Page 40 of Tempting the President

I pointed to her lips with a grimace.Then stop smiling.

KC only laughed. “That was the first thing you said to me when we met in class. Remember?”

I did, unfortunately. That was one of the worst days of my life, too. I was sure KC knew that a passion for art was the only thing we had in common, but it hadn’t seemed to matter to her. The first time we met, she told me she had a feeling we would be very good friends.

I shuddered at the memory. It was ridiculous, the way she could be so optimistic.

Beside me, KC had a lost look on her face, something I had gotten used to over the years. It only meant one thing: she was daydreaming again.

I jabbed her side with my elbow. Hard. Now was not the time to daydream, especially since KC had on a cute navy dress, one guaranteed to have all sorts of pervs coming her way.

The thought had me grimacing. We had another thing in common, after all. Both of us got hit on a lot, KC because she looked too innocent to be true, and me because my curves made everyone think I was an easy lay.

KC was blinking at me rapidly. “Did I...?”

I nodded.

Her cheeks turned rosy with embarrassment. “Sorry. I just started a new project last night, and there’s something missing from it.” KC was amangaka.More specifically, she specialized inshoujo mangaor Japanese romance comics for girls.

The school bell rang then, and all my questions about KC’s project had to wait. When I looked at my friend, she asked, “Ready?”

I nodded.Ready.

I counted the minutes. One, two—-

Three.

Doors burst open, girls running with all their might towards the field. It was a stampede, and only one thing could have caused it. Only one thingalwayscaused it.

Openings in Afxisi,the university’s bike racing club, which everyone knew was just a front for the numerous underground races its members participated in and won.

I mentally shook my head.Silly girls.I had heard horror stories about it from Bobby and MJ, both of them fiancées of bikers who belonged to the Afxisi. If a girl was accepted as a club member, it only meant they had earned the dubious privilege of keeping house for the Afxisi. Floor sweeping, laundry, cooking. The only perk – having a chance to get in bed with one of the club’s members.

Yuck.

Students started trickling in, but soon they came in droves, and there was no time for me to even think. I could only hand out pamphlets, one after another, answering everyone’s questions with smiles and deflecting them towards KC when they actually needed to be answered.

It was exhausting, being around so many people. When I was done giving away my set, I tapped KC on the shoulder.

“You want a break?”

I nodded.

“Go, go. I can see this one tired you.” KC waved me away.

I bowed.Thank you.

I hid myself inside the booth by sitting on the ground. Outside, the noise grew and grew. Everyone having a reason to talk, to smile, to laugh.

And yet, all of their noise, no matter how loud, no matter how near they were, always turned into a blur by the time the sound reached my ears.

“Anyone inside?”

Something about the voice made me stiffen, the words sounding more like a gibe than an actual question. I stayed silent, hoping whoever it was would go away.

“We’ve got someone with no ears here.”

Slowly, I covered my own ears, but it was no use.