Chapter 40

"What a dumbass." Kieran just grunted and nodded his head in approval and as we neared the school in our short drive I felt the anxious butterflies well up. It would be the first time facing them after what happened at the party. As if he could sense my anxious energy, Kieran grabbed my hand in his and rubbed his fingers across my hand comfortingly and it was surprisingly everything I didn't know I needed. "Don't worry, I'll be with you every step of the way. If he shows up, you know I won't hesitate to protect you." "That's not it although I wish you wouldn't so blatantly put yourself in harm's way in the name of my protection. It's just stupid normal nervousness about what happened at the party. Nothing you could really protect me from," I explained, trying not to grimace though my words. "Well I can still help with the gossip. People around here are scared of me because of my past, I can make someone shut up faster than a fist with just a look but I can use physical force if I need to as well," he told me and I had to crack a smile at that. "So violent," I teased. "You know you love it." I had to look away to hide the smile that proved that statement correct. He parked in his designated spot and all eyes were on us as he came around to open my door. It was like we were fish in a marine life exhibit. "Why is everyone staring?  I mean I know you're like Mr. Gorgeous and I'm like Mrs. New Girl but still..." He chuckled beside me and grabbed me around the waist, surprising not only me but also the nice looking girls two feet to the left of us who had stooped to openly gaping. "Thanks for the compliment.  I knew you were obsessed with me.  Honestly it's probably because I'm never nice to anyone, let alone give anyone rides.  They're probably wondering when I grew a heart.  They just don't care about me long enough to actually get to know me to see that I really do have one, they just like me because of my social status." "Huh.  Makes sense I guess.  Not obsessed with you by the way, just your muscles." That earned me a full on laugh and I swore it scared away some of the people walking near us, probably having never heard a real laugh come out of him before. "Why Kieran, I never knew people were so deathly afraid of you." "I know.  It's like they think I'll look at them and feel the need to punch them for some reason." I laughed at that as other people scrambled out of his way but came to a stop when I spotted Eva sitting alone at one of the picnic tables outside waiting on the class bell to ring. "Hey, what's up?" I asked her as I took a seat, Kieran following suit, and I could tell he was glad that he didn't have to go sit with his usual crowd a few tables away even though they were calling his name.  His step brother was there with his girlfriend and he surely didn't want to be by them. "What's up?  That's all I get after you run away from a party we went to together and leaving your phone making me worry obsessively if you were alive or dead for God knows how long?" "I know.  I'm sorry.  You saw what happened, don't I get a pass?" She looked over me in assessment before finally relenting and adopting a more friendly feature on her face. "Yeah, I guess.  Here's your phone by the way.  I guess I'm not surprised that you guys are hanging out together considering I had to talk to you just to find out if this one was even still alive," she said, pointing her finger at me while simultaneously popping a large bubble of her gum in our faces. "Your charm never ceases to warm the darkest parts of my heart, Eva," I told her, batting my eyelashes at her to drive the point home. "Yeah, yeah.  So, when did this little love fest happen?" she asked me, her look accusatory almost in nature. I flinched. "L-love fest?  No, nothing like that," I tried to explain but Kieran beat me to the punch by putting his monster of an arm around my shoulders at the exact same time. "Oh come on honeypot, the jig is up.  They know all about our little rendezvous in the sand..." he said while trying to eskimo kiss me on the side of my face all the while a teasing smile on his face. "I am extremely uncomfortable right now..." I heard Eva say. I started laughing and was about to say, 'You and me both', but a shadow fell across our table just as the words died from my mouth. Kieran's arm became rigid and I stiffened from his response to the newcomers.  I turned around in my seat to see Lailah, Jake, and another person whose presence made chills crawl up my spine in fear and disgust. "Hey guys!  Meet our new student!  Caroline, he said you two knew each other really well back in New York.  Everyone say hello to Nathan McCormick."