Red Phoenix's Passion is for Lovers Collection (Boxed Set) (2 page)

T
essa held her breath when he walked into class. She hoped Kevin would look in her direction, but he kept his head down and sat slumped over in his desk. Brian hit his shoulder as he walked by, but Kevin didn’t respond. Tessa flashed Brian a dirty look.

He looked at Tess and shrugged his shoulders, looking all innocent. “What?”

Class started, so Tessa resigned herself to staring at Kevin again. The kid had sandy blond hair—it wasn’t just one color of blond like hers but a plethora of shades from white to strands of light auburn. The color reminded her of the beach.

“Psst!” Samantha said. When Tessa glanced in her direction, she saw the girl scowling at her. Sam nodded her head towards Kevin and then frowned.

Crap.
She’d noticed Tessa’s obsession with him.

Tessa blushed and looked at Mr. Steele. She worried the rest of the hour what Samantha would say. Sometimes friends could be crueler than bullies—Sam was such a friend.

When the bell rang, instead of getting to talk to Kevin, she found herself surrounded by Samantha and Brian. “What’s wrong with you?” Samantha hissed under her breath. Tessa sighed inwardly when she saw Kevin get up and walk away.

“Hey, Tess. Don’t tell me you have a thing for that freak?” Brian joked. “I couldn’t help noticing the way you stared at him the whole class period.”

Tessa shrugged. “Just curious is all.”

“How can you even stand to look at him? He’s grotesque!” Sam said, shuddering.

“Yeah, I really think he needs to stay home. No one should be subjected to his hideous face,” Brian added viciously.

Tess looked towards the door, sorry she had missed another opportunity to talk to him. It sucked that she would have to wait yet another day to connect. Brian noticed her longing stare and growled on his way out, “The fucking asshole needs to learn a lesson.”

Samantha grabbed her arm. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing. Why?”

“You know Brian has a crush on you. You won’t give him the time of day, but you’ll show interest in the Freak?”

Tessa pushed past her. “Leave me alone!”

She spent another night daydreaming about Kevin… This time they were in the lunchroom. He came up to her and asked to sit. Naturally, Tess scooted over and made room. His smile was enchanting, all lopsided and sweet. In her daydreams, he didn’t mind her staring. So she looked long and hard at his face. She even put her hand on his scars to see what they felt like. Then Kevin leaned forward for a kiss. Tess met him halfway, curious how it would feel with the right corner of his mouth being scarred. However, she couldn’t imagine after that, her mind wouldn’t let her go that far.

Tess sighed heavily and buried her face in the pillow. She really needed to meet Kevin to see if these fantasies even had a chance. It might be that the new guy wasn’t her type. Her infatuation was based solely on an irrational attraction. She had no idea if this Kevin guy even had a personality, and what if he did? There was no guarantee he would be interested in her.

Day 3

N
othing was going to stop her from talking to Kevin today.
Nothing!
Once again, he entered the classroom with his head down. Tessa gasped when she noticed that he had a black eye. She turned to Brian and saw him slapping his friends and pointing at Kevin. The other boys grinned and nodded their approval.

Assholes!

“Hey,” Tess said softly, trying to get his attention. There was no response. “Hey, Kevin.”

Kevin slumped further in his chair and did not turn around.

Mr. Steele began class and Tessa had to stifle a cry of frustration. Why wouldn’t he look her way? Did he think she was going to tease him?
Probably…

Tess watched the second hand move at a snail’s pace the last five minutes of class. She had her books gathered and ready to go. As soon as the bell sounded, she popped out of her seat and walked up to him. “Hey, Kevin. My name is Tessa. Do you mind if I walk with you to your next class?” Kevin didn’t even look at her. He just walked out of the classroom. Tessa followed, figuring he hadn’t said no.

Samantha hissed behind her, “What are you doing? Get back here!”

Tessa picked up her step to catch up with him. Kevin growled, “What, need to torment the outcast?”

“No!” She put her hand on his right arm. Kevin violently jerked out of her grasp. She stopped where she was, stunned by his reaction. Maybe he was an angry loner. But no, Brian had punched him in the eye—of course he was defensive. She ran to catch back up. “I’m sorry for touching you. I really just wanted to talk.”

He snapped, “Why? Want brownie points for being nice to the Freak?”

Tessa rushed ahead and turned in front of him, blocking his path. “No. I want to talk. I have since the first day.” Kevin glared at her with steel-blue eyes. It was not anything like her daydreams. Not even close.

“Why!” he snapped.

