"Is his name really Egbert?" I asked.
Mel and I were sitting at a study booth in the school library, where she was about to explain my new solo economics class to me.
She paused in spreading out the contents of a binder to laugh, shaking her head. "I don't think so. But he just looked like an Egbert, and I figured in front of two dozen impressionable teenagers it was the better choice."
"Better choice over what?"
"Creating a curse word for each letter of the alphabet to cuss him out with before I punched him in the throat." She said all of this with a beaming smile. But beneath her cherry demeanour I knew she was positively seething.
Mr. Phelps hadn't conceded defeat like any other smart person would have. Instead he'd tried his hardest to rebuke everything Mel was saying, informing her that without a formal meeting between him and the headmaster to confer over what my best interests were, and without providing an acceptable reason by his standards for withdrawing from the class, I wasn't going anywhere.
Of course, that was when Mel had produced the last four of my tests, all of which I'd failed with a D or lesser mark. She'd brandished them at Mr. Phelps and words like "targeted bullying" and "continued emotional abuse" were directed his way.
Then, with hand wrapped around my biceps and a cheery expression that was meant to infuriate him even more, Mel said, "There is no way my girl is going to learn anything from someone who wouldn't know the first thing about the economic market even if I whacked him upside the head with Economics for Dummies," and we departed to a room so silent I could have heard a pin drop.
Tucking my knees to my chest, I rested my chin on them and proceeded to stare at Mel with a mixture of admiration and awe.
"What?" she said opposite me, somehow knowing I was eyeballing her without taking her eyes from the page she was perusing.
"I am so glad I've never been on your shit list." I pointed a finger in the general direction of the library doors. "Seriously, you just slayed the dragon without breaking a sweat back there."
"Slew," she murmured, frowning over another sheet of paper.
"What?"
"It's slew. Not slayed. I slew the dragon." Putting the sheet of paper in front of me so I could read it, she let out a sigh and folded her arms on the table, leaning close. "But forget that. What I want to know is, why didn't you come to me, Noah?"
"I had it handled. And I told you a while back he was picking on me," I added, though my voice sounded lame even to my own ears.
Mel's eyebrow arched in challenge, daring me to refute what she was about to say. "No. You told me he was made a few comments you didn't like. At no point did you inform me your teacher was destroying your property, giving you failing grades, and laying his hands on you. Is there anything else that's been happening that I am not aware of?"
I suddenly felt two feet tall under Mel's voice of authority. "No. That about sums it up."
"Are you sure?"
I gave a meek nod. Her expression softened, and she held out her hand. I took it without hesitating. "Sweetie, this isn't a situation you should have to handle. It's situation you shouldn't have been in in the first place. That man's behaviour is unacceptable and simply put, it's an abuse of authority."
I nodded along with her. She'd told me on the way here that Mr. Phelps was on probation for the next six months, and any other incidents during this period would result in his immediate termination.
Taking my other hand so that she was holding onto both, she stared at me with a mixture of worry, tenderness, and impotent frustration. "Noah, I need to make sure you understand something."
My heart stuttered in my chest. She was so sincere I was beginning to freak out over what she could possibly tell me.
"I am here." She squeezed my hands for emphasis. "I will always be here. No matter what happens, that will always be true. And you can come to me with anything. If you're feeling lonely in that big old house by yourself, if you're fighting with Riley over something stupid," A pointed stare at that, one that held a hint of amusement, "Especially if someone is bullying you, or hurting you in any way. All you have to do is call me, and I will be there, because I'm always in your corner."
God, I was such an emotional mess these days, I thought, scrubbing a hand down my wet face. I sniffed, trying to hold back the rest of my tears, but it was futile. They continued to stream down my face as my heart swelled with emotion. I was deliriously happy that I wasn't quite alone as I thought I was, bursting with gratitude over having Mel in my life. But I was also plagued by a bone deep sadness that came from losing my parents, of not having them here to protect and love me, to guide me through life. I missed them every day with a fierceness that caused an ache in my chest, and today seemed to be worse than most.
"Thank you," I whispered, afraid my voice would crack if I spoke any louder.
Succumbing to a few tears herself, Mel came around the table and seized me in a hug so tight it stole my breath. She dropped several sloppy kisses on my cheeks and forehead before pulling back, her hands cupping my face.
"Don't thank me for loving you, sweet girl. It's me that should be thanking you for letting me be a part of your life. Because God knows there's never a dull moment."
I snort-laughed at her well timed joke. It was about time we tossed the grave atmosphere away. She gave me a radiant smile as she retook her seat, listing the highlights of my life.
