gonna say since HPS is such a gimme class, you didn’t think it would matter. But apparently there’s a ‘we’ I need to know about.”
“I only meant,” she said, “that since we have a bit of a rapport, you might cut me some slack.”
“We have a rapport?” He was enjoying this waaaay too much.
“Do you have dinner with all your students?” she countered, one dark brow arched knowingly.
He was doing it again: watching her and not paying attention to his own feet, but it was worth it to see her go crimson when he delivered his next line. “Only the hot ones.”
“Oh, Jesus,” she said, and rolled her eyes in a way that was reminiscent of Jessica. For some reason, the similarity didn’t bother Jordan like he thought it might have. “Your professionalism is astounding.”
So is your ass . “Thanks,” he said instead, “I work hard at it.”
“Uh-huh.”
A tight knot of girls was walking toward them and this time, Jordan had the grace to walk around them rather than through them. “Since we have this rapport,” he said once he was alongside Ellie again, “I wanna know why you’re so allergic to the gym.”
She reached up and raked her fingers through her bangs, exhaling in a rush that he figured had nothing to do with exertion. “I’d rather not say. You’ll think it’s stupid.”
“I just ran into a guy for you. It can’t be more stupid than that.”
She cut him a glance from the corner of her eye. “It’s not that I’m lazy.”
“’Kay.”
“The treadmill would do me some good.”
He didn’t see how, but whatever.
“But there’s - ” Her hands clasped together, black nails digging into her palms. “There’s someone who spends a lot of time there who I really want to avoid.”
Jordan knew, with a pang of disappointment, that she was talking about a male someone. He didn’t know her, not truly, but he hadn’t figured her for the kind who hid from old boyfriends. He also hadn’t figured her for the type who dated gym rats, but clearly she had. “Old boyfriend?” he asked, and heard the flatness in his voice.
“Old asshole who made my life miserable, more like. I – okay,” she sighed, “I know it sounds pathetic, but I really can’t stand listening to that dumbbell-for-brains trying to make snide comments.”
“So give it back to him.”
“I try, but he doesn’t understand my insults.”
Jordan chuckled. “How’s an English major end up with a meatneck anyway?”
The smile she tossed him was almost wistful, touched with regret and memory. “We’re all allowed to be sixteen and stupid, right?”
Jordan had been. He’d been sixteen and invincible, high off the rush of calling someone “his,” drunk on the taste of her skin. Yeah, he could relate, all the way down to the retrospective shame and self-loathing.
“Right.”
Ellie’s face was stamped with regret and embarrassment, and Jordan was almost glad she looked away because he couldn’t seem to turn his own head and spare them both the awkwardness of remembered mistakes.
A breeze ruffled through the crepe myrtles along the sidewalk and it carried with it the first breath of cooler air, the hint of a fall to come. Jordan watched it play with all of Ellie’s dark, gleaming hair and knew his motives were selfish and not charitable. Helping her would just
“I only meant,” she said, “that since we have a bit of a rapport, you might cut me some slack.”
“We have a rapport?” He was enjoying this waaaay too much.
“Do you have dinner with all your students?” she countered, one dark brow arched knowingly.
He was doing it again: watching her and not paying attention to his own feet, but it was worth it to see her go crimson when he delivered his next line. “Only the hot ones.”
“Oh, Jesus,” she said, and rolled her eyes in a way that was reminiscent of Jessica. For some reason, the similarity didn’t bother Jordan like he thought it might have. “Your professionalism is astounding.”
So is your ass . “Thanks,” he said instead, “I work hard at it.”
“Uh-huh.”
A tight knot of girls was walking toward them and this time, Jordan had the grace to walk around them rather than through them. “Since we have this rapport,” he said once he was alongside Ellie again, “I wanna know why you’re so allergic to the gym.”
She reached up and raked her fingers through her bangs, exhaling in a rush that he figured had nothing to do with exertion. “I’d rather not say. You’ll think it’s stupid.”
“I just ran into a guy for you. It can’t be more stupid than that.”
She cut him a glance from the corner of her eye. “It’s not that I’m lazy.”
“’Kay.”
“The treadmill would do me some good.”
He didn’t see how, but whatever.
“But there’s - ” Her hands clasped together, black nails digging into her palms. “There’s someone who spends a lot of time there who I really want to avoid.”
Jordan knew, with a pang of disappointment, that she was talking about a male someone. He didn’t know her, not truly, but he hadn’t figured her for the kind who hid from old boyfriends. He also hadn’t figured her for the type who dated gym rats, but clearly she had. “Old boyfriend?” he asked, and heard the flatness in his voice.
“Old asshole who made my life miserable, more like. I – okay,” she sighed, “I know it sounds pathetic, but I really can’t stand listening to that dumbbell-for-brains trying to make snide comments.”
“So give it back to him.”
“I try, but he doesn’t understand my insults.”
Jordan chuckled. “How’s an English major end up with a meatneck anyway?”
The smile she tossed him was almost wistful, touched with regret and memory. “We’re all allowed to be sixteen and stupid, right?”
Jordan had been. He’d been sixteen and invincible, high off the rush of calling someone “his,” drunk on the taste of her skin. Yeah, he could relate, all the way down to the retrospective shame and self-loathing.
“Right.”
Ellie’s face was stamped with regret and embarrassment, and Jordan was almost glad she looked away because he couldn’t seem to turn his own head and spare them both the awkwardness of remembered mistakes.
A breeze ruffled through the crepe myrtles along the sidewalk and it carried with it the first breath of cooler air, the hint of a fall to come. Jordan watched it play with all of Ellie’s dark, gleaming hair and knew his motives were selfish and not charitable. Helping her would just
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