It wasn’t a question, it was an accusation. There was no way Tessa could confess her obsession with him, so she kept it simple. “Why not?”

Her answer must have surprised Kevin, because his eyes softened a bit. “Hmm… well, I’m headed for Earth Science. What about you?”

Tessa’s class was in the opposite direction, but she wasn’t about to admit it. “Cool, it’s on my way.”

They walked together in uncomfortable silence. “So, you said your name is Tessa, huh?”

She smiled brightly. “Yes, and I hear you are from Kansas.” He frowned and turned his head away from her. Obviously, Kansas was off-limits. She tried to rescue the moment by blurting, “So, do you like our school?”
Dumb question!

“Can’t say that I do,” he mumbled.

“Not all of us are creeps.”

Kevin looked at her and snorted. “I suppose not.”

His classroom came up way too soon. “Would you like to meet after school?” Tessa asked, crossing her fingers behind her back.

“Nah, I need to head home.”

Tessa turned away, hating the rejection she felt. She continued down the hall, keeping up the pretense that her class was this way.

“How about tomorrow?”

Tess turned around and grinned. “Tomorrow then!” As soon as Kevin disappeared into his class, she did an about-face and made a beeline to the other end of the building. She couldn’t stop smiling. Tomorrow she was going to get the chance to talk with Kevin, really talk.

That night she made a list of things
not
to talk about. She didn’t want to stumble onto landmines that might set him off.

Don’t Talk About

•
All things Kansas

•
School when it comes to other students

•
His scars

•
How he got those scars

•
How he got the black eye

•
Mr. Steele’s class

•
Brian the asshole

So what did that leave? Well, she could talk about herself, but that would make her seem conceited. Maybe she should stick to world events; that should be safe. Regardless of what was said, Tess was going to be close to Kevin. The thought made her tremble in anticipation.

Day 4

T
essa’s heart was beating wildly while she waited for Kevin to show up. When he arrived, he kept his head down and sat at his desk without looking at her. Tess was hurt. Had everything gone back to the way it had been?

She heard Brian snickering under his breath.
Of course.
Kevin was just trying to avoid Brian’s wrath. Well, that made sense. Tess couldn’t help glancing at Kevin from time to time. He was wearing a button-down shirt and tight-fitting jeans. His hair looked more styled than before. Tess wondered if he had done that for her sake. It made her smile. Would he notice that she had curled her hair and was wearing a short skirt that showed off her legs?

Unfortunately, Brian did. “Hey, Tess.” She ignored him.

Soon wads of paper pelted her. It was embarrassing, so she turned around. “Please stop.”

“Come on. Don’t be that way. I see you flashing those creamy thighs at me.”

Tessa burned in mortification, while the kids around her giggled and scoffed. She was grateful Kevin’s gaze remained intent on the teacher. Tessa pretended that he hadn’t heard Brian’s crude comment.

She couldn’t stand the thought of being harassed by Brian after class, so just before it ended she asked to go to the bathroom. Mr. Steele was a strict teacher, but he had a soft spot for the straight-A student and let her leave. Tessa took her books with her and headed to the nearest one, intending to wait there until the bell rang.

She burst into the girls’ bathroom and was greeted by Penny giving head to Jordon, the basketball center. Tessa stood there stunned. Jordon’s jeans and underwear were pooled at his ankles. She could clearly see his dark muscled buttocks and his exposed shaft. He was gripping Penny’s head, pushing her back and forth on his dick.

The girl was on her knees with her mouth wide open. Jordon’s black cock snaked in and out of her bright pink lips. Penny made little grunting sounds each time he pushed her head deeper onto his shaft.

Jordon turned his head and stared at her. “What? You just going to stand there and watch?”

Tessa’s entire body flushed as she rushed out, the image of the two of them planted firmly in her brain. She’d never seen a real penis before and even though she’d heard about blowjobs, she’d never seen one in action. Before she got far, she heard Jordon groaning. The sexual sound made Tess tingle in her nether regions.

Not knowing what else to do, Tess headed to Kevin’s science class and waited for him. She stood there feeling confused and embarrassed. Tess was a good girl. She studied for tests, never stayed out late, and had only kissed two boys in her life. Her friends called her a prude, but she’d convinced herself that she was just picky.

Tess was relieved when the bell finally rang. She scanned the crowds, looking for Kevin. He was easy to spot. The other students were scared of him, so there was a void of space around the guy. When Kevin spotted Tessa, she saw a glimmer of that half-smile she’d dreamed about. It disappeared by the time he reached her.