what we call it when all the girls swoon over David.”
“ I’m not swooning.” I
turned my face away.
“ He’s charming, isn’t he?” She leaned on her hand, her
thoughts a million miles away. “It’ll kill you, you know? Knight
Fever. Have you heard the I don’t
date speech yet?”
I drew a tight
breath.
“ Oh no. You have. Oh,
I thought—” Her head moved slowly from side to side. “Well, now I’m
sure he’s gay. I mean, I was sure you had to be his type. Us girls
have pretty much got it down to a science.”
“ Got what down to a
science?”
“ The girls David
Knight will and will not scope.”
“ What’s
scoping?”
“ Perving, you
know…checking out.” She shrugged.
Oh . “He scopes?”
“ He’s a hot-blooded
male, Ara? Of course he does. Just, very subtly,” her tone dropped
its certainty. “Like, he never actually looks, but he’s nicer to
some than others. So, we’ve grouped together a sort of profiling on
him.”
“ Okay, that’s just
creepy,” I said, turning away.
“ It’s not—” she
paused when my dad glared at us, “—it’s not like that. It’s just a
bit of gossip. We don’t have, like, a file on him or
anything.”
“ So, you thought I was his type?”
“ Well, I was sure,
but…I guess not.” She shrugged, staring forward.
And that was it. A
shrug. That’s all I was? I really liked this guy, and I’d just been
dusted off with a shrug?
I drummed my fingers
on the desk, trying really hard to focus on the legends of Zeus,
but my stomach grumbled, making a fuss about my missed mid-morning
snack, and nausea brought the taste of bile up to the back of my
throat. “He seemed so genuine,” I turned and whispered to Emily,
letting my temper get the better of me. “He walked me to every
class. He was so nice, so sweet, and—” I told her about the
bathroom gossip and the theatrical kiss.
Her eyes rounded into
her brow. “Are you serious?”
“ Yes. So what’s the
deal then?”
“ He has. Never. Done.
That before,” she exclaimed.
“ Okay? So why did he
give me the speech?”
She slowly looked
away. “I can not figure that boy out.”
The bell rang before I
expected it to. I swallowed the last of my sentence and smiled at
Emily; she was so easy to be around. At first, I thought she was a
bit stuck up, but the last forty minutes suggested that might’ve
just been a nasty first assumption.
I jammed my books into
my bag and frowned at the elbow in my rib. “What?”
She nodded across the
room. “Look.”
At the end of my gaze,
David came into focus, hands wedged in pockets, shoulder on the
doorframe and a very sexy grin across his lips.
“ Hi,” I mouthed,
looking down at my bag before he could see my cheeks change
colour.
“ Mm-mm.” Emily shook
her head, hugging her books.
“ What’s
mm-mm?”
“ Hm, he likes you, Ara—he’s just trying not to show you.”
“ You think?” I looked
back at David, now talking to my dad.
“ Come on, girl. Even
Mr Thompson noticed the way he was staring at you.”
“ Oh no.” I hid behind
my hand. “It’s the touch-my-daughter-and-you-die speech.” I wanted
to melt—hide under my desk or slink away.
Emily hummed, smiling.
“They’re both so gorgeous.”
“ No, Emily,” I said flatly. “Only one of them is
gorgeous.”
“ I agree,” she said.
“Your dad is so much better.”
We both laughed, but
mine ended in a sigh. “I hope Dad doesn’t
give David the creeps. I only just met the poor guy.”
“ Nah, he’s just
making the lines clear. Can you blame him?”
“ Yes. He’s breaking
all the rules I set out before I came here.”
“ You gave your dad
rules?”
I nodded.
“ Okay?” Dad said
loudly, patting David on the shoulder.
“ I had no intentions
of that, Mr Thompson,” David said, looking him right in the
eye.
I watched on in
horror. “Oh God, just hide me now.”