"Between raging ex boyfriends, psychotic teachers who might or might not be named Egbert, and hot pieces of man meat that look at you like they're in the desert and you're the elusive glass of water, there's barely time to breathe."
My face flamed at her description of Tyson. Hot piece of man meat? Of course, this only conjured up images of him in nothing but a pair of unbuttoned, low slung jeans, smooth caramel skin pulled taut over the bulging muscles of his arms and chest, his eyes half lidded, full lower lip clamped invitingly between his teeth -
Mel's fingers snapping in front of my face brought me crashing out of that daydream begging to happen. "Huh?"
"Come on, stop imagining Mr. Yummy drinking you down in one desperate gulp and focus, because we have a lot of work to cover with this, and not a lot of time to do it in."
I sputtered wordlessly for a second, my embarrassment threatening to consume me, and looked around wildly in case anyone was close enough to overhear us. He may have been my boyfriend, but that didn't mean people needed to be privy to the stuff my imagination could dredge up with little to no prompting.
"Mel," I hissed, batting her at shoulder to shut her up.
Laughing so loud she drew the attention of Ms. Evans, who proceeded to scowl at us like we were sinners in a church, she dodged my badly aimed swat and dug in her bag, coming back out with a few more slips of paper.
I let out a miserable groan. "I swear to God if that's yet another assignment you're about to hand me, I might just go ahead and put myself out of my misery."
For all the lectures we'd gotten in preparation for college, I was starting to think our teachers had purposely left out the amount of work we'd be getting saddled with. And this Intro to Economics course was only one semester long. I could already feel all of my spare time trickling away to be replaced by some rigorous studying so I could catch up; apparently I was coming into the course two weeks in, and the professor had allowed it as a favour.
"Relax, it's not." She handed them over, and despite her assurance, I was too afraid to open the folded papers. With a roll of her eyes, Mel did it for me, saying, "That's the email of the professor who runs the class, as well as two tutors you can call upon between 7am and midnight, seven days a week. Professor Platt has modified the paper to accommodate you not being able to attend lectures, and has let the tutors know you're a top priority."
I blinked at the information, extending my view to take in all the paperwork, study notes and textbooks surrounding me. Wow. This was really happening. I was out of economics and taking a college intro course. Mel's phone ringing interrupted my surreal moment, and she dug it out of her purse, cursing as she fumbled it.
A look of irritation crossed her face when she took in the number on screen. "Ugh. Work beckons."
She tossed it back inside, then stood and straightened her clothing. Offering me a beaming smile, she leaned down to place a kiss on my forehead. "Read everything over today and we'll talk about it tonight. I'm making chicken pot pie for dinner."
Mouth watering in anticipation, I bid her goodbye, and watched with great amusement as Ms. Evans scowled after Mel, not at all impressed with the way Mel's heels clacked noisily on the path leading to the exit.
The rest of my morning classes passed in a blur and without incident, and before I knew it I was strolling into the cafeteria amidst a few inquisitive stares and whispers. Naturally, news of my voluntary eviction from economics had most of the senior class in a tizzy. I hadn't crossed paths with any of my friends yet, but I spied Courts, Ash, and Drew already seated at what had become our usual table.
Courts saw me first, waving frantically, her expression one of barely contained excitement. Waving back, I quickly grabbed a lunch tray, loaded it with a bunch of random items, threw a fifty at the lunch lady by accident, and too impatient to wait for change, I darted down a narrow aisle towards the happy trio.
"You, my little shit magnet, are the talk of the school," Courts said by way of greeting, seizing me in a fierce hug. I nearly lost my lunch altogether, and yelped as the tray tipped sideways and slipped across my palm.
Luckily, Drew caught it with super quick reflexes, even managing to snatch my apple out of thin air. Wait, what? I stared at the apple over Courtney's shoulder like it was a nasty parasite. Had I actually just bought a piece of fruit? When was the last time that had happened?
Releasing me, Courtney sat back down, and I moved to sit opposite her beside Ash, who, as usual, was stuffing her face with today's special.
"What is that?" I asked, screwing my nose up. It looked badly burned.
With her mouth full to bursting, Ash wiggled her eyebrows emphatically.
"Beef surprise," Courtney answered for her.
I blinked. "Is the surprise supposed to be the charred flavour and crunchy texture?"
Struggling to swallow, Ash crossed her eyes in response.
"I think that's a yes," Drew supplied, blindingly white teeth on display as he smiled. "Damn, Ash, you must have iron guts."
