"Ow! Son of a bitch, Korbin. That hurt!" My neck stings where he playfully bit me a little too hard when he snuck up behind me. I elbow him in the gut as I grab my Anatomy book out of my locker and shove it into my backpack for my first period.
"You know you like it rough." he grunts in my ear as he incases me between himself and my bright orange locker.
Before turning around to glare at him, I lay my hand on my neck. I do like it rough, and in the right setting, I'd be moaning his name, but he's trying to make up for being an ass, and I know it. I turn around to give him what for, but am stunned out of my train of thought.
Holy shit! My eyes go wide when I see his fat-busted lip. "What the hell happened to you?!"
"Just practice at the gym." He shrugs before a coy smile crosses his lips as his gaze drops to my lips. "Wanna kiss it and make it feel better?"
No.
I show him my unamusement by the look on my face, but it doesn't get him to back off. "Come on, Ollie." His hand slides around me and pulls me into him.
I can't deny this rock-hard body does get me hot under the collar, but be strong, Olivia!
"You're not still cross about Friday night are you?" Korbin's rough hands slide to my hips and start wantingly kneading them.
Don't crumble, don't crumble, don't crumble.
My knees have already started going weak, but I'm determined for the rest of me to stay strong. He was an ass, so I must remain strong.
"You didn't respond to any of my texts this weekend."
That's because I ruined my damn phone, and I haven't gotten my number switched to the old phone Zane gave me, but he doesn't need to know that.
My eyes flutter when his head dips into the crook of my neck and nudges my hand out of the way to kiss the pain he caused away.
"You said I was annoying and to get lost." His sharp words from that night still burn. I may have asked Korbin to dance about twenty times too many, but saying that to the girl you're fucking is a bit harsh.
Korbin's head lifts to meet my gaze. "You know how I get when I'm drunk. I say things I don't mean."
Yeah right. You weren't that drunk.
I push him back enough to throw my backpack over my shoulder. "You're going to get us in trouble for PDA." I glance down the hall, though there isn't a teacher insight. There never is down this godforsaken hall.
"I thought your middle name was trouble." Korbin leans in and kisses me. The scab on his lip scratches my own and helps me not get as flustered as he usually makes me. When he pulls back, his amber-colored eyes meet mine. "What do you say we skip school today? We can go back to my house." A smile spreads across his face as his eyes roll over me like a hungry storm. "And I can make it up to you. All. Damn. Day." He nips my lip between each word and ends it in a fiery kiss.
"I say." I smile as I lean into him and press my body into his. He groans when my leg brushes his ready soldier. "Get lost." Reaching back, I slam my locker closed and duck under Korbin's arm before storming off.
"Oh, come on, Ollie!" He calls out behind me, but I don't bother turning around. "You'll be back. You always come back."
Irritation slides over me like cold, muddy sludge that makes me cringe as I walk away. I know he's right, I do always go back to him, but I can't seem to do any better than Korbin Sanford. The fucker can at least sweat it out for a couple of days before I cave in and give him what he wants.
I quickly shake it off and head to my first class of the day, my favorite one. Not that I like Anatomy. I don't have any interest in the human body besides the head, shoulders, knees, and toes song I learned in preschool. I only took it for one reason. I wanted to make sure that I at least had one class with Zany.
The thought of seeing him puts an extra spring in my step and has me climbing up to the school's west wing a little faster. I rush past posters of our green gator mascot that's announcing that it's soon homecoming weekend.
When I veer into Ms. Newman's class, my shoulders slack, seeing the dark green table that I usually share with Zane is empty. I beat him here, again.
His locker is closer than mine. Theoretically, he should make it here before me. If I'm always this fast, maybe I should try out for track.
I quickly push the random thought from my head and take my seat at the back of the class. My six-foot-tall teacher sits at her desk, getting today's presentation ready as my peers filter in. I quickly pull out my textbook and eagerly watch the door. The tuft of almost white hair sends my heart racing. Zane is insanely tall, and his platinum blonde hair makes him hard to miss. It isn't until he pauses at the classroom door that I realize what took him a little longer than usual. Becca's hoarse laughter falls into the room like a dense fog, pressing my shoulders down.
It kills me to see him still pining for her. I thought after almost a year and a half, he would have moved on.
Ugh, I can't watch them flirt with each other again. It'll make me lose my breakfast. I quickly glance up at the board and see that we're going to page three hundred and forty-two. When I throw the mammoth size book open, it thunks against the deep green tabletop, ironically echoing the sound my heart makes as it plummets into my stomach.
In the new chapter of our text, a set of hollow bones stares up at me.
Maybe I shouldn't have dismissed Korbin so quickly this morning.
A heavy sigh escapes my lips. I'm going to be back in Korbin's bed by the end of the day. Who am I kidding?
I plop my head down on the picture of Mr. Boner.
"Rough morning?" Zane's voice pours over me like fresh rain rejuvenating my spirit.
"Sort of." I lift my head to look at him and am slapped in the face with shock. "What the hell happened to you?!' A perfectly deep blue, purple and black ring surrounds his gorgeous sunny sky-blue eye.
