Page 11
4
Bianaca
Romance books lied.
The greatest smell in the world wasn’t male sweat or their cologne or some shit like that. No, the greatest smell in the world was a buffet with noodles and chicken and chocolate cake.
My mouth watered, salivating like the thirsty bitch I was.
After her ominous message, the girl had hurried away. Beau placed a hand on my shoulder, gently restraining me from going after her, and led me toward the school’s cafeteria. I was grateful he was there with me. Without him, I would’ve been wandering in circles for weeks. The school was huge. Hallways led to more hallways that led to doors that led to even more hallways. It was a labyrinth, one you could get lost in.
I still couldn’t understand how Beau got sent to a school for troubled teens. He was eighteen and had never gotten in trouble a day in his life. The one fight he had been in, with Dick the dick, lasted only five minutes, and Dick had been too scared to press charges. It just didn’t make sense. Beau was the light to my darkness. The voice of reason to my crazy ideas.
I would get the information out of him…after I got food. Filling my plate with sweets, I waited for Beau to grab his own food. He garnered quite a bit of attention with his chiseled good looks and charming smile. I didn’t blame the girls for staring, for smiling at him, for asking him his name. My stomach churned, but I forced myself to remain calm.
Just friends. Just friends.
“Hello!” a chirpy voice greeted. The newcomer was an unfamiliar female with dark brown hair and tanned skin. She flashed me a smile. “I’m Ali! What’s your name?”
“Um…Bianaca.”
“Nice to meet you, Bianaca,” she said. “I’m on the New Student Committee with Maria. If you have any questions, don’t be afraid to ask.”
Without another word, she hurried toward Beau, no doubt to repeat her spiel. Or proposition him. It had happened before—people using me to get to him. Hell, my only female friend in high school had admitted to it. Beau was charismatic, and the female population, as well as half the male one, was not immune.
Movement from my peripheral captured my attention, turning me away from Beau. Or perhaps I had always noticed them, a lighthouse in a roiling sea. A flicker of light in the inky darkness I had grown accustomed to. I hadn’t realized at the time how strongly we were connected, how our souls screamed for each other, recognizing the kindred spirits in each other that others overlooked.
I spotted Kace first, the flirty guy from the receptionist office. He was sitting beside the asshole from earlier today, facing me, and making a house out of his waffles and french fries. Yup. You heard me right.
The weird guy from the fireplace was across from them, leaning back in his chair as if he gave zero shits about anything. They were three of the most gorgeous guys I had ever seen. Such male hotness should be banned. It was not healthy for my ovaries.
Beau stepped up beside me, Ali still talking his ear off. Apparently, there was a certain criteria required to be on the New Student Torture Squad or whatever the fuck they called it. Perky (and I didn’t just mean their breasts) and talkative. Huh. Two traits I didn’t possess.
“I do have a question for you,” I interrupted Ali, pointing toward the godlike trio. “Who are they?”
Her eyes flickered to them, and a dreamy, wistful expression softened her features.
“That’s Kace, Tanner, and Aiden.”
Aiden. That was the name of the asshole who had forced his way into my room.
“Hmmm…” I trailed off, considering the three men with appraising eyes. Kace’s auburn hair and lean frame. Aiden’s piercings glinting in the artificial cafeteria lighting. Tanner’s broad shoulders and leather jacket.
Ali snorted. “Don’t get your hopes up. They don’t date. Ever.”
“Ever, you say?” Because, really, I was always up for a challenge.
And I needed a distraction from Beau. Perfect, smart, funny Beau who made my heart thunder in my chest. Not just thunder…but turn into a whole fucking thunderstorm, complete with rain and lightning and the whole shebang.
Stupid, traitorous heart.
Without waiting for her to respond, I walked to their table, Beau following behind me.
It was Kace who saw me first, smiling at me over the top of his food castle. Tanner swiveled his head marginally, met my gaze, and then turned back toward his uneaten tray of food. It took Aiden a moment longer—he was obsessively stabbing at his sandwich (no surprise he had a penchant for sharp knives)—but when his eyes met mine, they grew cold. Pinpricks of fear raced down my spine, but I moved with a confidence I didn’t actually feel toward their table.
I sat in the empty seat between Kace and Aiden, ignoring the startled looks the entire cafeteria gave me. One would think I had pissed on the fucking queen by their reactions.
Or kings.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11 (Reading here)
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85