I had to agree. Nothing ever phased her when it came to food. I was so caught up analysing the thick, crusty serving of beef surprise, I nearly missed what Courtney said. "Did Mel really storm your economics class and put that douche nozzle Mr. Phelps in his place?"
"Give or take a few details, yeah," I said with a shrug, and was dismayed to realise that along with my apple, I'd bought a pot of muesli and yoghurt, a banana, and an oatmeal cookie.
What the crap? I glared at the cafeteria's selection for the day. Where the hell were my greasy favourites like the cheeseburgers and... and the cheeseburgers! If the school had finally implemented a healthy eating policy, I was going to -
A tray landed on the table and slid over in front of me, knocking mine sideways. And on it was a cheeseburger that was so full of greasy goodness the napkin it was sitting on was soaked with it. Accompanying it were two chocolate afghan cookies and a can of soda. Smiling in delight, I looked up to discover Tyson staring at me with the smallest of smiles quirking his lips. But what really registered was how despite the grin, his expression was guarded.
Reaching for the soda, I was about to thank him when he placed money on the edge of the tray.
"What's that?"
Taking the seat beside me and pulling my original lunch toward him, he sighed in exasperation. "Your change. After the lunch lady recovered from the heart attack you gave her by throwing some serious cash at her, she asked me to give it to you. I was right behind you in line."
While I was busy marvelling over the fact that I'd somehow neglected to notice someone like Tyson in my vicinity, Courts and Ash shared a stifled giggle, stealing glances at Tyson.
He scowled at them. "What?"
"Don't mind us," Ash said, and I gaped at her empty plate. Yep, definitely iron guts. "We're still coming to terms with your growing social skills. We have a bet going on how many times we can get you to laugh this week."
"I hope one of you bet zero," Drew said, taking in Tyson's stoic demeanour, and Courts let out a moan of despair; obviously she hadn't.
Her next words confirmed as much. "Noah, is your stud muffin ticklish?"
I nearly sprayed her and Drew with the huge gulp of soda I'd taken. First hot man meat, and now stud muffin? What the hell would they come up with next, cuddle cakes? Hunky honey buns? Tyson appeared unfazed by her random nickname. God, I hoped he didn't think I spent my downtime with my best friend conjuring up embarrassing pet names for him.
Courtney was staring expectantly, but I honestly didn't know the answer to that question. I wondered if I was brave enough to do some research sometime soon. Giving her a vague shrug, I picked up my burger, taking a huge bite. Ketchup and mustard oozed out the sides to drip down my chin, causing Tyson to quirk an amused eyebrow at me. I narrowed my eyes, still able to tell he was somehow subdued. What was eating at him? Had I done something?
After devouring my burger, and at Courts and Ash's insistence, I filled everyone in on what had happened in economics. At some point the gossip mill had taken actual events and embellished them until the story was that Mr. Phelps had broken my arm, Mel had come in like some avenging angel and whooped his ass, and I'd had to go into witness protection in case Mr. Phelps decided to retaliate.
"Jesus Christ," I said upon hearing that version of events. "Who'd you hear this from?"
"Well, Ash heard from Olive who heard from Anna who heard from Janie in your economics class. Do you know what this means?"
I swallowed a bite of afghan cookie. "Yeah, it means Janie has a big mouth."
Courtney rolled her eyes. "No, doofus. It means you're free! No more oppressor!"
I couldn't help but laugh at her enthusiasm. At least until Tyson's hand found mine under the table and he twined our fingers together. Collecting both our trays, he stood without a word, bringing me with him.
"I'll see you guys later," I tossed over my shoulder, letting Tyson tug me away. Dumping our trays on the dirty pile, we exited out the side door and came out into a hallway that was rarely used. I didn't know where we were headed until Tyson suddenly tugged me sideways, into a small alcove.
His hands came up to cup my face, and I instantly rubbed my cheeks against his calloused palms. His touch was like a drug; I could never get enough of it. Waiting for me to meet his gaze, he let out a breath like he'd been holding it all through lunch.
"Are you okay?"
And then it hit me. The reason he'd been so subdued at lunch. He was holding back his anger over what had happened in economics. Circling my arms around his waist, I stood on my toes to give him a quick peck on the lips. It didn't escape me that two weeks ago I probably would have become a flustered mess at the very thought of initiating anything myself.
I could still feel my heart rate increase, and butterflies taking off in my tummy, but the overall feeling had changed slightly. Evolved from I'm-about-to-pass-out-from-nerves, to I'm-slightly-less-likely-to-pass-out-from-nerves.
"I'm fine. I promise," I added when he didn't appear convinced. "I told you all at lunch, nothing really happened. Mel showed up and put him in his place before anything could happen."
