“Hold up!” Beatrice says firmly, standing right in front of me as I attempt to leave class. I freeze to the spot but will myself to hold my head high.
“What do you want?” I ask her, wanting my voice to sound confidence. Instead it’s quiet and timid, full of fear. Beatrice narrows her eyes at me, leaning in slightly so that her words wouldn’t be overheard.
“Where were you and Brody this morning?” She asks, hissing her words like the snake she is. I immediately feel my nerves increase, my palms beginning to sweat.
“N-nowhere,” I reply, cursing myself silently for stammering. I watch, wide eyed as Beatrice remains silent, her eyes burning brightly as she thinks hard about my answer.
“I was helping him and some others with the drama class set up,” I explain quickly before Beatrice could figure out our secret. She stares at me silently for a few moments before huffing and turning on her heel, her hair flicking out and hitting me in the face.
I blink and take a step back, watching as my high school bully struts down the corridor as if it’s her own personal catwalk.
*****
“Bella, go get the balls, now.” Mrs Hollins instructs, throwing the keys in my direction. She barely glances at me before wondering off, talking to another teacher.
“Gheez, a please wouldn’t go amiss. . . ” I mumble, bending down to grab the keys. I fiddle with them in my hands as I make my way over to the equipment room. It’s the last lesson of the day which is sports.
I hate sports.
Nothing about the lesson appeals to me. Mrs Hollins is a stuck up two faced woman. Beatrice and her gang are also in my sports class and well, I hate exercise in general.
I sigh heavily and pull open the equipment door, grunting from the effort. This time I remember to leave the door opened slightly so the light streams in. I squint in the darkness, coughing lightly from the dust in the air.
My eyes landed on several objects beside from the footballs.
“Great, brilliant, fantastic.” I mumble unhappily, stepping over equipment to check the corners. The door suddenly opened wide allowing the room to be drowned in light from the sun. I squinted, blinking to readjust my eyes.
“Wow, I just got major deja-vu.” I know that voice, it’s Brody.
“We meet again,” I said quietly, making out his broad shoulders and dark hair. Brody frowns and glances around for a few moments in confusion before his eyes light up.
“Oh yeah, you were the girl in here that tripped,” he laughs and I nod sheepishly, shrugging. “That was me.”
His laughter fills the room as he remembers the encounter and I roll my eyes as he continues to chuckle at my expense.
“Stop laughing,” I mumble, going back to searching the room for the footballs. His laughter dies down behind me
—
“What’s wrong?” He asks, closing the door over so only a small stream of light entered the room.
“I can’t find the footballs, again.” I grumble, shoving something aside that’s digging into my back uncomfortably. I hear Brody move behind me, the sound of him rustling against the equipment. Suddenly he’s right behind me, his body hovering against mine, an inch away. I freeze, very aware of him standing behind me.
“Have you checked over there?” He leans down, whispering in my ear. I swallow, a lump appearing in my throat from my nerves. His hand trails down my bare arm, his fingers smoothly running down my skin. Goosebumps immediately erupt over my skin and I shudder from the chills his touch gives me.
His fingers feel for my hand and he places his hand over mine, lifting it up to point at the opposite corner in the room.
“Over there,” he whispers, his breath tickling my ear. I swallow, blinking several times before turning and looking in the direction both our hands are pointing. Brody doesn’t release his hold on my hand and the warmth from his skin causes my hand to grow hot and clammy.
As I turn, my body presses into Brody’s and I freeze once again, my eyes widening as I feel him right behind
me. The heat radiating off his body warms mine up, causing my heart to beat wildly against my chest. I can hear it thumping in my ears, so loud it’s hard to hear.
As Brody breathes, his chest rises and falls against my back and I shiver once again, closing my eyes. Neither of us speak, the spark and attraction between our bodies lit up with flames. I can hear Brody’s breathing begin to shallow out, his head hung low behind me so that his mouth is perfectly aligned with my ear.
“Uhm, B-Brody?” I question, my voice cracking. My words are barely above a whisper yet I knew Brody hears them clear as day. He doesn’t move and instead drops my arm back down to my side, his hand still wrapped around my small one.
“Yes?” He whispers, his voice deepening considerably. I shudder, closing my eyes once again and forcing the fog inside my head to clear. With Brody so close to me, it’s almost impossible to concentrate. I spin around, ignoring the way my body flares with heat. I come face to face with Brody’s broad chest, afraid to tilt my head up and look into his beautiful green eyes.
“You can look at me, I don’t bite. . . not unless you want me to.” Brody chuckles, his chest vibrating slightly. The thumping of my heart increases until it pounds in my ears, so loud I can barely make out Brody’s words.
“I think, you — ” I start, my words shaking as much as my body.
“You think I should what?” Brody says quietly, his eyes burning through me. I suck in a deep breath, feeling the room spin around me.
“I think you should take a step back,” I force my words out, sounding like a strangled cat.
“Okay. . . If you want me to,” Brody responds, sounding confused. His frown deepens as he walks backwards, creating space between us.
“Thanks,” I manage to squeak out before the heat in the room suddenly becomes too much for me and I feel my eyes spin to the back of my head.
If it wasn’t for the equipment around me to stop my fall, my body would have landed hard onto the floor.