Page 19

"It just didn't feel right. He's a nice guy, but the spark isn't there, you know?"

It was on the tip of my tongue to ask her how she could possibly know if there was a spark without first going on a date, but then my mind jumped to Roman.

Our spark was instant—a meeting of eyes andboom. Our spark could light the city grid. I couldn't imagine ever feeling this way about another guy. I've never even come close. True, there were few options in my small hometown, but there were plenty of guys where I now lived.

Granted, I haven't been able to get close to any of them, not that I would want to. Roman's possessiveness and jealousy of any male within my vicinity were enough to deter me. I didn't want him to lose his job, and that would definitely happen if he saw another male so much as breathing on me. His bubbling greediness of me would spill over until it exploded.

Boom.

There went his career and possibly his freedom to be with me.

Was it healthy? No. But I equally coveted his time. I knew a few female teachers who wanted to date him, and I had a hard time resisting the urge to clutch his hand as I watched them simper at him.

"Well...anyone else at your new school catch your eye? C' mom, there has to be someone." I propped my chin on my hand and shot her a teasing grin.

She matched my smirk and raised her brow. "I could ask you the same thing. Your school's bigger. Any hot boys catch your eye?"

I almost flinched at her use of 'boy.' It implied that I should be interested in age-appropriate boys, as should most straight teenage girls in high school.

"Oh, my god, you're blushing!" She shrieked. "Here you are giving me shit when you're hiding your own mystery boy. C'mon! Spill."

I really wished she would stop saying 'boy,' but I felt my resolve weaken. Dina was my best friend. I usually told her everything. I knew I could trust her, but this wasn't some harmless crush on aboyin my class. This was life-ruining information. If I -

"Oh!" Dina gasped. Her face went red, and she leaned back from her camera. Her eyes were pinned on something behind me.

I turned my head and jumped in fright. "Jesus, Dad!" I scooted up to sit on my knees as I glared at him. "Sneak up much?" I left my door open, but that didn't mean he could just enter.

But he wasn't paying me any attention. His whole focus was on my phone. "What?" I looked from him to my phone in puzzlement.

Dina was looking at anything but her screen. My Dad stared intently at my phone, a muscle ticking in his jaw. There was an unreadable expression on his face. He looked equal parts pissed off and pained.

"Dina," he growled. "How are you?"

Dina rubbed at her shoulder and gave my Dad a tiny, stiff smile. "Fine, Mi - Mr. Thomas."

Dad leaned over and peered into my screen. "Have you been behaving?"

"Dad -"

"Actually," Dina haughtily replied, "Luce and I were just talking about a date I have coming up."

"Uhh...we were?" I asked, my head volleying between the two of them.

My best friend's chin lifted. "I have a date this weekend."

"Youdo?" I was so lost.

My Dad leaned forward, his face looking a little red. It reminded me of when I tried to leave the house at sixteen with half my ass hanging out of my shorts. "If thateverhappens -"

He abruptly cut off, leaned back, and ran a hand through his hair. He turned to stare at me as the tension drained slowly from him. He fixed me with an overly bright smile and ruffled my hair. I squeaked in protest as I batted his hands away.

"You know what? I forgot to mention that I'm popping into Koby Plains this weekend."

"Huh?" My mouth dropped. I heard Dina's gasp, but I felt like I was stuck in loopy land with the number of bomb drops. Not to mention my Dad's weird behavior. "I thought we weren't going back 'til Thanksgiving?"

My grandparents still lived there, and I had an uncle and aunt that lived a town over with my cousins.

"Your uncle Rob needs someone to help him fix a fence."