Rocked Under (4 page)

Ash was studying me quietly.

“I didn’t do
anything
.”

“Oh shit!” Newton started laughing. “Did you just blow Scott out?”
 

“I told you
Buttfluff
, he’s not my type.” That just made him laugh harder.

“No shit!”

I rolled my eyes, “Right,” I slapped my palms against the table, “who’s round is it?” I asked.
 

I needed a drink. I may have blown Scott out but he had affected me like nobody else ever had. I didn't like that and it wasn't something I could let on to anyone. It would just be too embarrassing after saying to Newton that he wasn't my type and then there was Ash, what would she think after everything my family had been through? My mind started doing a replay. I jumped out of my seat, “The next round’s on me.”

Macy’s was emptying slowly as I watched Ash and Newton dancing. She hadn’t told me she had a boyfriend or a thing for Newton but it was pretty obvious that she liked him a bit more than a friend. I could tell by her little give-away looks and the way that she lowered her lashes to hide her eyes from him if he made eye contact for too long. They would make a cute couple. Did Newton even know she had a crush on him?
 

I didn’t dance again after Scott had brought me back. Suddenly, I felt a prickling sensation as if someone was watching me, my brows pulled together and I looked around. Scott's hooded, dark stare connected with mine. Awareness slammed me full pelt, a hotness overwhelmed me and took my breath away, my heart stalled and then restarted painfully.
Is it possible to have a heart attack at my age?

He was leaning against the wall next to the stage in almost darkness with his hands shoved into his front jean pockets, shoulders slumped and head down, but his eyes were on me and they wouldn't release me. I didn’t know how I could spot him from the distance that was between us but I did. I let my breath go slo thireath gwly as I looked away when he didn’t. I felt so awkward and uncomfortable under his scrutiny that the urge to get up and hide was immense. I bent my head, letting my hair act as a curtain and fiddled with my charm bracelet as I squirmed more, wholly conscious of his eyes on me like he resented me or even disliked me.

I didn’t look up again until we left and even then I kept my gaze forward, on my goal: the exit.

Chapter Four

“Over here!" I heard Newton shout across the humungous cafeteria at lunch a few days later. It was a busy morning, I was starving and ready to eat a horse
and
its rider. He was sat at a big round table with Ash and Meg. Ash had asked Newton yesterday why Scott didn't join them for lunch like he always did. Newton briefly looked in my direction before looking at Ash with a shrug of his shoulders. "He's been busy."

I pushed all thoughts of Scott to the back of my mind, annoyed that I was thinking about him again. After that first night I had only seen him once and that had been in our communal entrance. I had been coming in while he had been going out. I remembered it like it had been ten minutes ago, not two days ago.
 

I had opened the door in a rush to get out of the pouring rain that had me already looking like a drowned rat when the door was pulled out of my grasp. I had looked up and Scott had been standing there looking down at me with a wry grin on his face. My breath held and my heart had started stuttering as I noticed his eyes. They were an intense shade of dark green that stood out from his tanned skin. He really did seem familiar but I shook it off.

“Hey,” he had said, the grin still playing at the corners of his lips and his eyes twinkling at me gawking up at him.

My cheeks had grown warm at being caught, “Hello,” I had said, my British accent more pronounced.

“Are you coming in?” An eyebrow lifted.

I jumped when I realised I was blocking his way as I stared at his gorgeous face. “Oh, sorry. Yep, I’m coming in.”
You are an idiot!

He moved aside. “You’re soaked to the fuckin' skin.” He was looking at my soaked blouse.
 

I quickly crossed my arms and pretended to shiver. I felt my cheeks warm in humiliation at being caught in the rain with nothing but a blouse on over my bra. “I don’t know where this rain came from, it was nice half hour ago.”
Why did everything I say to him sound so lame?

He chuckled quietly in the most melodic way imaginable. “The weather tends to be unpredictable.”

“I’ll remember that.” I smiled up at him.