"This?" He lightly touches his eye. "Sparring practice."
"Practice?" I frown until a sudden realization hits me. "You busted Korbin's lip."
Zane takes a seat next to me. "Damn straight I did. Son of a bitch left you at a party after getting you completely wasted."
My jaw goes slack. I can't believe he beat up Korbin. For me, no less.
"You bad, bad, bad boy." I shake my head in disbelief. With the way the two of them look, it wasn't just sparring. Sparring doesn't leave you this rough-looking.
"What?" a coy grin pulls at the corner of his mouth. "You're dad asked me to."
"Oh bullshit." I turn my attention back to the head of the class, knowing he's jerking my chain now. My dad doesn't have a clue what happened Friday night, all thanks to Zane. My superhero saved my ass once again.
"Did so. He asked me to spar with Korbin, and I did."
"He asked you to spar, not bloody Korbin's lip." I raise a brow at him.
"Eh, well." Zane shrugs as he teeters his chair back on two legs. "He had it coming." His gaze drifts across the room at the nightmare dressed as... well, a nightmare. I don't get his obsession with Becca's gothy vibes. She's been a pain in my ass since she moved here Freshman year, and I've had to play nice with her for the sake of my friendship with Zane. "She looks good today, doesn't she?"
My attention shifts to her pale skin that practically glows against the frumpy black sweater she's wearing. Personally, I think the oversized clothes and tattered black jeans make her look like something someone just dragged out of the garbage, but I nod in agreement. Not that he can see me. He only has eyes for her now.
Thankfully, Ms. Newman saves me from more Becca gushing by diving into today's lesson on the human skeletal system.
Class drones on, and I fade out until I hear those dreaded words every socially awkward person hates to hear. "Group project."
"Pair up with someone in class. You and your partner are going to make a human skeleton to scale." Ms. Newman explains. "At the end of the month you'll present your skeleton replica with a presentation on the material that you used. The more creative the better." The forty-some-year-old teacher makes a grand gesture toward us with an enthusiastic smile plastered on her face. "Pick your partner."
Zane's attention is already on Becca, but before he can even scoot his chair out, I blurt, "Wanna be my partner?"
God, please say yes. If he doesn't, I'm going to be stuck as someone's last resort. Our peers frantically grab their friends, and a few disappointed faces sulk over to their number twos while I silently plead for mercy.
Zane's gaze flicks to me. I can tell by the look in his eyes he's debating the answer. Just as I think he's about to say no, his attention drifts across the room to her. When he sees someone's already claiming her, he nods. "Yeah. Sure."
I suppose I should be happy that I got him, but that longing look he gives the back of Becca's head taints my victory.
"You can go ask her if you want." I offer, even though she has a partner already. "She might switch if you ask."
"Nah." Zane shakes his head before turning his attention back to me. A comforting, warm smile melts my inside into goo. "I'll stick with my partner in crime. So, what are we making this thing out of?"
A smile spreads across my face as an idea comes to mind. "I say we rob a grave, string the bones up, and call it a day."
Zane plays along by contemplating my suggestion. "We could, yeah, or we could find a less illegal way to do it."
"You take the fun out of everything." I tease as I turn to him. "Speaking of fun." I grow nervous, and my stomach ignites in a flurry of butterflies. "Do you want to go to the pumpkin festival with me this weekend?"
I've wanted to ask him for a few weeks now, but I haven't had the chance to plan his patching party and school. Hopefully, it's not too late, and I've missed my opportunity to go with him.
"This weekend?" Zane thinks it over, keeping me on the edge of my seat, waiting for the answer. "Yeah. I don't think I have anything going on. Who else is going?"
The bell cuts me off before I can answer. Our classmates spring out of their chairs, happy to move to their next class and get it behind them.
"No one, or I haven't asked anyone else to go, that is." I snatch up my pink plaid backpack off the floor and shove my book inside it. I'm asking him out. Of course, I'm not going to invite anyone else. I know that Zane will never think of going anywhere with me as an actual date. In his eyes will just be hanging out as friends, and I don't have the nerve to tell him I'm hoping one of these times it'll turn into more.
"Just you and me then?" The excitement in his eyes sends me soaring as I follow him out of the classroom. "Sounds like a date."
The first official Olivia chapter! I hope that you enjoyed it!
I would love to hear your thoughts on this chapter. For example, what do you think about Korbin's apology? Or your views on how blindingly in love with Becca Zane is?
You got to get into Ollie's private thoughts for a bit. Did her feelings for Zane take you by surprise?
I know she can be a little random, so I was hoping that showing her train of thought would make her more realistic, but I also worried that she'd be a bit confusing. The girl as some random ass thoughts, I'll tell you. I have to reign her in a bit for the sake of you being able to understand her.
I think the story will be more from Zane's point of view than Ollies, but let me know if you want to see her pov more.
The 'date' not date will definitely be in Zane's point of view, and there will be a running theme throughout the book. If you catch on to it, let me know!
Thank you for reading. Catch ya next time.