The Pact

02. no funny business

Classes started the next day, and as if I were being punished, Beck managed to be in most of them. I kept my head down, avoiding his gaze as best I could, which wasn't too difficult given that he always had a swarm of girls hanging off his arms.

I slid into my seat at my last class of the day, thankful that I hadn't been spotted by him yet. The professor's monotone voice was droning on and on about the course plan, making my head throb. I rubbed at my temples, trying to will away the pain.

The room grew quiet as everyone waited for the lecture to begin. I felt myself begin to grow hopeful that I might get through this class smoothly. But, like clockwork, the door flew open and there he was, standing in front of me.

Beck grinned, his dimples showing as he spoke. "Hey, newbie. How are you?"

I bit my lip to stop myself from spitting a snarky response back. Bryn's words played on repeat in my mind: "Be nice to Beck, I really like Abby," she had urged me before we headed to our classes.

Reluctantly, I grumbled, "I'm fine," and shifted my focus to a stain on my desk, deliberately avoiding eye contact.

Beck chuckled, sitting down beside me, his arm brushing mine. I froze, feeling the tingle of his skin against my own. My heartbeat picked up speed as I realized how close he was, but before I could look at him, he was talking.

"So, what's your major?" Beck asked.

I glanced up at him, before quickly redirecting my attention to my desk.

"Social work," I mumbled.

His eyes lit up. "You're going to save the world one day,"

"Shut up."

"Aw, I like you. Let's hang out sometime," he smiled.

I glared at him. "You know, I think I'll pass."

Beck let out a long sigh. "I knew it. You think I'm too handsome and you won't be able to resist me. That's why you don't want to hang out." He paused, waiting for a response. When he didn't get one, he continued solemnly. "I knew my ravishing good looks would haunt me someday."

I rolled my eyes, trying desperately to avoid eye contact with him.

"Seriously, Emily. I just want to hang out. No funny business." He placed a hand on his chest. "I swear."

A dry laugh rippled up my throat. "Yeah? How many girls have you said that to?"

Beck shrugged. "You really underestimate me, Em." He leaned forward, his breath fanning my throat as he whispered, "To most girls... I say something like this," I tried not to focus on the way his scent, something like cedar and citrus, overtook my senses or how his deep voice sent shivers down my spine as he uttered possibly the dirtiest sentence I had ever heard into my ear.

My breath hitched and I struggled to keep my breathing steady as I clenched my teeth together hard enough to crack them.

"Pig." I mumbled, pushing him away from me.

Beck laughed again, a smug grin spreading across his face as he fell back into his seat.

✣✣✣

After a gruelling hour of Professor Baldwin's monotone voice paired with Beck's incessant need to humiliate me, I was quick to gather my belongings and race out of the class. I walked into the gym, stretching as I watched a couple of girls from the team kiss Coach Rayburn's ass- no doubt grovelling to be captain.

The practice started shortly after I stretched, with Coach running us through spiking drills. I felt her eyes on me as I slammed the ball over the net, the sheer force of it too intimidating for the girls to even attempt to block it.