His stilled for a moment as he watched me, a very slight frown marring his perfect face. After a moment of him having my heart in my throat again he had very abruptly said
Later
with a strange smile and had gone. I had stood there for a while just shaking my head at myself for staring at him like a thirsty dog.

That guy was truly too damn perfect for his own good.

“Hey,” I plonked down on a hard plastic chair next to Ash.

"Good morning,
Dweeb
?” Newton asked.

“Yeah, but now I’m bloody starving,” I put my hand on my stomach, hoping it wouldn’t growl.
 

"See, I told you you'd be fine here." Ash chimed.

I smiled and looked around while the others talked about their lessons.

Giggles coming from the table next to us caught my interest. Two girls were whispering and practically drooling over someone who just walked in. My back stiffened when I felt those green eyes on my back, it could only be Scott, I never reacted to anyone the way I did to him.
 

I found my head turning in his direction automatically, I couldn’t help myself. My eyes found his hooded ones instantly and my lungs squeezed as I looked at him. He was wearing faded blue jeans and a tight-ish black tee with a faded motif across the front which hugged his muscles in all the right places. His dark hair shone in the light. He looked hot, too hot for a cafeteria full to the brim with hormonal girls and I was no exception to that. He smiled as a hello before his attention diverted to the giggling girls.
 

"Scott!" I heard Newton shout across to him so he sat with us. I needed a minute to get my breath under control so I jumped up, ignored Ash's questioning look and went to get my lunch.

During the ten minutes it took me to get my food I didn't look at our table once but I had a tingling sensation every time his gaze touched me, making me feel uncomfortable. I wished he would stop. I wasn’t a strange, exotic creature, I was British for christ’s sake and I soon discovered that I wasn't the only Brit here. After we knew each other better, maybe this weirdness would fade or something. I kicked myself for the hundredth time for getting carried away the other night with someone that I didn't even bother looking at first. I should have turned around. For the maybe hundredth time in my short life, I cursed alcohol.

I sat back down with my lunch.

"...Awesome last night, man." Newton was talking to Scott.

"Thanks, we got three nights a week there this semester." He shrugged as if it was nothing great.

I looked up into green eyes. My heart lurched but I hid it well and coolly smiled at him but I was sure it didn't reach my eyes. This was ridiculous, I fumed silently. No wonder he got away with what he did, he was gorgeous with a capitol G.

I knew that someday he would be big. I
knew
it. He had the right sound, the right image, the overwhelming presence. Oh yes, the bad boy image together with his looks would take him places.
 

Someone cleared their throat behind me. I turned around to see Adam, a junior I met my first day who had been flirting with me since. He asked me out this morning and I had said I would think about it and let him know.
 

“You made up your mind yet?” He grinned.

I laughed at his impatience, “I did.” I said and looked away, teasing him.
 

I hadn’t thought about it really. Adam was a few inches taller than me with blonde hair, warm chestnut eyes and a great body, I could tell he played sports.

“Well, yes or no, woman?” he put on a disgruntled air.

“It’s a yes.” I smiled and then noticed everyone at our table watching our exchange.

“Guys, this is Adam,” I then went on to introduce Adam to everyone. They gave him a cool welcome unlike the warm one they gave me when we were introduced the other night.

Adam nodded around the table. “So, do you want to meet or am I picking you up?”
 

“When?”
 

“Tonight,” He grinned.

We decided to meet at seven outside Macy’s and then he was gone. I liked Adam.
He's safe!
I blinked at that thought and looked away.
 

"Hey, British!" A guy I met in class walked by our table. "I hope they have
to-MAH-toes
in the salad today." He winked at me and walked on.
 

I laughed aloud as I remembered him trying to copy my accent during class. The others were looking at me and I explained about his British lesson and how he said he would help me with some of the different spellings over here.

“Em, we don’t know Adam very well,” Ash voiced her concern.

“Yeah, you shouldn’t just hook up with anyone,” Newton looked stern and I was surprised that was even possible for him.

“He's not just anyone, he's in one of my classes." I defended.

“Still…” Ash said.

