Rock Prodigy

Chapter 3

“Like who?” he asked.

“Like your brother. He had the nerve to suggest that I was trying to get to him by um…well…kind of through…wow this is an awkward conversation to have with someone you’ve only just met.” I felt my cheeks go red as I snapped my mouth shut wishing I’d never opened it in the first place. I took a deep breath and blurted, “He thought I was trying to get with you so eventually I could get to him.”

He tilted his head back and laughed. “Well, it’s happened before.”

I tilted my head to the side, trying to get a better view of him. “Seriously?” He nodded. “Gross,” I mumbled, focusing on the sidewalk in front of me before I realized we were getting closer to my apartment building. “Where are we going?”

He shrugged, looking around. “I don’t know. Your place, I guess.”

“No. You can leave now.”

I managed to remove his arm and put some distance between us but he didn’t move far away from me. “I’m not leaving. Either I go to your place or you come to mine. It’s up to you.”

I thought about my small apartment with only a mattress and a laptop as furnishing. How was I supposed to explain to him that I lived alone?

I sighed and mentally cringed. “Okay, your place it is.”

He gave me a wide grin before trying to loop his arm around my shoulders again but I dodged him. He scowled at me but seemed to accept his fate. We changed directions and headed towards one of the more affluent areas of town. “How did you know my name?” I asked as we walked.

“Troy told me. He also said that he liked you.”

I snorted. “I insulted him. Apparently that puts me in his good books.”

He let out a little chuckle. “Most girls are afraid of him.”

I tilted my head to the side, thinking about Troy with his heavily muscled frame. “I could understand that.” A picture of his wide grin and surfer dude hair cut came to my mind and derailed any frightened thoughts. “Then again, he looks like a peace love and happiness kind of guy once you get past all the muscles.”

Dan chuckled again before he cut off abruptly, thinking. “Wait, do you even know my name?”

“Dan Parker,” I said and when he looked at me questioningly I explained. “Mac called you his brother and then he addressed you as Dan. Since Troy had introduced me to Mac earlier, I put two and two together. Voila, I now know your name.” I looked at him for a second and frowned. “Why do you want to hang out with me so badly?”

He shrugged, looking from side to side to check for traffic as we J-walked. “I have a lot to make up for with you and since you’re new here, I thought we could be friends.” He grinned at me as we began turned onto a suburban street where the houses were larger and there were no apartment buildings. “My popularity might even brush off on you. You’re lucky. Usually people practically beg to be my friend because I’m so cool.” He puffed out his chest and put on his most arrogant face.

I opened my eyes really big and clasped my hands in front of my chest, pitching my voice higher than usual as I said, “Really? Thank you so much Dan for even speaking to me! I feel so lucky that you’re offering to be my friend!” I let my hands fall to my sides and rolled my eyes. “Yeah right,” I said in a more normal tone of voice.

“Laugh all you want but the key to surviving in this school is to have the right friends. Stick with me Rose and─”

“The whole school will think I’m a cradle robber?”