The Heat (34 page)

Of course, she wasn’t alone in her opinion of Dominic Maldovan. Practically every girl in the school had a thing for him. It was hard not to. He was so tall, he stood at least a head above most of the other boys in the school. He played guitar as if he’d been born with a pick between his thumb and forefinger. He even had a band – and they were good. But most of all, when Dominic looked at you, with those piercing green eyes of his, he really
looked
at you – as if he were truly
seeing
you there.

That was rare for boys.

And it drove Logan slightly mad. It was the stuff of dreams; it was definitely the stuff of
her
dreams. And she’d missed him this morning because her brother had gone ballistic. Literally.

With a heavy sigh and a heart that felt equally heavy, Logan shut her locker door and turned to peer down the empty hallway. Her mother had made excuses for her, as usual. It was nothing new, and embarrassing as it was, Logan was used to the principal simply nodding at her as she walked through the school’s front door two hours late.

The one good thing that came of it was that she could take her time sorting herself out before she went to third period. She was already late. She was already behind. She may as well stand there and breathe and
think
before she was shoved head-long into what was left of another stressful high school day.

The silence in the halls was so very rare. To Logan, when she stood still and alone in the hallway between classes or after school, she felt as if she’d entered some kind of movie or book or even a dream. It was surreal to hear the echoes of the twelve hundred students who had traversed the hall only moments ago – but stare down its length and see nothing but rows and rows of lockers and a few pieces of careless trash.

It was like living in a ghost story. She expected to catch a glimpse of some student body president from the past, outlined in white transparency, with holes where his eyes had once been.

But that was just Logan. That was the way her mind worked.

It kept her sane when Taylor sent someone to the emergency room or her mother began to slur her speech or her father had one of his bad days.

Now, the silence in the hall stretched and she began to feel the guilty prodding of time at her back. She needed to get to class. But she hated third period. It was a newly required part of their curriculum – a health class – taught by the gym teacher, who was a meat head in the worst kind of way. And none of her friends were in that class with her.

“Hey Logan.”

Logan jumped and spun around at the sound of the deep voice behind her. She barely managed to keep down the yelp of surprise that threatened her lips, but the wide eyes and quickened pulse, she was helpless to stop.

Dominic Maldovan smiled guiltily down at her. “Sorry,” he chuckled. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

Logan swallowed hard, trying to get past the lump in her throat, but it was difficult; her mouth had gone dry.

“No, you – you didn’t –” Logan croaked on her words and blushed furiously. She put her hand to her chest and turned her face away, trying to clear her voice.
Dominic Maldovan is talking to me,
she thought.
He’s alone with me, here in the hall, and he’s talking to me!

You noticed?
Logan thought feverishly.
He’s talking to me and he noticed I wasn’t in class?
“I… I was late getting here this morning. Family issues,” she explained softly. She had no idea why she was explaining this to him. Most of her couldn’t really believe that she was alone, in the hall, talking to Maldovan in the first place.

I must be dreaming,
she decided.
I’ve had dreams like this before, after all.

“Oh? Is everything okay?” he asked, his brow furrowed.

“Everything’s fine,” she lied.

Dominic gazed steadily down at her.
He’s seeing me
, Logan thought.
He’s really seeing me.

“I gotta get back to class,” he finally said, pulling the hall pass out of his back pocket and giving it a little wave in the air before shoving it back in. “Take it easy, Logan.” He nodded at her once, in that respectful, rocker-like way he always did, and then he stepped around her and headed down the long length of the hall.

Logan watched him round the corner. And then she groaned defeatedly and slumped against her shut locker.
Way to blow it, Logan,
she thought.

*****

Dominic rounded the corner and ducked into the men’s restroom. Once inside, he leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes.
Smooth, Dom. Very, very smooth.

Moron.

He mentally kicked himself with steel-toed boots, standing there, cursing softly, until several minutes had passed and he felt a bit better.

How many years had passed? How many chances had he lost? What, exactly, was he afraid of?

She’ll turn you down, man. She’s a fucking genius. She’s creative, she’s gorgeous, she’s quiet…. You’re out of her league.

It would seem Dominic wasn’t quite done kicking himself yet after all. A plethora of unpleasant thoughts chased each other through his head. Another opportunity had come, serendipitous and perfect, and he’d let it slip through his fingers.

All because he was afraid of rejection. Just like every other sorry-ass high school kid in existence.

It hurt all the more because this was their final year together. They were seniors, with less than half a term left, and he wasn’t stupid. He knew that once Logan Wright graduated and rid herself of this sorry excuse for a town, she would be hit on by every college kid she crossed paths with. And maybe one of them would be in her league, and probably he would show her how special she was and she would smile at him.

Dominic’s hands fisted at his sides and his teeth ground together. Now all he could imagine was Logan Wright with another guy; he couldn’t get the image out of his head.

Cool it, Dom. Get control of yourself.
He opened his eyes and strode to the sinks against one wall. All of the mirrors had been shattered long ago, and most of the faucets were broken. But one of the four still worked. He turned it on and caught the cold water in his hands, splashing it over his face.

(Sam I Am is now available.)