The Hit List (24 page)

I roll my eyes. “Don’t be dumb. I saw you walk in with her.”

He bites his lip to keep a smile off his face. “You mean you saw her walk in behind me because she was behind me in line?”

Sure, that.

“Whatever.”

“She stopped me by the bar because she wanted to say how well she thought we did in tryouts. She thinks you’re amazing.” Luke coughs a couple times.

He’s laughing at me. Because I’m an idiot.

My emotions are fried. I feel stupid for thinking he came to the club with Noelle. He keeps trying to do the right thing and I can’t even give him the benefit of the doubt.

We walk for another block in silence, Luke’s protective arm around my waist. I like the excuse to stay close to him. His cologne washes over me. I might not wash this shirt for a month or so. He smells so good.

“You wanted points for me on that list, didn’t you?” I haven’t been able to think about much else the past few weeks and Brandon’s comment about me being a bonus didn’t go unnoticed.

He glances down at me and tightens his grip. “What list?”

“The Hit List. The one online that tells guys who to sleep with. Or I guess it’s on a flyer now. Or by email. Something.”

His voice is firmer when he speaks again. “Don’t worry about it. No one’s going to hurt you. I won’t let them.”

I smile despite the fact that he didn’t deny my suspicions. I like protective Luke. I like the feeling of his arm around me. I like the way he pulls me into his side like he wants to protect me from the world. I like the way he’s honest with me, even when it’s hard for me. And I like these moments, even though they don’t happen every day. These are the moments with Luke that I look forward to the most.

It’s hard to like it when it feels like he’s suffocating me, though. It’s unbearably hot all of a sudden. I close my eyes and focus on the cool breeze on the back of my neck, but it doesn’t take the nausea away.

“Are you okay?” He stares at me with worry etched into his face. He stops walking and pulls me in front of him so I’m facing him.

“Yeah, just a little dizzy.” My eyes fall from his concerned eyes to his barely parted mouth. His arm is still around me, and I move closer to him. My hand runs up his arm and grips his bicep.

I want to kiss him. But I don’t want to make the first move.

He stares at me for what feels like forever and I have no idea what’s going through his mind. What if he thinks I’m just some clingy girl who gets dumped all the time? Maybe he said he wouldn’t leave to shut up the drunk girl. What if he’s still playing the game? What if he really did come with Noelle, but he’s trying to lie his way out of it?

What if he really likes me and he isn’t doing or thinking any of those things?

The ground spins below me as my thoughts spin within me. He’s either getting closer to me or my depth perception is way off. I want to lean forward, close the distance between us. I can see in his eyes that he wants to do the same. His breath on my cheek is ragged. I know his heartbeat stutters just like mine is.

He pulls away before we connect and I silently scream. Why won’t he just kiss me already? It’s not like I’ve been fucking subtle.

“Truth or dare.”

I stare at him, not sure he really just asked me that. Haven’t we had enough truth for one night? “I don’t want to play your—”

“I dare you to go out with me.” He steps closer to me. So close I can feel the warmth of his breath.

I frown. “We go out all the time.”

“We do. This would be different. More planned.”

My cheeks redden and I can’t meet his eyes. Maybe this is his way of making things different. “Are you asking me out on a real date?”

“Are you saying yes?”

“You don’t date.” I don’t date either, but he really doesn’t date. Ever. At all.

He shrugs. “I’m willing to make an exception for you.”

He has no idea how happy it makes me to hear that. Luke doesn’t do relationships. He’s made that clear since day one. The alcohol might be making me a little happier than I really am. My head feels cloudy.

Maybe it’s the alcohol that’s giving me the feeling that I’m about to throw up in the bushes. My face falls. Nothing Luke can say will make this feeling go away.

He frowns. “I didn’t mean to push you. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

“It’s not that. I think I’m going to be sick.”

“We’re only a block away. Then you can go to bed and sleep this off.” He rubs my back. It’s supposed to be comforting, but it increases the amount of fabric sticking to my skin from sweat.

