Red Phoenix's Passion is for Lovers Collection (Boxed Set) (3 page)

“Wasn’t sure I would see you again today,” he said gruffly.

“I couldn’t take another second of class. Sorry about that.”

“No need to apologize. Those guys are jerks.”

She smiled sympathetically, unconsciously staring at his black eye. Kevin noticed and turned away from her. He must have been embarrassed, because Kevin headed into class. “No, wait!” she cried.

“What?” he asked, looking back at her with a slightly amused look on his face.

“Where do you want to meet?”

“Your locker?”

Tessa grinned. “Sure. Do you know where it is?”

“No…”

She blushed.
Why would he?
Number two four two.”

“Okay. See you there.”

Tess gave a silent cheer when he turned away, then scampered down the hall to her own class. Normally, she would have been mortified when Principal Lewis stopped her and lectured her about running in the halls. Instead, she just smiled and apologized before running off again.

The end of the school day couldn’t come soon enough. Every class dragged on and on forever. Unfortunately, Samantha was in her last class period. “Where did you run off to this morning?”

“I had to pee. Give me a break.”

Samantha rolled her eyes. “That’s not what Jordon said you were doing.”

“Why? What did he say?”

“Doesn’t matter. Brian hoped to ask you something after class. You shouldn’t have run off like that.”

It was Tessa’s turn to roll her eyes. “Whatever it is, the answer is no.”

“Don’t be like that. Brian really likes you and wants to know if you could hang out this weekend.”

“Like I said, the answer is no.”

“Why? You got a hot date with Scar Boy or something?”

“Sometimes you don’t know when to shut up.”

“Oh my God, you do have something for the Freak.” Samantha grabbed her arm and squeezed hard, digging her nails into Tessa’s skin. “Don’t you dare start something up with that boy. I won’t have it. No friend of mine is going to humiliate herself by hanging around that…
thing
.”

Tessa gave her a long, hard stare. “I guess you are right. No friend of yours would do that.” She turned away from her and ignored Samantha the rest of class. Tessa smiled to herself, thinking,
Get used to it, Sam. I’m done.

With her heart beating like a freight train, Tess waited for him after school. The building had pretty much cleared out by the time Kevin rounded the corner. Tess broke out in an all-out grin. She couldn’t help it; she had no control over her feelings when he was near. “You finally made it!”

“Yep, had to talk to the math teacher after class. Apparently, the schools in Kansas suck because he claims I’m six months behind you guys.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” She looked down at the ground and shifted her feet, wondering if she had the nerve to suggest being his tutor.

Yep, guess I do.

“I could maybe help you. I’m not a whiz or anything, but I hold my own.”

“I might have to take you up on that. We’ll see how things go.”

They stood next to her locker. For some reason, she felt suffocatingly shy. Tess needed to say something; she was the one who had invited him to join her after all. “Um, so what do you think of our current president?”

Kevin looked at her oddly. “Is that the best you can do? Do you really want to talk about the president?”

Just then, Jordon came down the hall in his basketball uniform. When he saw Tessa, the basketball player whistled. “Hey, hot stuff, wanna meet in the bathroom again?”

Tess looked at him in horror.
He’s not spreading rumors that I sucked him in the bathroom, is he?

However, it would explain Samantha’s strange comment. Tess felt like she was going to puke. She stared at Kevin in desperation and then ran out of the school as fast as she could. Tessa barely made it to a row of bushes outside the school grounds before she threw up.

Day 5

T
essa opened her eyes, covered in sweat. She had been dreaming of Kevin. Instead of Jordon in the bathroom, she was on her knees taking Kevin into her mouth. In her dream, his shaft was red and scarred like his face but she didn’t care. He grabbed her head, forcing her to take him deeper into her mouth. She made little grunting sounds like Penny and Kevin groaned just like Jordon.

Her panties were wet.
What is wrong with me?
Tessa didn’t know the guy and couldn’t even hold a decent conversation with him, but here she was dreaming of him sexually? It was shameful.

Besides, what chance did she have with Kevin? The whole school was probably talking about how she’d given Jordon a blowjob in the bathroom. Would anyone believe that she hadn’t? Samantha would. She knew how prudish Tessa was, that was probably why she hadn’t made a big deal of it. However, the rest of the school would not be as kind. What made better news than the prissy schoolgirl getting nasty with the basketball star in the bathroom—of all places?

“Mom!” she called from her bed.

Her mother appeared at the door. “What’s wrong, sweetie?”

“I don’t feel good.”

