Beautiful (2 page)

Tears rolled down my face while I shook my head. “No,” I whispered. “Stop!”

Charlie grabbed my hips and moved faster as I tried to make my body push him away.

“Don’t,” I cried out with all my might.

He continued to move as he buried his face into my neck. The sickness swept over my body as he whispered, “I wore a condom. No one will ever have to know, Skylar.”

Sobs racked my body as he pressed his lips to mine. I tried to turn my head to break the contact.

Numb. I felt numb as I looked back up at him. Tears were pouring out of my eyes.

How could he do this to me? He’s supposed to be my friend. He’s my brother’s best friend.

Charlie pulled out and pushed into me harder as he called out my name. “Oh, yes, I’m coming.”

The only thing I could do was barely whisper, “Why?”

My body shut itself down, and everything went black.

Wyatt

“Are you excited to move to Texas?” Candace asked as I walked toward my locker.

“Yeah, I am. The town we are moving to is kind of cool, a little bigger than this one. I’m sure I’ll miss New Mexico though.”

Candace leaned against the locker next to mine. “What’s it called again?”

“Marble Falls.”

She scrunched up her nose. “Sounds like a little country town. Are you sure this is what you want?”

Grabbing my books for my last two classes, I shut the door and looked at her. “Well, Candace, first off, my dad is taking a job in Austin, so I had two options—stay here for my senior year and live with someone, or move to Marble Falls and play for a great high school football team.”

“But we have a great football team here. Why do you have to leave, Wyatt?”

The whine in her voice caused my skin to crawl.

Candace had been trying to hook up with me for the last year, and I’d kept repeating over and over that I was only interested in her friendship.

I blew out a frustrated sigh. “I want to be with my family, Candace. It’s that simple.”

Her lips formed a pout as she tilted her head. “So, after your party tonight, what do you say we find a private little area to…say good-bye?”

My eyes looked up to my cousin, Leanne, as she walked my way. The smile on her face told me she knew I was suffering with Candace.

“Hey, Wyatt. Can I talk to you really quick before the next class starts?” Leanne said.

Candace shot her a dirty look.

“Sorry, Candace. I’ll see you later.” Pushing off the locker, I walked with Leanne to her next class even though it was in the opposite direction of mine. “God, I owe you.”

Leanne giggled. “I saw your pained expression. What was she asking for this time?”

“Sex.”

“Oh, gross! Yuck. I’m going to be scarred forever, Wyatt!” We stopped outside a classroom door, and she gave me a sweet smile. “I’m going to miss you. It really sucks that we just started school, and you’re leaving.”

“Yeah, I know, but you can come to Marble Falls anytime you want!”

Leanne rolled her eyes. “Oh, yay. Go before you’re late.”

I kissed her on the cheek and whispered, “I owe you,” before I took off jogging down the hallway.

Two more hours, and I would be out of this place and onto a new chapter in my life. I couldn’t wait. Something told me my life was going to change and only for the better.

“Welcome to Mustang country.”

With a smile and a polite nod, I reached my hand across the desk to shake the principal’s hand. “Thank you, sir. I’m looking forward to finishing high school here.”

My parents sat next to me with wide smiles on their faces.

My father quickly glanced at me before speaking, “A number of colleges in New Mexico are interested in Wyatt. We’re hoping the same will happen here even though he has not been with the team since the beginning of the year.”

Principal Davis waved his hand, as if it was not a big deal that I was coming into a new school one week behind. My parents had tried like hell to move before the beginning of the school year, but our house in Marble Falls hadn’t been ready until yesterday. That meant, I’d missed the first week of school here along with one football game.

“I’m not worried about it, and neither is Coach Sanders. I have no doubt in my mind that Wyatt will fit in perfectly with the team.”

After the meeting, I waited in the office as my parents filled out a few more forms. My hair stood on my arms as I turned to see a beautiful girl with wavy, long dark blonde hair walk in. She glanced over at me and returned my friendly grin.

Her smile left me completely breathless.

“Mrs. Richardson, I need to pick up the packet for dual credit.”

I tried to pull my eyes away from her, but I couldn’t stop staring. Her smile was breathtaking, and her eyes sparkled each time she looked over at me. When her face blushed, she turned slightly and didn’t glance my way again until she headed out the door.

“You okay, Wyatt?” my mother asked.

With a grin, I nodded and said, “I think I just saw an angel.”

Slapping me on the back, my father chuckled. “Not even an hour, and the boy has found himself a cowgirl.”

My mother playfully hit my father in the stomach. “Stop it, Joel.” With her attention back on me, she gave me a knowing look. “Have a good day, Wyatt.”

“I will, Mom. Please don’t worry. It’s all going to be fine.”

Letting out a sigh, she closed her eyes and shook her head. “I know how hard it is to be the new kid at school.”

Taking her hands in mine, I kissed the back of her right hand. “Mom, it’s going to be fine.”

“See, Alice? He’s going to be fine. Now, let’s go, so he can be on time for his first class.”