Still not quite satisfied, Tyson ran his hands down my arms as if looking for any signs I'd been harmed. Shaking my head at his over protectiveness, I gave him another quick peck, only he caught my retreat by biting down gently on my lower lip. My breath hitched in my throat, and those butterflies picked up pace.
Tyson pressed me back against the wall, crushing our chests together. One of his strong thighs wedged in between my legs, and his hands splayed across my hips. When his tongue licked my upper lip, coaxing my mouth open, I reached up to slip my fingers into his thick, luscious hair.
This was what we were reduced to with Tyson's insanely busy schedule. Stolen moments in between classes when nobody was looking, twenty minutes each day in the school library where we weren't working on our joint project so much as trying to breathe each other in in such a short amount of time. He spent Saturdays working and most Sundays with his sister Rachel, and while I would never begrudge him that, I still felt like what we had was never quite enough.
I wanted more of him, even though I knew I couldn't have it. And that was why I'd never say as much out loud. Because I'd rather take what I could get over not having him at all.
Moaning quietly at the feel of his full lips working mine, his tongue stroking the inside of my mouth with a rhythm designed to drive me insane, I freed his hair from its low ponytail, fisting my hands in it and using my grip to pull him even closer. Our teeth clashed and our breath mingled, but neither of us was willing to pull back for something as insignificant as air.
Tyson's hands were travelling, finding the edge of shirt and slipping beneath it to caress the small of my back. I reciprocated in kind, extricating my fingers from his hair to push his fitted v-neck up high enough to expose his abdomen and the bottom of his pecs. My nails scraped his smooth skin, earning me a low moan that I felt through his kiss more than heard.
As was becoming the norm, things were heating up fairly quickly. It was like we were ravenous and the only thing remotely appealing was each other. Tyson jolted when my wandering fingers dipped to brush beneath the waistband of his jeans, causing him to break the seal of our mouths. Just as breathless as I was, he captured my naughty hands, guiding them around his waist.
"What's the matter? Too much?" I heard the challenge in my voice, and Tyson actually chuckled.
"Oh, baby," he murmured indulgently, and all my arrogant confidence left me on an embarrassing whimper when he pressed his thigh hard against the juncture of my thighs. While I panted in the wake of an entirely new and thrilling sensation rocketing through my body, Tyson kissed the spot just below my ear.
"Don't start something you can't finish." He retreated slightly to take in the look on my face. He probably expected to see shock, or maybe he thought I'd be trying to backtrack.
Instead, thanks most likely to my raging teenage hormones, I was all for seeing through whatever it was I'd just started. "Who says I can't finish it?"
Well, goodbye Noah, and hello sexual fiend who wants to strip Tyson naked right here in the middle of school. Tyson was rigid in my arms, clearly wondering if I'd temporarily lost my good sense. I had, but I wasn't looking to pick it up any time soon.
Before he could respond the bell rang overhead, signalling the end of lunch. Huffing out an annoyed breath, he took a step back and pulled his shirt back into place with one rough tug. His hair hung loose around his shoulders, so long now it brushed his collar bones. A frown furrowed his brow, like he'd only just realised he'd lost his hair tie.
"Damn," he muttered, thrusting a hand through it in a futile attempt to keep it off his face. He gave up searching for it on the floor after a quick sweep of his gaze, refocusing his attention on me.
"Saved by the bell," he said, lips quirking into a sultry smile that melted my insides. "Literally. Better get to class."
He was right. Being late twice in one day was really pushing it. Rearranging my own shirt, I cleared my throat, but was unable to stop the goofy grin threatening to crack my face. "Yeah. Class. Right. Going now."
I started to walk off past him - in the wrong direction. Turning on my heel, I walked back past him, only he snagged me at the last second, slamming me up against his chest. His sensual mouth hovered less than an inch from my parted lips, impossibly blue eyes full of a heat I had become very familiar with.
Just when I was certain Tyson was about to flag the idea of going to class and continue kissing me, he reached up to tangle his hand in my hair...
And pulled my hair tie loose.
"Hey," I snapped, swiping for it, but he danced out of my reach with an evil chuckle. "That's mine. And it's pink."
Honey brown waves cascaded down my back; without my hair tie the thick mass would be trying to strangle me inside of an hour. He had my tie clamped between his teeth, using both hands to wrangle his hair.
"I'll give it back to you later," was all he said, securing the elastic. "See you in world history."
And then he left me standing there staring after him, wondering how I could possibly find the idea of him taking something as innocuous as a hair tie from me so damn sexy and adorable at once.