“I don’t think I’m going to make it that far.” I stumble over the edge of the sidewalk and vomit into a bush.

Luke kneels beside me and pulls my hair back, holding it at the nape of my neck.

I try to sit down on the cement, but he pulls me back up.

“I’m so tired. Can’t I just stay here?” The grass looks soft and warm, like the blanket on my bed, and I want to curl up on it.

“No. Come on. Let’s get you to bed. I’m going to pick you up, okay?”

I nod and feel his arms behind my knees and back before he lifts me. I wrap my arms around his neck. My head rests against his shoulder, my nose brushes against his neck. His arms tighten around me. I’m as close to his chest as I can get.

“Luke?”

“Hmm?”

“I want to be your exception.”

He doesn’t say anything, but he’s smiling when I look up at him.

THE HIT LIST UPDATE

October 26

Some fuck face thinks he can take over this game after I shut it down. Now that I have your attention, here’s a message for you:

Back the fuck off.

This game is mine. You did not have permission to take things over. So this is me taking it back so I can run it with my rules. Hitters, please continue to submit all conquests using the email. Send me any hits you completed during my brief hiatus. I’ll honor them. I’ll have an update for you guys soon so we can have an accurate standings list.

Happy hitting!

~ THE (ONE AND ONLY) HIT MAN

15

The sun shines directly on my pillow, and my brain feels like it’s trying to bash its way through my skull. My tongue sticks to the roof of my desert-dry mouth. This is a nightmare. Memories of Luke being sweet last night flood me. It wasn’t typical. And now it’s going to be so awkward in rehearsal. I pull the covers over my head in an attempt to shut it out. Things will escalate to a whole new level of awkwardness for us now.

Something to look forward to.

Luke asked me out. He asked me out after I’d told him about my issues with people leaving. But he’d been drinking, too. It wasn’t tell-everything-younever-wanted-anyone-else-to-know drunk, but he couldn’t have been serious. He wouldn’t magically change his mind about dating.

Would he?

Brielle rips the covers away from my face. Light shines in and I claw at my pillow. I hate light. I wish I could disappear completely into this bed.

The bed sinks next to me as she sits down. “Drink this,” Brielle says.

I peek out from under my pillow and stare at the bottle she holds. She pushes the beer into my hand.

“I can’t go to class drunk.” That’s the last thing I need right now.

“You can’t go to class hung over, either. And it’s one beer, not a case. You won’t get drunk off one beer.”

“How are you okay after last night?” I say. It isn’t fair that I feel like shit and she looks perfectly fine.

“My tolerance is much higher than yours. Clearly.” I glare at her and take the beer. Her eyes shift away from me. “You’re awfully crabby this morning,” she says.

“So kind of you to notice.” I pinch the bridge of my nose. My head is pounding. “Do you ever regret saying something when you’re drunk?”

She laughs. “You’re not human if that doesn’t happen at least once in your life.”

I stare at her. I don’t want to know how many times that’s happened to her. “I told Luke some stuff I shouldn’t have.”

Her eyes widen. “Did you confess your undying love for him?”

I throw my pillow at her shoulder. “Not exactly.”

She places two rust-colored pills in my hand. “Take these. You’re going to need them when the beer wears off.”

Ugh. This is why I don’t drink. “He’s going to think I’m dumb.”

“No, he’s not. He’s not going to act any differently. Because for some reason, he seems to be less douchey when you’re around.”

Brielle walks to her dresser and digs through a drawer, flinging underwear, socks, and tank tops onto the floor.

“What are you looking for?” I ask.

“I can’t find my favorite thong.”

I stare at her back as she tosses more undergarments aside. “I didn’t need to know that. Forget I asked.”

“It was here a week ago. I wore it and now it’s gone,” she says.

The game. They have to have souvenirs. “Who’d you sleep with?”

