part0027

“Pleasure to meet you, Sophie.” He pulled my hand to his lips and placed a light kiss on the back of it. “If you choose me, I promise you’ll have a night you’ll never forget.” He looked into my eyes as he released my hand.

“Okay.” I cleared my throat. “What do you mean by that?”

“I mean—you can ask anyone—I know how to show a girl a good time.” He sat back in his chair and smiled. “I’ll buy you flowers, I’ll wear you out on the dance floor, and I’ll make sure you enjoy your walk home.” He winked at me.

Somehow I thought the walk was going to entail a lot more than hand holding.

“And why do you want to go to the dance with me?” I narrowed my eyes.

“I think we could be good together.” He took my hand again. “Just give me a chance and you won’t regret it. ”

“Oh, is that what Monica thinks?” Wes took a loud slurp of his drink, then looked over at Ben.

“Why are you bringing her up?” Ben shot a look over at Wes. “You didn’t have a problem picking up the pieces, did you?”

“Not cool, Ben.” Wes glared at him.

“Don’t listen to him.” Ben looked back at me. “You and I would have a fantastic time. Think about it.” He gave my hand a squeeze, then stood up and left the table.

“Well, that was weird.” I frowned as I glanced over at Apple and Candy. “I’m not sure this was such a good idea.”

“Relax.” Candy waved her hand. “There are more to come.”

“Sorry about that.” Apple winced. “I thought he would be more charming.”

“It’s alright.” I sank down in my chair and wished that lunch would be over.

A quick look over at Wes revealed that he had his attention on his phone again. I opened my mouth to say something to him, but before I could, another boy sat down across from me.

“Hi, I’m Nathan.” He brushed his blond hair away from his eyes and smiled at me. “It’s so nice to meet you, Sophie. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“You have?” My eyes widened as I didn’t recognize him from any of my classes.

“Sure, I heard that you don’t mind bending the rules a bit. You brought a boy into the girls’ dormitory. You were out after curfew in the small library with someone. You hung out in New York City alone with a guy.” He flashed me a smile. “I like a girl that’s not afraid to push boundaries.” He leaned close to me, his light brown eyes full of heat. “If you choose me, we could push lots of boundaries together. We don’t even have to go to the dance. My dad has a private jet. I’ll take you away from here— anywhere you want to go. We could spend the night in Vegas together.”

“Wow.” I stared at him as I tried to process everything he was saying. “You want to date me because you think I have a bad reputation?” I shot a brief look at Wes. He was the one I was with on all of those occasions. Did he feel badly about the rumors that were apparently spreading across campus?

Wes continued to stare at his phone.

“Is it bad?” He shrugged. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to have a little fun. If that’s what you want, I’m your guy.” He stood up, then abruptly leaned across the table. His hand was in my messy bun before I understood what he was doing. His lips headed straight for mine.

“Hey!” I drew back in the same moment that Nathan was pulled back away from me.

“Nope.” Wes glared at him as he pushed him from the table. “Not a chance, Nathan, not even the slightest.”

“Shouldn’t she be the one to decide that?” Nathan frowned as he looked back at me.

“He’s right.” I crossed my arms. “Whatever you and your friends think about me, you’re wrong. So pass that along, got it?”

“Whatever.” Nathan straightened his collar, then walked off.

“Scraping the bottom of the barrel or what?” Wes scowled at Maby. “You couldn’t do better than him?”

His words stung. Of course they had to scrape the bottom of the barrel. It was ridiculous of me to think otherwise.

“I didn’t know he was going to act like that.” Maby sighed. “He talked a good game in his pre-interview.”

“I think I’ve had enough.” I stared down at my lunch as my cheeks burned.

“Don’t give up yet.” Candy smiled as she leaned close to me. “I have the perfect guy for you, trust me.”

“No more.” I sighed and looked up as Wes dropped back down into his chair. He must have been watching to see what Nathan did, but now his eyes were already back on his phone.

“Excuse me, am I interrupting?” A boy paused beside our table. His curly dark hair was cut close to his ears and his boyish features made him look a year or two younger than he probably was.

“Not at all, you’re right on time.” Candy led him to the chair across from me. “Punctual, I love that.” She met my eyes as the boy sat down. “This is Bryce.” She draped her arms over his shoulders and leaned her cheek against his. “Isn’t he just adorable?”

“It’s nice to meet you, Bryce.” I shifted in my chair. After the first two candidates, I wasn’t too eager to go through a third interview.

“You too.” He looked into my eyes and smiled. When he did, his dark brown eyes seemed warm—warm and kind—as if he would never dream of doing anything to hurt me.

“Uh—some things you might want to know about me.” He cleared his throat. “I’ve got pretty good grades. I really enjoy anything related to science. I play the cello.” He looked up at Candy nervously, then back at me. “I’ve honestly never been to a dance before. So, I’m not sure what I should say.”

I smiled at the way his hands fluttered, then clasped together. He seemed as uncomfortable as I was, but he was still there.

“I know this is really awkward and silly. You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to.” I felt my face go warm as I looked away from him. How had I let myself be talked into something like this?

“Oh, I want to stay.” He lowered his voice. “I begged Candy to let me have a chance.”

“You did?” I laughed. “Why?”

“Why?” He shrugged. “I’d like to get to know you better. I’ve seen you around school and we’re in a few classes together. I loved what you had to say about the lifespan of the fruit fly. I tried to catch you after class, but you never seem to have time to talk. You’re always in a rush to get somewhere. So I thought this might be the perfect way for us to finally have a conversation. No pressure, though.” He held up his hands. “I don’t expect you to want to go to the dance with me when you don’t even know who I am. But if you’re interested, maybe we could spend a little time together over the next few days.”