Page 2 (2/2)

"Eighteen," he replies "You?"

I nod hteen last week"

"No shit? So did I What day?"

"The fourteenth"

He points to himself and says, "The thirteenth, beat you by a day!" His sirl like you doing buying whiskey?" he asks, susted face "I don’t drink, it’s forhim that I buy my dad liquor in the hopes that he won’t beat the crap out of

"You don’t drink? Seeh school kid around here does I like that I don’t touch the stuff either," he says with a se for vastly different reasons I don’t drink because I’ve seen what it can do to a person and I’ve smelled the horror on my dad’s breath one tooany deeper, instead asking, "So, did you just pay Oliver off like everyone else?"

"Pay him off? No, he doesn’t ask uy any more than what I already spend there, I wouldn’t be able to afford anything besides the whiskey Without thinking, I reach into rab my cherry-vanilla chapstick, and spin the bottoainst my lips, Jace’s eyes follow the trail

"That jackass makes everybody pay hiins to study s squeeze ether we sit and talk for what seee plans and how boring high school is We even have a debate over whether reading an actual book is better than reading fro for the actual paper and spine book, but he tru ht in his back pocket

Who would have thought a guy in high school would actually enjoy talking about books? I alrab my drink instead and take the first sip

Oh, that’s nice I’ve never tasted anything like this before It’s definitely not that black sludgesince cooled to a tepid tehtly spicy at the same time Noish Jace hadn’t introduced this toafter this drink every time I pass this place in the future

"This is fantastic!" I think I’m a little too excited over a drink, so I try to tone down the enthusiasm "Great choice," I say and sain "Must be a chick thing My ets me to pick that up for her when I’m down here I’irl"

"Oh, is that what this is… a pick-up?" I ask, while trying to taht" He leans down so our faces are only inches apart, and I can feel his breath lightly teasing my lips In a low but firm whisper, he says, "I like you, Audrey I plan to take you out and kiss you goodnight over and over until you agree to let ht"

Floor Puddle Me Holy hell

I stay there, not daring to move an inch, in hopes that he’ll lean in and put me out ofto be that close I silently i about As if on cue, a loud buzzing begins to vibrate between us and I jueous…" he says, his voice sounding a bit breathless Maybe I’m not the only one affected here "It’s just ers slide and tap continuously on the screen "My brother put your groceries in the truck He had to go into the bookstore"

"I should really get going anyway My parents are expecting et warm…" I trail off because I can feel the start of , and let’s be honest,ain? Does she want to see , lovesick puppy You would wreck this girl, Jace She just seeile, yet deep in her eyes I can see fierceness, and darab her hand and lace h hers, she stands without hesitation and allows me to lead the way I can’t even reirl She seeh I walk her back out toout this time I have with her

"Do you need a ride home?" Please say ‘yes’ I click the key fob and open the back passenger door, and then she reaches in to grab her paper sack I want to ask her so many questions, like why paper? Is she an environ our landfills with more plastic? Because she seehtened, and that’s the only conclusion I can coht now

"No, I’ her, and I airl? She has to be a witch That has to be it She must have cast a spell on me, because it’s the only way I can vouch for irl! I can’t help myself, so I placejust yet Shoulders are a safe-zone, right? I’m pretty sure I can still touch her here and it isn’t inappropriate

"Can I have your nu to recall the last tiirl Probably never, and even if I did, I sure as hell never called the

"No, but can I have yours?" she counters and sets her anything she wants

I’ive up her nuo sloith this one ‘Approach with Caution’ should be taped across her chest Wait… screw that Nobody better be touching that chest, except for ive her a half-cocked, questioning look as if to say, ‘What are you up to?’ I decide to let her have her way, reaching behind her into the truck to grab my notebook that has a pen tucked inside the its onto the lined paper and then tear it fro

After I fold it into a small square, I think of another way I can touch her Pathetic, I know She’s still glancing atthe paper when I reach down and slowly slide it into her front jeans pocket, feeling the heat of her skin through the fabric Damn, so close yet so far away When my hand slips from the confines of the pocket, she releases a trapped breath I’ to bet she liked that about as much as I did

I instantly cup her face firmly in between et to ditch ain" I hope that the sincerity of h to those beautiful brown eyes