Carter Ortese is Trouble - completed (The Boys #1)

Chapter 10: Emma

I grab the napkin from my tray and dab my watering eye.

"Maybe you should go to the nurse?" Mika suggests.

"And do what? Get more NSAIDs? Already have those."

"Have a lie down? Get an ice pack?" Shrugging, she turns back to her sandwich and takes a huge bite. Mika continues to study me through long lashes.

"Or distract yourself by telling us about the date." Stacy wiggles her eyebrows.

I sigh. "It was fine." I glance over at the end of the table, but Carter isn't on the other side yet. I wonder if he's skipping or avoiding me. I swallow back the nausea welling in my stomach and focus. "He is different than I thought."

"Like better in bed?" Britt asks.

"Did you sleep with him?" Stacy asks. Mika frowns at both of them, but continues to eat her sandwich.

"I don't know, did she?" Carter's voice sounds from the side of us. I've been so busy dabbing at my eye that I didn't even see him standing there. I glance up at him, and he's wearing a smirk. "Because I've heard a lot of things in the hallway today. I can't figure out which rumor is true."

I scowl at him. The girls glance between both of us with their mouths hanging open.

"Do you have a minute?" His cool eyes hold onto my gaze. I find myself nodding, and he turns without another word. I follow after him, and we end up at his usual seat. He sits, and I plop down on the other side of the table. Whispers spring up around us, and I'm aware that my friends are still gaping at us.

"Are you okay?" he asks, voice low.

I nod.

"Come on, Emma."

"I have a headache, that's it."

"Your eye is watering."

"I know."

"It's that bad?"

I bite my lower lip and nod again, because yes. Every single time I move, I wish I could stab myself just to end the pain rocketing through my brain. "It's terrible."

"I'm sorry."

We sit in silence for a minute before I ask, "What do you want, Carter?"

A smile coils at the edge of his lips. "Well, half the school thinks we slept together, and I wanted to make sure you didn't drug me or something."

"Me drug you." I snort, and it makes another fiery pain burn through me. I wince.

"Shit, I'm sorry."

I shake my head slowly. "It's not your fault."

"How often does this happen?"

I shrug.

"Did you take anything?"

"Ibuprofen." I narrow my eyes at him. "What do you want?"

He leans over the table, putting his lips inches from my ear. "You." The low whisper coils out, wrapping around my insides and making me forget the intensity bouncing around in my head.

I press my eyes shut, and when I open them again, Carter's back on his side of the table, eating his sandwich. He offers me half, and I take it. I force a couple bites down and place the rest of it back on his plate. It tastes awful, but for some reason, I can stomach it.

"Careful, Emma Williams, people might say something about us sharing food."

"Let them talk," I say in a challenge. "What's the worst they can say, if they already think I've slept with you?"