She turns around and stares at me, a handful of underwear in her fist. “Excuse me?”

I raise an eyebrow. “You heard me.”

She looks at the ceiling, deep in thought. I can see when she remembers because her mouth drops open and she gasps. “That bastard.”

“I take it you know who has your underwear.”

Her eyes widen and she gasps. “It was last week when I went to the club. I don’t even remember taking them off. Sneaky little bitch.”

“Please stop talking.” I hold up my hand. I don’t want to think about her having sex at a club.

My headache is worse—from the hangover or from Brielle, I don’t know. I close my eyes and press my fingers against my eyelids.

“Oh, whatever, Sadie. There are so many worse things I could be talking about,” Brielle says. “Let’s go.”

“Aren’t you going to pick those up?” I ask, pointing to her discarded clothing littering the floor. I set my half-finished beer on the night stand.

“We’re going to be late for class.”

Luke stands in the hallway outside the studios when Brielle and I turn the corner on our way to class. My hands shake. What if everything that happened last night was just a mistake to him? Maybe he doesn’t want me to be the exception to his rule.

If I don’t talk to him now, I’ll chicken out. I know I will.

“Luke,” I yell. I wave to him when I have his attention.

He smiles and walks toward us.

Jessie passes him on the way and she tries to stop him with her hand on his chest. Luke gives her a tight smile and a nod, but he keeps walking. Her hand falls from his chest. She turns to watch him walk. When he’s close enough, he snakes an arm around my waist and pulls me into his side. Jessie glares at me and continues down the hallway.

Brandon walks toward us on his way to the studio next door for the senior ballet class. I can see his black eye from halfway down the hall.

“Holy shit,” I whisper. “That’s worse than I remember.”

Students turn to look at Brandon’s face as he walks past them. He sneers at a couple of them. They don’t ask questions.

Brielle follows my gaze. “Yikes. I wonder how long before he gets asked about that by the teachers.”

She’s barely done speaking when Miss Catherine comes up behind us, looking like she’s on a mission.

“Brandon, can I see you in my office?”

Someone yells in the hallway.

I stare at the scene with my mouth open. Brandon catches my gaze and sneers before following Miss Catherine into her office.

This can’t be good.

If he gets in trouble it’ll be my fault. And then he’ll be pissed at me.

Adam sits down between Brielle and me. “How’s it going, ladies?”

I don’t know what to say. Things could potentially be very bad depending on what happens with Brandon. I shrug.

Luke sits down beside me and smiles. “How are you feeling?” he asks.

I smile. “Fine.” Better after I just watched him blow off Jessie in the hallway, but nervous as hell for what’s to come.

He raises an eyebrow at me, but doesn’t move from my side. “So I thought maybe we could grab dinner this weekend.”

My lungs stop working. He obviously remembers last night and I can’t use alcohol as an excuse anymore as the reason he asked me out. He actually wants to go out with me. “I’d like that.”

Miss Catherine sweeps into the studio, her skirt flowing behind her.

“Shit,” Luke breathes.

“Luke, I need to see you outside.” Miss Catherine’s voice is like ice. It’s not the voice of an angry teacher. It’s the voice of a pissed-off mother. I wouldn’t want to get called out like that in the middle of class. Luke’s in trouble.

The classroom erupts in chatter as soon as the door closes behind them.

“Does she know about the fight?”

“Shit,” Brielle says beside me.

“It’s not good if she does. They take that seriously,” Adam says.

“How seriously?” They don’t answer. “This is expulsion material, isn’t it?” I ask, worried. If he gets expelled, my chance at doing well in Fall Showcase is gone. I’ll get pulled from the line-up without a partner.

“Well,” Brielle says. But she doesn’t continue.

“Shit,” I say.

The longer it takes for him to come back, the more I worry. I stare at the door. Miss Jasmine gives instructions, but I have no idea what she says. Any minute Luke is going to walk back through the door. Any minute.