Julie immediately walked into her bedroom and felt Tessa’s head. “My poor baby. Why don’t you stay home today?”

Having straight A’s helped when a girl wanted to stay home sick. “Okay, Mom… if you insist.”

“I do, Pumpkin.” Her mother planted a kiss on her forehead. “Do you want me to come home for lunch and check on you?”

“Nah. I don’t feel good but it’s not like I’m dying or anything.”

“Okay. Well, I’ll call you from work. Don’t hesitate to ring me if you change your mind. I can come home at noon, but I have a late meeting tonight. I doubt I will be home before nine.”

“It’s okay, Mom. I am almost eighteen. I think I can handle being sick on my own.”

Julie smiled and looked at her wistfully. “I can’t believe my baby girl is becoming an adult in four days.”

“Oh well, it had to happen sometime.”

Her mom’s eyes twinkled in excitement. “I can’t wait for your party, Pumpkin. I promise it is going to be a
huge
deal. Nothing but the best for my little girl.”

“Not so little now, Mom.” Tess didn’t want a huge party. Her mom always overdid things to compensate for never being home.

“Whatever. You’ll always be Pumpkin to me.”

“I better not see any pumpkins at my party.”

Julie laughed mischievously as she walked down the hall.

Tess sank into bed and wrapped the comforter around her. A whole day alone—she was
always
alone. Her mother’s job as a criminal lawyer was her life. It had killed her marriage and left Tess to raise herself, but Tessa wasn’t exactly resentful—it was all she knew.

Day 6

T
ess had to face Kevin. One day home convinced her that whatever happened, it was better than sitting at home bored. It didn’t help that she missed a quiz in Social Sciences. Missing even one day meant hours of makeup homework.

She trembled while waiting for Kevin to come through the classroom door. Brian tried to egg Tessa into talking to him. “Tess, I don’t believe Jordon.” Tess was glad Brian had
some
class, but then he added, “I know you didn’t do it in the bathroom.”

Dick!
She whipped around and snapped, “Shut up! Nobody wants to hear what you have to say.”

His friends started snickering and his buddy Rob said condescendingly, “Somebody’s a little sensitive today…”

Brian leaned towards her. “I’d take you in the bathroom anytime.”

Tessa growled under her breath and turned back around in her seat. She about died when she saw Kevin sitting down. He had to have heard their exchange. What was he thinking? Kevin didn’t even know who she was. Why
wouldn’t
he believe the rumors? Tess was too humiliated to approach him after class and just ran.

She barely survived the day. Whenever Tessa switched classes, she was forced to endure the hateful glances of snotty girls and the lustful looks of immature boys. She sighed with gratitude when the final bell rang. Tess gathered the materials she needed to make up for her lost day and stuffed them in her backpack. It was ridiculously heavy. She groaned when she picked it up, slamming the locker closed.

“Need help?”

She looked behind her and saw Kevin leaning against a locker looking exceedingly handsome. He’d styled his hair a different way so that his right eye was slightly covered. It made him look charmingly aloof. “I can manage,” she answered.

He didn’t ask a second time, he just eased the backpack off her shoulder and took it. “Where are you headed?”

“I was headed home. What about you?”

“Same. If you would like, you could stop by my place for a bit.”

“Yeah, that would be nice actually.” He was asking her out on a pseudo-date! She wondered what had brought about the change. It certainly wasn’t her exceptional conversational skills.

They walked out of the school and he motioned towards the neighborhood to the south. “I live down this way. It’s a bit of a walk.”

“I don’t mind. I’m not the one carrying a ton of books,” she said, smiling foolishly. It looked like her fantasies were about to become reality. They walked together in silence, but it was draining on her. She wanted to find out more about Kevin. Tessa threw caution to the wind and asked, “So, do you have any brothers or sisters?”

Kevin stopped for a second and then shook his head. “No.” She could tell by the look on his face that she had hit another raw nerve. Why was she constantly sticking her foot in her mouth around him?

They finished the walk in silence. She could hear every footstep as they made their way to his place. Tessa’s innocent question had ruined their newfound ease and she didn’t know how to get it back. Kevin led her to a small house with a large corner lot. There wasn’t anything fancy about the little house, but it had a feeling of home to her. Kevin directed her to go in first. The yeasty smell of fresh-baked bread filled the place.

“Wow, your mom cooks?” she asked.

“Yeah, but no big deal. We have a bread machine. She likes there to be something for me to snack on after school. She’s funny like that.”

“My mom would never think of doing anything like that. I’m pretty much on my own.”