I got to biology before Brody so I grabbed the microscope and slide set we’d need for our lab, starting to set it up. I smelled him as soon as he slipped into his seat beside me.

“Hi Brody,” I said, not looking up.

“How’d you know it was me?”

I felt a blush crawl across my cheeks. “I smelled you,” I said quietly.

“What are you, a cocker spaniel?”

I looked up and shrugged a shoulder. “You wear the same cologne every day.”

“And you wear the same kind of T-shirt every day. What does today’s say?” I turned so he could read it. “Huh. ‘If you knew what I was thinking, you wouldn’t be smiling.’ Interesting. And what are you thinking, Willow?” He braced one hand on the table, his other on the back of my chair, and leaned in to me.

That I love how my name rolls off your tongue in that low voice that you seem to only use when you’re talking to me—half whisper, husky and smooth at the same time. That it confuses me that, all of a sudden, I’ve gone from hating you to being intrigued by you. That I want to scream and cry that I have this secret hanging over my head, ruining my life, because I want you, not Jaden.

“Hmm?” he whispered, leaning closer to me, and I realized I’d been staring at him too long.

“I’d love to explain all my thoughts to you, Brody, but I don’t have any crayons,” I said finally, giving him a small smile.

He grinned and turned to the equipment I’d laid out for our lab. “Good to go?”

I nodded, and we got started on the lab. We didn’t talk the rest of the class period other than what was needed to complete the assignment. There was an uncomfortable vibe between us. Each time our hands or arms would brush against each other when we reached for a slide or turned a page in the textbook, goose bumps would break out over my skin. I was thankful I’d worn a long-sleeved shirt so he couldn’t see. I was having a hard enough time hiding my shaking hands, and my voice that seemed way to breathy and soft. He seemed completely unaffected, naturally.

I’m such a fool. What am I doing? I can’t fall for him. I’m with Jaden. Jaden who, with just a few words, could destroy everything.

Jaden always liked an audience. He was the captain of the football team, after all. He thrived on attention.

We were sitting at a table in the school cafeteria, Jenna, Tim, and I, along with Jaden and his dumbass friends from the football team. I never took the time to learn their names since they didn’t bother to call me anything but ‘Jaden’s girl.’

“It’s an away game tonight,” Jaden told me.

I speared a piece of cucumber in my salad and inspected it. “I know,” I answered.

“Hi, Willow,” some friends from class called as they walked by.

I smiled and waved. “Hi, guys!” That was when I saw him.

Oh please, please don’t say anything. Just keep walking, Brody. Don’t say anything, don’t stop, and don’t wave.

“Hey, Willow. See you in class.” Brody raised his hand as he walked by.

“What the hell?” Jaden yelled.

“It’s nothing. Leave it alone.” I put my hand on Jaden’s arm, trying to divert his attention.

“The hell I’ll leave it alone.” He threw my hand off. My injured arm hit the edge of the table. I gritted my teeth and grabbed it, holding it to my side. “What’s going on between you two?” he yelled, standing up.

Brody’s face registered surprise and then anger. I looked at him and shook my head, pleading with my eyes for him to leave it alone. Brody looked between Jaden and me. “Are you okay?” he asked me. Brody looked at where I held my arm and raised an eyebrow.

“You don’t need to worry about her,” Jaden shouted. He reached out and shoved Brody’s shoulder.

Brody looked down where Jaden’s hand had been. I prayed he would walk away. Then I saw his hands ball into fists.

Oh, crap. Crap. Crap.

Brody took a step forward. I stood up so fast my chair flew backward, hitting the floor with a clang. Jenna reached out for my arm.

“Willow, stay out of it!” she called.

I reached out and grabbed Jaden’s arm. It was rigid. I looked at Brody. A vein pulsed in the side of his neck.

“You’re messing with the wrong girl, Victor,” Jaden said through clenched teeth.

“I think Willow can make up her mind who she wants to be friends with without asking your permission.”

Jaden took a step toward him. Brody stood his ground.

Oh, this can’t happen. Back down, Brody, please.

“No! Jaden!” I stepped in front of him. “Stop it!” He pushed me out of the way with one arm, like a windshield wiper swiping a bug away. I stumbled backward. One of his friends reached for me. I ducked under his arm and ran in between the two testosterone-filled idiots who insisted on fighting with all the ‘B’ lunch students watching.

“Stop! Brody, just go.” I looked over my shoulder. “Please.”

“Yeah, Victor, run along.” Jaden twiddled his fingers at Brody.

“Jaden, stop it!” I yelled. “I’m freakin’ fed up with your crap!”

“Watch your mouth, Willow.” Jaden moved his arm, and I flinched away.

Brody reached out, pulling me against him. “Don’t raise your hand to her. You hit her, and I will end you. Make no mistake about that,” he said quietly. His hand around my arm, he walked out of the cafeteria, pulling me with him.

“I expect you to be home tonight, Willow. If you’re not at the game, you’re home,” Jaden yelled after us. “We’ll finish this later, Willow.”

“Great,” I groaned, trying to pull away from Brody. “What are you doing?” I yanked my arm away and turned back to the cafeteria.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“Back inside.”

Brody stepped in front of me. “What? Why? He was going to hit you!”

“He wasn’t going to hit me.” I tried to step around him.

“He pushed you against the table!”

I shook my head, looking at the floor. “Not intentionally.”

Brody blocked the door to the cafeteria. “Don’t go back in there—”

“Don’t you see you’ve just made things worse by dragging me out of there?” I yelled. “He’s gonna see it as an embarrassment in front of his friends, and I’m the one who’s gonna pay for it! So thanks for your help. I know you meant well, but just stay the hell out of it!”

Breathe. Just breathe

Saturday night, Jaden and I were at The Dive. As usual, it was packed with people from school, most I knew, but some were just familiar faces. We said our hellos as we walked to the back where the quiet tables were. I saw him almost instantly when we walked in. It was as if my eyes sought him out and once they found him, they wouldn’t let him go. We hadn’t spoken since our conversation in the hall outside the cafeteria, not even in class. I tried not to look at him. If Jaden saw me glance in Brody’s direction, it would start another scene like the one in the cafeteria, so I kept my gaze on the floor and let Jaden pull me through the crowd.

When we walked by his table, I couldn’t help raising my eyes just for a second. Our eyes met and butterflies swirled in my stomach, a feeling I hadn’t had with Jaden in months. I tried to push that thought from my head as I forced my eyes away from his.

We sat at a table in the very back of the restaurant. The waitress came over to take our drink orders.

“We’re ready to order,” Jaden said.

“Okay, go ahead.”

“I’ll have a Coke, a Big Splash Burger with everything, and a side of fries. She’ll have a Coke and the Mini Splash Burger, no pickles, no onions, extra cheese. And a side of fries.”

“Mustard, ketchup, mayo?” the waitress asked.

“Mayo on both,” Jaden answered, handing the menus to the waitress.

Ugh. I hate it when he orders for me. I can order my own damn food. And I hate mayo. How can he not know that by now? And I want a stinkin’ order of onion rings. Onion rings!