“Oh, he’s nice, you’ll like him.” I waved her worries away. I needed to get out and make friends on my own. I couldn't hang around Ash's friends all the time.

“I’m going to be calling you every hour.” Ash said seriously.

I laughed, “Okay,
jeez!
But it’s only a date, it’s not like I’m hooking up with a total stranger either.”
Like I did the other night.
I sneaked a look at Scott from under my lashes, his lips tightened as he looked away from me.

"Leave the girl alone, guys." Meg butted in.

I looked at her gratefully and changed the subject. “What are the rest of you doing tonight?" I asked.

"We're at Scott's for a movie." Meg replied and looked at Scott with a cheeky grin. "Wasn't it my turn to choose the movie?"

Groans erupted from around us.

"Fuck, no!" Newton grabbed his head, "No more Jane Austen adaptations, Meg."

Meg looked offended. "Actually, I was thinking of a horror."

"What's wrong with Jane Austen?" I loved Jane Austen.

"Nothing if you haven't seen Pride & Prejudice a hundred times already." Newton said.

Scott's eyes met mine across the table. It was as though I had an invisible string attached to him, pulling me in, making me aware of every move he made. His dark expression cleared after a second and he smiled showing me his white teeth and those dimples again.

After my last class I started to make my way home when my hand was taken from behind. I turned and came face-to-face with Scott.

"What're you doing?" I said breathlessly, trying to sound cross. I hated being grabbed, touched or watched by strangers.

He was so beautiful, my hand in his tingled and I stilled as I saw the way he was looking at me, the same way he did the other night.
God, You're a beauty.
His words echoed around in my head and then his expression cleared again.

“I need to talk to you," he growled and my stupid heart tripped over itself.

I didn't want to talk about Macy's. “O–kay.”
 

"About the other night…" he hesitated.

I squirmed away from his eftay fromhand in mine. He backed away a step and put his hands up as if in surrender. "Sorry," He shook his head slightly. "You know I didn't know you were Ashley's cousin, right?"
 

"Yeah, I know," I looked away and closed my eyes briefly against the embarrassed heat turning my skin red as I again had unwanted flashbacks.

“It wouldn't have happened if I did,” he sighed and looked away, “I’m sorry for treating you that way.”
 

He's sorry? Could this be any more mortifying?

"Look, it’s no big deal, don't worry about it. Let’s just forget it happened, okay?" I wanted to forget so badly. "I was drunk.” I shrugged as if it had meant nothing and that his gaze was not making my insides quiver. How could I feel like this over
him
?

"So,” he drew the word out slow, “friends?" he held his hand out to me.

"Friends," I forced a smile up at him and put my hand in his for a second to shake it. Maybe once we knew each more as friends this awkwardness would go away. At the moment I couldn’t stop thinking about him but I had to try, seeing as the guy was one of Ash's best friends, not to mention that we shared a building.
 

I wanted to forget about the whole thing and so did he so I was willing to give it a good go. He had already taken up way too much of my brain space as it was and maybe I wasn't his type after all. Maybe he wasn't as bad as everyone was making him out to be?

“You going home?”
 

I nodded.

“Same, I’ll walk with you.” He pocketed both his hands as we started the walk home.

I could see every girl that we passed watching him, admiring him. I peeked at him out of the corner of my eye to see if he noticed it too but he hadn't. He wasn't taking one bit of notice of all the attention he was getting.
 

He smirked sideways at me, “What?" he asked.

"Nothing.”
Shit!
I averted my eyes.

I heard him sigh. "What brings you over here anyway?" he asked.

"I–uh, my mum and dad just got divorced and it seemed like a good idea.” I didn't want to think about that right now. My past was where it should be — in the past and filed in my head under "No Entry”.

"I don’t want to pry, if you don’t want to talk about it.” He must have sensed that I didn't want to talk about it and why does he care anyway?

"My mum’s family lives over here and as we don't have any family left over there, we moved here."

He studied me quizzically, “So, your mom was born here?”