With a quick kiss on my cheek and a hug, my mother finally allowed my father to guide her out of the school office. Shaking my head, I grinned and turned to the receptionist, Mrs. Richardson. Giving me a wink, she called for one of her student aides to show me around.

The whole time, the only thing I could think about was the girl with the beautiful smile.

Skylar

The moment I saw him walk into my English class, I had to catch my breath. That was twice now that I’d seen him. He was breathtakingly handsome. His dark hair made his eyes pop all the way from across the room. All of the girls immediately started whispering, praying he would notice one of them.

I sat in the back right corner, as far away from everyone as I could. There was no chance of him seeing me.

Then, our eyes met. I instantly felt my cheeks blush, like earlier when he’d smiled at me in the office. I wasn’t so sure if he was looking my way or not now.

Is he smiling at Jenny or at me?

Jenny was a beautiful blonde-haired, blue-eyed cheerleader. She could pretty much just look at a guy, and he would fall for her.

Mrs. Hathaway grinned at him and then told him to pick a seat. He turned and looked directly at me again. My heart started pounding so loud that I was sure everyone in the classroom could hear it.

“I heard he moved here from New Mexico. He wanted to play football for a Texas high school, so a college would notice him,” Jenny said as she started to mess with her hair.

“What’s his name?” Beth asked.

Jenny shrugged her shoulders. “Who cares? Look at that body. My God, they make them good in New Mexico.” She jumped up and moved over a seat right before he got to her table.

For some reason, my heart was breaking.
How stupid of me to think he would notice me. Even if he did, everyone would tell him to stay away from me.

He passed by Jenny’s table, walked right up to mine, and smiled.

Oh. My. God.

“Hey, I’m Wyatt. Mind if I sit here with you?” he asked.

That drop-dead gorgeous smile melted my heart.

I smiled. “No, not at all. It’s open.”

He sat down, and I glanced over toward Jenny and her posse. If looks could kill, I’d be on the floor right now. Trying not to look at them, I moved my gaze up toward Mrs. Hathaway, who was smiling the biggest smile I’d ever seen.

Mrs. Hathaway was also my next-door neighbor. She was one of the youngest teachers at my high school. She hated the way other students treated me, and she was always defending me. I was worried that, one of these days, it would come back to haunt her.

Jenny stood up and walked over toward my table. “Um…hey there. Wyatt, is it?”

Wyatt turned and looked at Jenny. “Yes, ma’am, it is.”

“I think you would be more comfortable sitting at my table.” She leaned over and flashed her breasts.

I rolled my eyes.

“If you know what I mean,” she said with a purr.

Wyatt smiled at her and turned to me, giving me a is-she-for-real look. He turned back around. “Thanks, but I’m rather comfortable here.”

Jenny stood up and looked stunned. “What?”

“Thank you, but no, thank you. I’m fine right where I am.”

“Jenny, please take your seat now,” Mrs. Hathaway called out.

I sat there for forty-five minutes, trying to pay attention to what was being said about
Romeo and Juliet
, but all I could really focus on was the drop-dead gorgeous guy. Every five minutes, he would bump his knee into mine and apologize. I felt like I was on a damn thrill ride with the way my heart was dropping and my stomach was fluttering.

Don’t get used to it, Skylar. The moment he finds out that hanging around you is committing social suicide, he won’t talk to you, let alone sit next to you tomorrow.

Right before class was over, Wyatt leaned over and tapped my shoulder. I looked at him and grinned.

“I was wondering if I might be able to borrow your notes during class tomorrow, just to get caught up. Mrs. Hathaway told me to ask someone. Who better to ask than the girl I’ve already seen twice?”

“Oh, um…yeah, sure. Of course! You can take them tonight if you want. I won’t need them. Our next test isn’t until next week,” I said as I handed him my notebook.

“Awesome! Thanks so much. By the way, I told you mine. Are you going to tell me yours?”

I shook my head, confused by what he was asking. “Tell you my what?”

The moment he smiled that crooked smile, I thought I was going to die. He had a dimple in his left cheek.

Oh dear Lord…

He laughed as he shook his head. “Your name, angel. What’s your name?”

My stomach dipped the second he’d called me angel. Not only was this guy handsome as hell, but his voice also held me captive.

“Oh!” I said with a small laugh. “Skylar. Skylar Woods.”

He smiled bigger as he reached for my notebook. When his hand brushed against mine, I wanted to let out a gasp. My whole hand felt like small bolts of lightning had just gone through it. He peered down at our hands, and then he looked up and captured my eyes. His eyes clearly showed he’d felt the same thing I did. My breathing picked up as Wyatt pinned me with his stare. I parted my lips to talk, but nothing came out. My mouth was instantly dry.

As the bell rang, he slowly moved his hand off of mine and smiled. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Skylar. I hope I see you around.”

“Same here, Wyatt. Welcome to Marble Falls,” I replied with a smile.

He stood up and started to walk off. I tried not to stare at him like a complete idiot. I noticed Mike Barnes and a few other football players stopped him to introduce themselves. They must all know that Wyatt was here to play football.