Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 108868 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 544(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108868 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 544(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
The twins came not long after raising the noise level. At least they knew better than to drag their posse along, leaving them at the table next to ours. Too late, I realized that I’d dragged her into the middle of this mess without thinking. Oh well, I’ll deal with shit as it comes. I hadn’t planned on having any meaningful conversation with her, so having the girls there to take up the slack worked in my favor.
“Hi Gia, I’m Anna.”
“And I’m Rosa. Did you see the principal yet? Did she tell you about our upcoming tutoring sessions?”
“Yes, about that, how did…?”
“Don’t worry about anything. My brother will drive us home in the evenings and take you home when we’re done.” They started talking over each other, not letting her get a word in edgewise, leaving her looking hella confused.
“Let her eat.” I had to give the twins a stern look with a side of calm the hell down. They were all but jumping out of their skin with excitement, which is something they still do. I’ll remind them of this the next time they tell me how grown they are. I knew they were more psyched about sticking it to Victoria and her cronies, who I could see watching us from across the room out the side of my eye than anything else. These two can be vicious when they get something between the bit.
As mean girl as they pretend to be, I know they love fighting for the underdog about as much as I do. Between them and Lance, I didn’t have to say too much since they kept the conversation going with Gianna like they were long-lost friends. I kept my attention focused on her though no one would know it since I at no time looked directly at her. But I was very aware of her presence.
It’s almost like a shimmer in the air, like something ethereal, some imaginary thing, connecting us. The room settled down soon enough, I guess, once people remembered what the room was for and that they were hungry. Victoria wasn’t looking too pleased, but I can’t say that I cared too much.
Gianna picked at her food while the twins chatted away, and Lancelot kept giving me looks. “Stop it,” I whispered the words out the side of my mouth and nudged him under the table with my knee. He just grinned and carried on while stuffing his face. Enough of this shit! It had only been about ten minutes, but the stares were starting to get under my skin—nosy ass people.
“You done here?” I wish she would stop with that look. It’s that look of sheltered innocence that I keep seeing in my dreams, that look that keeps pulling me back to her. That look makes me think too much about the young Sophia, another wounded bird. I didn’t wait for an answer, just helped her up from her seat and headed for the door with a veiled warning to the other three, “Don’t follow us.”
“Where are we going?” Fuck if I know? I told myself to release her hand, they were too many eyes on us, and I was sure I was sending out the wrong message, but I couldn’t find it in myself to give a good damn. We ended up in the place she’d snuck off to twice before, and it was there I remembered her book; damn.
“Do you need to get your sketchpad?” As much time as had already passed, she wouldn’t have time, but it didn’t hurt to ask. She blushed and shook her head while looking down at the ground. I realized I was still holding onto her hand and dropped it with a soft curse. Now that I had her here, what the hell was I supposed to do with her?
“Why…?”
“Do you…?” We spoke at the same time, and I nodded for her to go first. “Go ahead, why what?”
“Why did the principal say that I was tutoring your sisters? I never signed up for tutoring.”
“Maybe she knows that you’re the best choice.”
“But aren’t you like the smartest kid in school?”
“I’m also their brother. Do you really see those two wanting me to tutor them?”
Smile Gabriel, she’s not the enemy. I can’t. Something in me won’t let me let down those barriers. I don’t want to give her the wrong impression. I want no confusion about what this is. I’m just here to right a perceived wrong. Just then, the sunlight got caught in her hair and made a mockery of my inner musings. “Shit!” She jumped at my outburst and left a bad fucking taste in my mouth. Too skittish for my suspicions to be wrong.
GIANNA
What in the world is going on? I’d barely just learned about the tutoring thing, still reeling from the news when he showed up outside my classroom door and now this. I’m out of my depth, have no idea what I’m doing or what to do with myself in his presence. Funny enough, my first thought was of Victoria and the hell I was going to catch behind this, followed closely by a growing warmth in the pit of my stomach.