every day." I wiped my mouth on the napkin from my lap and shrugged. "People want to know you until they see what lies beneath. Then... not so much, hm?"
She turned and tilted her head a little, stealing my heart in a way that fucked me up. "What lies beneath, Lucas?"
I let the question lay between us without answering it. Honestly, because I wasn't sure how to.
Chapter 9
Four Days Later
Aubrey
"So did he say he wanted to pair up with you?" Jayce held the door open to the science building for us. The smell of musty old animals and embalming fluid filled my nose, and I breathed in deeply. If dance didn't work out, I was so going to be a biologist. The study of life was something that left my heart racing. It had to be because my father was a professor of pre-med and included us in a lot of his field trips and experiments when we were younger.
"He said he would. I'm not sure about him wanting to. You never can tell with Lucas." I glanced over at my brother before walking down the busy hall toward class.
"He's a good guy. He's just got a lot of demons in his past." Jayce stopped beside the door to my classroom and tugged at my shoulder. "I'd really rather you not work with him, but it's your call, of course."
"What? Why?" I crossed my arms over my chest as the need to defend Lucas rose up inside of me.
"Because. It's obvious that you have feelings for him, but he's not the kind of guy I want my sister with."
I started to blast into him as he lifted his hands and continued.
"I would never tell you what to do or who to date-"
"Because it's none of your damned business," I barked out.
"Exactly, but Lucas is... I don't know. Damaged? Broken?" He let out a soft sigh and gripped my shoulders. "He's got some good in him, but with all the shit with his brother and stuff, he just isn't the guy for you."
"What about his brother? So he was a great hockey player who won a bunch of championships. So what?" I pulled from Jayce's hold and moved toward the door. "I'm a big girl. I can figure this stuff out on my own."
My brother rolled his eyes and turned to walk down the hall. What was the big deal with Lucas' older brother being great? Everyone had to live up to someone's expectations. Hell, my mother rode me like a champion steed about making a large dance company. Where I would be perfectly fine just opening a small studio and loving on a bunch of six year olds in pink tutus, my mother expected greatness. Whose parents didn't?
I scanned the auditorium to try and find Lucas and finally spotted him. A group of girls were gathered around him. Surprise. Surprise. Funny enough, I couldn't remember seeing him with a single girl on his arm since I'd met him.
The crowd was thick as I made my way to the top of the auditorium and abandoned my seat near the front. It would give us time to talk about the project before class, or so I told myself that was the reason for wanting to be closer to him.
"Hey." I sat down in the seat next to him as the gaggle of women started to disperse.
"You couldn't have come three minutes earlier?" He gave me a cheeky grin that melted my insides.
"You tired of the groupies?" I smirked and reached up to let my hair down from the clip I'd haphazardly thrown it into earlier.
"I hate groupies. If you know me at all, you know that." His eyes moved over my face like he was looking for the answer to a question.
"So you're down with being my partner for this project? I love biology, but I'm not touching a damn bug." I shivered without effort.
He laughed. "Only if you'll book a room just for the two of us for the trip. I know we're tight on funds, but I'm not staying in a room with the guys. They'll be up all fucking night drinking and laughing, which is great, but the Frozen Four isn't a joke. It's the championship, and this is my senior year."
"How about I put you in a room with Jayce? We can swing that." I pulled out my notebook as my stomach did cartwheels. Why in the world would Lucas White
She turned and tilted her head a little, stealing my heart in a way that fucked me up. "What lies beneath, Lucas?"
I let the question lay between us without answering it. Honestly, because I wasn't sure how to.
Chapter 9
Four Days Later
Aubrey
"So did he say he wanted to pair up with you?" Jayce held the door open to the science building for us. The smell of musty old animals and embalming fluid filled my nose, and I breathed in deeply. If dance didn't work out, I was so going to be a biologist. The study of life was something that left my heart racing. It had to be because my father was a professor of pre-med and included us in a lot of his field trips and experiments when we were younger.
"He said he would. I'm not sure about him wanting to. You never can tell with Lucas." I glanced over at my brother before walking down the busy hall toward class.
"He's a good guy. He's just got a lot of demons in his past." Jayce stopped beside the door to my classroom and tugged at my shoulder. "I'd really rather you not work with him, but it's your call, of course."
"What? Why?" I crossed my arms over my chest as the need to defend Lucas rose up inside of me.
"Because. It's obvious that you have feelings for him, but he's not the kind of guy I want my sister with."
I started to blast into him as he lifted his hands and continued.
"I would never tell you what to do or who to date-"
"Because it's none of your damned business," I barked out.
"Exactly, but Lucas is... I don't know. Damaged? Broken?" He let out a soft sigh and gripped my shoulders. "He's got some good in him, but with all the shit with his brother and stuff, he just isn't the guy for you."
"What about his brother? So he was a great hockey player who won a bunch of championships. So what?" I pulled from Jayce's hold and moved toward the door. "I'm a big girl. I can figure this stuff out on my own."
My brother rolled his eyes and turned to walk down the hall. What was the big deal with Lucas' older brother being great? Everyone had to live up to someone's expectations. Hell, my mother rode me like a champion steed about making a large dance company. Where I would be perfectly fine just opening a small studio and loving on a bunch of six year olds in pink tutus, my mother expected greatness. Whose parents didn't?
I scanned the auditorium to try and find Lucas and finally spotted him. A group of girls were gathered around him. Surprise. Surprise. Funny enough, I couldn't remember seeing him with a single girl on his arm since I'd met him.
The crowd was thick as I made my way to the top of the auditorium and abandoned my seat near the front. It would give us time to talk about the project before class, or so I told myself that was the reason for wanting to be closer to him.
"Hey." I sat down in the seat next to him as the gaggle of women started to disperse.
"You couldn't have come three minutes earlier?" He gave me a cheeky grin that melted my insides.
"You tired of the groupies?" I smirked and reached up to let my hair down from the clip I'd haphazardly thrown it into earlier.
"I hate groupies. If you know me at all, you know that." His eyes moved over my face like he was looking for the answer to a question.
"So you're down with being my partner for this project? I love biology, but I'm not touching a damn bug." I shivered without effort.
He laughed. "Only if you'll book a room just for the two of us for the trip. I know we're tight on funds, but I'm not staying in a room with the guys. They'll be up all fucking night drinking and laughing, which is great, but the Frozen Four isn't a joke. It's the championship, and this is my senior year."
"How about I put you in a room with Jayce? We can swing that." I pulled out my notebook as my stomach did cartwheels. Why in the world would Lucas White
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