Page 49 of I Don't Need Your Protection

I spot Caleb watching the kids with a bored expression. Hmm. He doesn’t have a partner, either. The girls don’t seem to be rushing over to him like they did last week. Maybe it’s because they finally understand he’s not interested, or because the expression on his face makes it perfectly clear that he wants everyone to back away from him.

When his eyes meet mine, I lift my brow, asking him if we should team up. He subtly shakes his head. Right. We’re not supposed to be seen together.

Sighing, I continue to look around. Most of the kids are partnered up, but some aren’t. I guess I should search for someone.

Just as I’m about to get up, Warner pushes away from the crowd and heads straight for my desk. I glance behind me, figuring he’s going to the person behind me. But he stops at my desk.

“Hey, Addie.” He grins. “Wanna team up?”

My lungs feel like they’ve been frozen solid. I can barely breathe. “You want…I mean, me?”

His smile widens. “Of course.”

It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask why, but I shut my mouth. He’s asking me.Me. The new scholarship student. “Sure.”

“Nice.” He sits down in the desk in front of mine and turns to face me. He’s about to say something else, but the bell rings.

“Please get together with your partner outside of school hours,” Mrs. Powell instructs. “We won’t be dedicating any class time to this and you’re responsible for completing the work on your own.”

Warner frowns. “That’s a bummer. Figured we’d spend some class time on this project, but oh well.” He nods to me. “So how are we doing this?”

“Want to meet after school?”

“Getting straight to business, huh? I like it. Sure, let’s meet after school.”

My cheeks are warm. Did I make it seem like I’m overly ecstatic to team up with him?

“In the library? I heard the school has a large library and it’s quiet.” We can’t really meet in the dorm rooms, especially in the evenings, and it’s getting cold outside.

His eyebrows furrow. “We have a library here? Just kidding. I’m game.”

“Okay, cool.”

“Yep.”

As the class empties and everyone makes their way to the dining hall for lunch, I can’t stop myself from filling with glee. Warner chose me. Of all the kids who wanted to team up with him, he chose me.

Caleb trails a few feet behind me. I stop and turn around, waiting for him to catch up to me.

He stops when he notices I’m no longer walking, then slowly makes his way over to me. “What are you doing?” he hisses as he looks around. “Why aren’t you going to lunch? Is something wrong?”

I pull him behind a large plant. “I was just curious who you partnered up with.”

He lets out a heavy breath. “You’re going to arouse suspicion, Addilyn.”

I shrug. “No one sees us. So who’s your partner?”

“I’m doing the project alone.”

Right. Because no one is allowed to get close to him. “But there’s an even amount of students. How are you not teamed up with anyone? One of the teams has three people in it?”

“Yes.”

I stare at him incredulously. “How the heck did you convince Powell to let you work on the project alone?”

“I have a note stating I have medical reasons why I can’t participate in team projects.”

My mouth falls open and then I laugh. “Really? And the teachers buy that?”