, but it’s all so daunting. I’m thinking smaller is the way to go. If Rebel had it his way, we would run away and elope.” Storm laughed softly, her face brightening at the mention of her fiancé.
Athena jumped in, shaking her head. “No way. You can’t elope. We’ve been best friends forever. I need to be part of your big day.”
“No worries,” Storm assured her. “I promise you’ll be included.”
While the girls talked about Storm’s upcoming wedding, I kept a watchful eye on those coming and going. Every time someone rounded the corner of the building, I double checked to make sure it wasn’t Stray. Since he could also approach from behind through a side door of the school, I occasionally glanced back, making sure he wasn’t going to sneak up on me.
“What’s with you today?” Luna asked, eyeing me closely. “You seem jumpy.”
“Do I?” I feigned surprise. “I’m fine. Just being observant.”
Athena snickered, pausing between bites of her fried rice. “It’s because of Stray, isn’t it? What was that all about anyway?” To the other girls she said, “He’s been parking outside our building lately. Yesterday he came to our apartment. I found the two of them—”
“Let’s not talk about Stray,” I cut in. Catching Athena’s eye, I did my best to silently communicate with her. “This isn’t really a good time or place for that. Stray is nobody. I don’t care about him.”
The other girls exchanged a look. Storm failed to suppress a smile. “Mmhmm. If you say so, Codie. We’ve all noticed how into you he is. I’ve never seen him flirt like that with anyone else.”
“He’s just looking for a conquest. An easy lay. He won’t find that here.” Trying to dismiss the subject entirely, I took a large bite of my quesadilla. As long as I was chewing, I couldn’t speak.
“He seems like a nice guy,” Storm continued. “It’s cool if you like him. You can tell us.”
Since I was still chewing, I made a face instead of responding. I didn’t need my friends encouraging me when it came to Stray. They didn’t need to know about anything that went on between the two of us. It didn’t mean anything.
