Page 93 of Offside Attraction
“Good.” She straightens in her chair, her sharp gaze cutting between the two of us. “You’ll report to the detention room immediately after school. Ms. Aldridge has already coordinated with the staff member overseeing it. I don’t want to hear a single word about further incidents. Is that understood?”
“Yes, ma’am,” we say in unison, though Hayes’s voice is clipped with irritation.
“Then get the hell out of my sight,” she says, turning her attention to a stack of papers on her desk as if we’re no longer worth her time.
I stand quickly, not bothering to glance at Hayes as I head for the door.
The door to the principal’s office clicks shut behind us, and for a moment, there’s silence in the hallway. I start to head toward my next class, wanting to put as much distance as possible between me and Hayes, but his voice stops me cold.
“A fucking detention!” Hayes snaps, his voice sharp and angry, cutting through the hallway like a blade. I pause mid-step and glance back over my shoulder. He’s glaring at me, his dark eyes blazing with frustration and something else I can’t quite place—maybe blame, maybe resentment.
“What?” I say, turning fully to face him. “Don’t look at me like it’s my fault.”
“It is your fault,” he growls, stepping closer, his fists clenched at his sides. “I’ve never gotten detention before. Not once. Then you show up, and suddenly, I’m stuck wasting my time because you can’t keep your shit together.”
I laugh bitterly, shaking my head. “Right, because you’re so perfect, huh? Mr. Hayes Griffin, the golden boy of Crestview Prep. Nothing’s ever your fault. Must be nice.” I scoff. “Tough luck, Princess,”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he snaps, his voice rising. “I don’t have time for this crap, Miller. I’ve got hockey practice. We’ve got a game coming up, and now I’m stuck in detention because of you.”
“You’re stuck in detention because you don’t know how to shut your fucking mouth,” I fire back, stepping closer. “Don’t pin this on me just because Principal Caldwell finally decided to treat you like the rest of us.”
His jaw tightens, and for a moment, he doesn’t say anything. Then he scoffs, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “You’ve been looking for ways to get under my skin since the lake, haven’t you?”
I freeze, my chest tightening. “Don’t start with that,” I warn, my voice low.
“No? Maybe we should talk about it,” Hayes says, his voice low and challenging as he takes a step forward. Suddenly, we’re close—too close. We’re breathing the same air, and I can’t ignore the faint scent of his expensive cologne mixed with the sharp, clean smell of soap and something uniquely him.
I try not to let it get to me—how he’s irresistibly attractive, even when he’s pissed off and angry. His lips, full and pink, still curve slightly even when he’s glaring, like he’s always on the edge of a smirk. How good he smells. His hair, dark and perfectly tousled, looks like he just rolled out of bed, but I know it’s intentional. Everything about Hayes Griffin is intentional.
And that’s the problem, isn’t it? He knows exactly what he’s doing, how he looks, how people react to him. He’s the type who could make anyone fall for him with just a glance. And the worst part? I’m not immune to it. Not even close.
My chest tightens at the mention of the lake, and I clench my fists, refusing to let him see how much that stings. “The lake? Seriously? That’s what this is about now? You’re the one who brought me there, Griffin. I didn’t ask for it.”
“Is that so?” Hayes says, his voice dripping with mockery. He takes a step closer, his smirk sharp enough to cut. “I don’t remember putting a gun to your head, Miller. You wanted it. I didn’t even get to ask you twice before you were hopping on my bike, ready to get away with me.”
His words hit like a slap, and the smirk on his face makes it ten times worse. A complete mockery, a reminder of just how easily he can twist the truth into a weapon. My knuckles ache from how tightly I’m clenching my fists. I want to punch him, knock that smug look off his face. But more than that, I want to erase the part of me that let myself believe—just for a second—that there was more to him than this.
“I can’t believe I actually thought you had depth,” I snap, my voice shaking with barely contained anger. “Last night, I thought maybe—just maybe—you weren’t the asshole you pretend to be. But you know what? I was wrong. You’re exactly who I thought you were.”
His smirk falters for just a second, a flicker of something unspoken crossing his face. But it’s gone before I can place it, replaced by the same cold, mocking exterior.
“Good,” he says, his tone biting. “Because I don’t want you getting the wrong idea, Miller. Whatever you thought happened at the lake—it didn’t mean anything.”
I laugh, the sound bitter and hollow, echoing in the tense hallway. “You’re going to keep on lying to yourself, huh?”
Hayes scoffs, his glare fixed on me and not wavering. “You really didn’t think for a second I wanted to kiss you, did you?”
“Oh, I know you wanted to,” I fire back, taking a step closer. “You couldn’t even help but admit it yourself, Griffin.”
His jaw tightens, his shoulders stiffening as his smirk falters for the briefest second.
“In fact, I know you wanna kiss me right now,” I whisper, my voice low and taunting as I take a step closer. The air between usfeels electric, charged with tension that neither of us is willing to break first.
Hayes’s eyes darken, his jaw tightening as his glare sharpens. “You’re delusional,” he snaps, but his voice wavers just slightly, betraying the confidence in his words.
“Am I?” I ask, tilting my head, a smirk playing on my lips. “Because you’re not walking away, Griffin. You’re standing here, arguing with me, and you can’t even deny it.”
Before he can respond, I take a step forward, closing the space between us, and push him back against the wall. My right hand presses firmly against the wall next to his head, pinning him in place, while my other hand trails down his torso. I can feel the tension in his body, the rigid muscles beneath my fingers as I move slowly, deliberately.