Page 278 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol 4

I reluctantly pulled off my sunglasses to look at the screen.What the hell?It was a picture of me and Matt from the party. The fact that I was staring up at him with stars in my eyes would have been cute if I wasn’t running my hand along his jaw line. I grabbed the camera from her. “You took a picture of me touching Matt’s face? Why didn’t you stop me?”

“I thought it was like…your thing.”

“Mything? What does that even mean?!”

Kennedy laughed and took the camera back from me. “I don’t know. That you like to touch a man’s face before you make out with him?”

“Delete that picture.”

“Nah.”

“Kennedy, please.”

“Nunca.”

“Give me the camera!” I reached out for it but she lifted it in the air out of my reach. I jumped but she dodged me and I almost ran into…screw me. Mr. Hill. Who stopped. Turned. Stared down at me with that look of hatred he always gave me in my entrepreneurial studies class.

“Miss Sanders, are you going to take off that sweatshirt or will you be spending the morning in the principal’s office?” he asked.

“I’m going to take it off.” My voice was barely a whisper. And for a second I thought he didn’t hear me, because he was still standing there staring at me like I was a piece of shit he’d just stepped into. Which was ironic because he seemed like the exact kind of horrible person that would walk a dog, let it poop on the sidewalk, and not pick it up.Asshole.I stared back, wondering if he was going to wipe off the bottom of his shoes.

“Now, Miss Sanders, or I’ll escort you to the principal’s office myself.”

I pulled off the rest of my disguise and shoved it into my locker.

Mr. Hill sighed as if I was the most exhausting person in his life. “Don’t let me see you breaking the dress code again or I’ll issue you detention myself.”

“Wow, the rumors about him are true,” Kennedy said when Mr. Hill was out of earshot. “He really does hate scholarship students. I mean, look at Isabella.” She nodded her head toward Isabella, who Mr. Hill had just passed in the hall. Her collar was popped and too many buttons at the top of her shirt were undone. And it wasn’t even one of the standard-issue collared shirts we were required to wear. Hers was practically sheer. Everything about her outfit was clearly against the dress code. But she actually got a friendly wave from Mr. Hill.

“Pretty sure he just hates me,” I said and slammed my locker closed.

“Speaking of hating people...” Kennedy was staring daggers at someone behind me.

I looked over my shoulder to see Felix walking over toward us. Unlike her, I didn’t hate him. Quite the opposite. Which was why I couldn’t speak to him this morning. Or ever. I was mortified about how I had behaved at his party. Kennedy said that if I had drunk a tiny bit more maybe I wouldn’t have remembered anything from Friday night. I wished that had happened. But unluckily for me, I remembered every tiny embarrassing detail.

“See you in English,” I said and hurried off before Kennedy could even say goodbye.

***

The avoidance had been going great. But I also hadn’t had my classes with Felix or Matt yet. Matt ignored me anyway, so that would be easy. But Felix? My class with him was going to start in a minute. Felix and I always ran together. Which meant I was going to have to participate in whatever horrible lesson Coach Carter had planned in order to keep my distance. Hopefully it wasn’t even outside. I didn’t want to be anywhere near the track.

I waited till the last second before leaving the locker room. I was going to be fine. But the knot growing in my stomach made me feel anything but fine.

I could feel Felix’s eyes on me as Coach Carter called attendance. When he told us the choices were dodgeball or practicing the mile, I was almost tempted to face Felix.Almost.But I’d rather literally take a ball in the face than face him. I knew it was cowardly. Sometimes it was easier to hide under a rock though. Bravery was overrated when it came to high school.

I walked over to the side of the gym with the other students that were going to play dodgeball. I glanced at Felix out of the corner of my eye. He was leaning against the doorjamb, his hands shoved into the pockets of his gray sweatpants. He smiled when our eyes met and then nodded towards the track, trying to get me to go outside with him.

I shook my head and turned my attention to the two captains that Coach Carter had just called. A new fear settled into my stomach. I was going to be chosen last. I could alreadypicture the other students laughing. I’d successfully avoided this horrible situation until this moment. But all of them laughing at me was somehow better than Felix laughing. Which would absolutely happen if I spoke to him. I cringed, remembering how I was basically yelling at Matt about him screwing up my first kiss with Felix. My first kissperiod. Felix was going to think I was such a loser.

One by one, the other students’ names were called. Well, I was a loser, so I guess Felix’s thoughts were fitting.

When only half of us were left, I saw Felix finally move. But he didn’t go outside. He started walking toward me. No.No, no, no.

“First you made me run, newb. Now you’re seriously going to make me play this stupid game in order to talk to you?” He flashed me that smile that I was growing used to being directed at me.

I shook my head. “I just really love dodgeball, it has nothing to do with you.”

“Okay.” His smile faded.