Page 22

Shit.
“Lucky you, Angel.” The caveman next to me chuckles softly. My lips twist in contempt.
“I’m not your angel,” I mutter under my breath.
He leans over, and goddamn does he smell good. A birch scent with a hint of citrus invades my nose. His lips turn up and his eyes almost look black.
“Not yet.” He sits back in his seat and focuses his attention back on the professor.
“Now, in regard to your labs, I’m not a cruel person. So, here’s the deal. You don’t have to do them here in this room. Do them in the library, do them in your dorm room—hell, do them with a goat on a boat.”
Some of the students break out in laughter.
He continues, “They will be due on Fridays by nine at night. But I expect you to work on them together. They will be on the online portion of the class. So if you do the labs on the boat with your goat, make sure your Wi-Fi connection is strong.”
For the rest of class, Professor Mayer goes over the syllabus and the lessons we will be covering.
But the entire time, my mind is preoccupied knowing the handsome behemoth next to me keeps staring and smiling at me. I can feel his eyes on me.
“Give me your phone,” he demands.
I bristle. “First, no. Second, no fucking way.”
“Look, if we’re lab partners, we’ll need to communicate with each other on when to get together.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “I don’t even know your name.
Why would I just hand over my number?”
He chuckles and holds out his hand. “Dekker West.”
Instead of shaking his hand, I give him my phone. “Put your number in there, Dekker West.”
“That’s all I needed to do to get your number? Damn, Angel, you’re easy.” He whistles.
I roll my eyes. “Just message me when you want to get together to do the labs. Preferably somewhere public with witnesses. And stop calling me Angel.”
Not giving Dekker a chance to respond, I throw my backpack on after he punches his number in and march my ass right out of the room.
Of all the people in the world, one of my stepbrother’s friends has to be in this class.
And of course, he is my lab partner. Because why not?
When I finally get outside, I walk along the wall of the building and then stop several feet from the door and lean against the wall. Tipping my head back, I close my eyes and take a deep breath.
I wish I wasn’t here.
If my dad was still alive, I wouldn’t be here. My mom wouldn’t have married Aaron, and I wouldn’t have an asshole for a stepbrother. Or know his asshole friends.
“I think she may be dying out here. I mean, all that fat has to be hard to carry around.” My eyes fly open at the sound of the harpy and sure enough, there’s the queen bitch herself and Xayden.
“Your voice is like nails on a chalkboard, Drizella.” I push away from the wall and start to walk away from them.
As I walk past, I hear Xayden snicker.
“Who the fuck is Drizella?” The bitch’s voice raises like three octaves. “My fucking name is Monica! Learn it.”
Monica. So that’s his girlfriend’s name. Though, Drizella does fit her better. “You were so obsessed with Cinderella, you tell me, Driz.”