Emily laughed. “Let’s
just hope you don't receive the tail-end of
“ I’m not swooning.” I
turned my face away.
“ He’s charming, isn’t he?” She leaned on her hand, her
thoughts a million miles away. “It’ll kill you, you know? Knight
Fever. Have you heard the I don’t
date speech yet?”
I drew a tight
breath.
“ Oh no. You have. Oh,
I thought—” Her head moved slowly from side to side. “Well, now I’m
sure he’s gay. I mean, I was sure you had to be his type. Us girls
have pretty much got it down to a science.”
“ Got what down to a
science?”
“ The girls David
Knight will and will not scope.”
“ What’s
scoping?”
“ Perving, you
know…checking out.” She shrugged.
Oh . “He scopes?”
“ He’s a hot-blooded
male, Ara? Of course he does. Just, very subtly,” her tone dropped
its certainty. “Like, he never actually looks, but he’s nicer to
some than others. So, we’ve grouped together a sort of profiling on
him.”
“ Okay, that’s just
creepy,” I said, turning away.
“ It’s not—” she
paused when my dad glared at us, “—it’s not like that. It’s just a
bit of gossip. We don’t have, like, a file on him or
anything.”
“ So, you thought I was his type?”
“ Well, I was sure,
but…I guess not.” She shrugged, staring forward.
And that was it. A
shrug. That’s all I was? I really liked this guy, and I’d just been
dusted off with a shrug?
I drummed my fingers
on the desk, trying really hard to focus on the legends of Zeus,
but my stomach grumbled, making a fuss about my missed mid-morning
snack, and nausea brought the taste of bile up to the back of my
throat. “He seemed so genuine,” I turned and whispered to Emily,
letting my temper get the better of me. “He walked me to every
class. He was so nice, so sweet, and—” I told her about the
bathroom gossip and the theatrical kiss.
Her eyes rounded into
her brow. “Are you serious?”
“ Yes. So what’s the
deal then?”
“ He has. Never. Done.
That before,” she exclaimed.
“ Okay? So why did he
give me the speech?”
She slowly looked
away. “I can not figure that boy out.”
The bell rang before I
expected it to. I swallowed the last of my sentence and smiled at
Emily; she was so easy to be around. At first, I thought she was a
bit stuck up, but the last forty minutes suggested that might’ve
just been a nasty first assumption.
I jammed my books into
my bag and frowned at the elbow in my rib. “What?”
She nodded across the
room. “Look.”
At the end of my gaze,
David came into focus, hands wedged in pockets, shoulder on the
doorframe and a very sexy grin across his lips.
“ Hi,” I mouthed,
looking down at my bag before he could see my cheeks change
colour.
“ Mm-mm.” Emily shook
her head, hugging her books.
“ What’s
mm-mm?”
“ Hm, he likes you, Ara—he’s just trying not to show you.”
“ You think?” I looked
back at David, now talking to my dad.
“ Come on, girl. Even
Mr Thompson noticed the way he was staring at you.”
“ Oh no.” I hid behind
my hand. “It’s the touch-my-daughter-and-you-die speech.” I wanted
to melt—hide under my desk or slink away.
Emily hummed, smiling.
“They’re both so gorgeous.”
“ No, Emily,” I said flatly. “Only one of them is
gorgeous.”
“ I agree,” she said.
“Your dad is so much better.”
We both laughed, but
mine ended in a sigh. “I hope Dad doesn’t
give David the creeps. I only just met the poor guy.”
“ Nah, he’s just
making the lines clear. Can you blame him?”
“ Yes. He’s breaking
all the rules I set out before I came here.”
“ You gave your dad
rules?”
I nodded.
“ Okay?” Dad said
loudly, patting David on the shoulder.
“ I had no intentions
of that, Mr Thompson,” David said, looking him right in the
eye.
I watched on in
horror. “Oh God, just hide me now.”
Emily laughed. “Let’s
just hope you don't receive the tail-end of
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