time."
I stuck to large crowds. I couldn't believe how paranoid I was. I went to class, ventured to the library and hit the cafeteria. I made no other stops and saw none of Bianca's crew. Campus was enormous, I had no classes with any of her friends and the odds of running into them were remote. I trudged back to our meeting spot at three and saw Zach there with a perky blonde. I kept my distance, not wanting to interrupt, but something tugged at me. The way they laughed and how she playfully touched his arm bugged me. If he was possibly into me, why was he flirting with other girls? Reality hit. Because he wasn't into me.
They each pulled out their phones and obviously exchanged numbers. She was blushing now, having scored the number of Zach Walker. There couldn't be another guy on campus who was a bigger catch. They said a few more words and she scampered off. I approached him and pretended that I hadn't seen a thing.
"Hey," he said, a smile still plastered on his face. "How was your day?"
"Exciting," I deadpanned. "How was yours?"
"Not too bad. Ran into Genie. She's coming over for dinner. Hope you don't mind."
"The girl you were talking to? That was your sister?"
His eyebrows furled. "No, that was someone from class."
Course it was. "Oh. Well, I'm looking forward to meeting Genie."
"I thought you'd make some awesome meal to show off your skills."
I was still thinking about the cute blonde and only half-listening to what he was saying. He rambled on some more as we walked back to his truck. When he fell silent I realized he was waiting for me to say something.
"Well?"
"I missed that last part."
"What time should I tell her to come?"
"Six. We can eat around six-thirty."
He texted her and I got into the truck and sulked. It was nice to think that Zach had some interest in me other than pity. That dump friend of his, the one I hadn't even seen and didn't know the name of had gotten my hopes up that maybe, just maybe, a member of the opposite sex under the age of eighty and over the age of ten found me attractive. But he was the senator's son and it didn't hurt that he was gorgeous, smart and had an amazing personality. What woman wouldn't want him?
"So what are we having?"
I hadn't even thought about it. I went through my last grocery run. "How about pork Wellington, roasted potatoes and a salad? Is that enough?"
"I'm foaming at the mouth just thinking about it, but Genie won't eat pork."
I know who else was foaming at the mouth. The blonde with his number. "I don't have any other protein. How about a vegetarian lasagna?"
"She'll love that."
We chatted about school until we got back to the apartment. While he stationed himself in front of the television, I got to work. Dinner was pretty simple because I was doing some cheating. I wasn't making the lasagna noodles from scratch, but I did have homemade sauce, and a variety of cheeses to add to it. A little ricotta, mozzarella and asiago for punch. If I'd had more time I would have attempted a dessert, but after a long day at school and a whole lot of watching my back, my heart wasn't into it.
Zach dragged himself from sports highlights to set the table as I was putting everything into the oven. I was looking forward to meeting Genie, the sister I knew little about. She had a boyfriend that she lived with, beyond that she was a mystery.
The front door swung open and I nearly jumped out of my skin. A young woman, her thick mane of dark brown hair flowing behind her, breezed in. Her enormous brown eyes fixed on me and wide smile spread across her face. "You must be Emma," she said.
"Yes. Genie?"
"The one and only."
Zach waved over his shoulder from the position he'd resumed on the sofa. "Hey, Genie."
"It's great to meet you," she said, scooping me into a hug. I was tall, but Genie was easily an inch or two taller. I put her at five foot ten. Like her brother, good looks ran in the family. The Walker family seemed to be blessed with everything life could
I stuck to large crowds. I couldn't believe how paranoid I was. I went to class, ventured to the library and hit the cafeteria. I made no other stops and saw none of Bianca's crew. Campus was enormous, I had no classes with any of her friends and the odds of running into them were remote. I trudged back to our meeting spot at three and saw Zach there with a perky blonde. I kept my distance, not wanting to interrupt, but something tugged at me. The way they laughed and how she playfully touched his arm bugged me. If he was possibly into me, why was he flirting with other girls? Reality hit. Because he wasn't into me.
They each pulled out their phones and obviously exchanged numbers. She was blushing now, having scored the number of Zach Walker. There couldn't be another guy on campus who was a bigger catch. They said a few more words and she scampered off. I approached him and pretended that I hadn't seen a thing.
"Hey," he said, a smile still plastered on his face. "How was your day?"
"Exciting," I deadpanned. "How was yours?"
"Not too bad. Ran into Genie. She's coming over for dinner. Hope you don't mind."
"The girl you were talking to? That was your sister?"
His eyebrows furled. "No, that was someone from class."
Course it was. "Oh. Well, I'm looking forward to meeting Genie."
"I thought you'd make some awesome meal to show off your skills."
I was still thinking about the cute blonde and only half-listening to what he was saying. He rambled on some more as we walked back to his truck. When he fell silent I realized he was waiting for me to say something.
"Well?"
"I missed that last part."
"What time should I tell her to come?"
"Six. We can eat around six-thirty."
He texted her and I got into the truck and sulked. It was nice to think that Zach had some interest in me other than pity. That dump friend of his, the one I hadn't even seen and didn't know the name of had gotten my hopes up that maybe, just maybe, a member of the opposite sex under the age of eighty and over the age of ten found me attractive. But he was the senator's son and it didn't hurt that he was gorgeous, smart and had an amazing personality. What woman wouldn't want him?
"So what are we having?"
I hadn't even thought about it. I went through my last grocery run. "How about pork Wellington, roasted potatoes and a salad? Is that enough?"
"I'm foaming at the mouth just thinking about it, but Genie won't eat pork."
I know who else was foaming at the mouth. The blonde with his number. "I don't have any other protein. How about a vegetarian lasagna?"
"She'll love that."
We chatted about school until we got back to the apartment. While he stationed himself in front of the television, I got to work. Dinner was pretty simple because I was doing some cheating. I wasn't making the lasagna noodles from scratch, but I did have homemade sauce, and a variety of cheeses to add to it. A little ricotta, mozzarella and asiago for punch. If I'd had more time I would have attempted a dessert, but after a long day at school and a whole lot of watching my back, my heart wasn't into it.
Zach dragged himself from sports highlights to set the table as I was putting everything into the oven. I was looking forward to meeting Genie, the sister I knew little about. She had a boyfriend that she lived with, beyond that she was a mystery.
The front door swung open and I nearly jumped out of my skin. A young woman, her thick mane of dark brown hair flowing behind her, breezed in. Her enormous brown eyes fixed on me and wide smile spread across her face. "You must be Emma," she said.
"Yes. Genie?"
"The one and only."
Zach waved over his shoulder from the position he'd resumed on the sofa. "Hey, Genie."
"It's great to meet you," she said, scooping me into a hug. I was tall, but Genie was easily an inch or two taller. I put her at five foot ten. Like her brother, good looks ran in the family. The Walker family seemed to be blessed with everything life could
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