me," she said automatically. She glanced at Madison, who had kill written all over her face.
"Uh-huh," Lydia said with a sarcastic roll of her eyes.
She slowly made her way across the room, conscious of Madison's death glare as she
dropped the bag and perched on the seat next to Aaron.
"Hey." He nudged her with his elbow. "You could look a little less like you're being
led to the gas chamber."
She gave him a baleful look. "I'm in chemistry."
"But look who your lab partner is."
"Feeling modest today?" she mumbled, leaving her notebook closed so he wouldn't see
her lyrics.
"I'm but your humble servant." He pushed the assignment pages between them. "Should
we start on this?"
Rachel stared at the print outs and felt panic at the thought of completely bombing
in front of him.
"Chemistry isn't your subject, is it?" he asked gently as he hooked up the Bunsen
burner.
She glanced at him sharply. "Why would you say that?"
"The look of utter terror on your face." He grinned and held out a test tube. "Want
to do this?"
"No."
He laughed, his hair flopping back, his dimples cute. The sound of his laughter made
her feel warm, even if it was at her expense.
Flushing, she tried to not to notice the curious looks from the students around them—or
the hatred from Madison.
"I'll make a deal with you," he said.
"What sort of deal?"
"I'll carry us through this project if you help me with my English term paper. I suck
at writing."
"Writing is so easy though."
"For you maybe, but for me it's like pulling teeth." He turned to her. "What do you
say? We can work after school."
"Not today," she said automatically, blushing when she realized he didn't mean to
start right away. "It's just I have plans already today."
"What plans?"
She was going to Romantic Notions to wait for Griffin Chase. She had to give him the poem. She'd gone the past few days after school and waited for him
until that lady who was his best friend closed the shop and went home, but he hadn't
shown up yet. Rachel knew it was only a matter of time though. All the news sources
reported that he was on a private island, working on his next album, but she'd seen
him with her own eyes. It hadn't been some weird doppelgänger either.
"Rachel." Aaron waved his hand in front of her face.
She frowned at him. "What?"
He rolled his eyes. "Okay, don't tell me what you've got going on. Just tell me when
we can meet."
The lingerie store closed by seven each night. "Would after dinner be okay?"
He shrugged. "My parents are never home, so whatever works for you is great. Will
your parents care?"
She swallowed the sudden lump in her throat. "It's just my dad, and he's always at
work."
"Are your parents divorced?"
The tears sprang up so suddenly they startled her as much as they did Aaron. She ducked
her head and pretended to search for a pencil as she blinked them away.
A Kleenex appeared in her line of vision. She looked up, to find Aaron looking contrite
and worried.
No one had cared about her feelings in so long.
"I shouldn't have been so nosy," he said softly.
She shook her head, taking the tissue and blotting the edges of her eyes. "It's not
your fault. It's just my mom died. It was a year and a half ago, but still."
"Is that why you moved to San Francisco?"
She nodded, not wanting to tell him about getting drunk at the party. She felt stupid
enough on her own about that. "My dad thought we needed a change of scenery and a
fresh start," she said with only a small amount of bitterness.
Aaron made a face. "That sucks. You must miss your friends."
She did, but they apparently didn't miss her. Not even Diana had texted her back.
"You were close to your mom?" he asked as he handed her a set of goggles.
"She was my best friend." She glanced at him. "I know that sounds weird but we were
really close. She was awesome. Beautiful and talented. She was an editor for a big
publisher."
"No wonder you love
"Uh-huh," Lydia said with a sarcastic roll of her eyes.
She slowly made her way across the room, conscious of Madison's death glare as she
dropped the bag and perched on the seat next to Aaron.
"Hey." He nudged her with his elbow. "You could look a little less like you're being
led to the gas chamber."
She gave him a baleful look. "I'm in chemistry."
"But look who your lab partner is."
"Feeling modest today?" she mumbled, leaving her notebook closed so he wouldn't see
her lyrics.
"I'm but your humble servant." He pushed the assignment pages between them. "Should
we start on this?"
Rachel stared at the print outs and felt panic at the thought of completely bombing
in front of him.
"Chemistry isn't your subject, is it?" he asked gently as he hooked up the Bunsen
burner.
She glanced at him sharply. "Why would you say that?"
"The look of utter terror on your face." He grinned and held out a test tube. "Want
to do this?"
"No."
He laughed, his hair flopping back, his dimples cute. The sound of his laughter made
her feel warm, even if it was at her expense.
Flushing, she tried to not to notice the curious looks from the students around them—or
the hatred from Madison.
"I'll make a deal with you," he said.
"What sort of deal?"
"I'll carry us through this project if you help me with my English term paper. I suck
at writing."
"Writing is so easy though."
"For you maybe, but for me it's like pulling teeth." He turned to her. "What do you
say? We can work after school."
"Not today," she said automatically, blushing when she realized he didn't mean to
start right away. "It's just I have plans already today."
"What plans?"
She was going to Romantic Notions to wait for Griffin Chase. She had to give him the poem. She'd gone the past few days after school and waited for him
until that lady who was his best friend closed the shop and went home, but he hadn't
shown up yet. Rachel knew it was only a matter of time though. All the news sources
reported that he was on a private island, working on his next album, but she'd seen
him with her own eyes. It hadn't been some weird doppelgänger either.
"Rachel." Aaron waved his hand in front of her face.
She frowned at him. "What?"
He rolled his eyes. "Okay, don't tell me what you've got going on. Just tell me when
we can meet."
The lingerie store closed by seven each night. "Would after dinner be okay?"
He shrugged. "My parents are never home, so whatever works for you is great. Will
your parents care?"
She swallowed the sudden lump in her throat. "It's just my dad, and he's always at
work."
"Are your parents divorced?"
The tears sprang up so suddenly they startled her as much as they did Aaron. She ducked
her head and pretended to search for a pencil as she blinked them away.
A Kleenex appeared in her line of vision. She looked up, to find Aaron looking contrite
and worried.
No one had cared about her feelings in so long.
"I shouldn't have been so nosy," he said softly.
She shook her head, taking the tissue and blotting the edges of her eyes. "It's not
your fault. It's just my mom died. It was a year and a half ago, but still."
"Is that why you moved to San Francisco?"
She nodded, not wanting to tell him about getting drunk at the party. She felt stupid
enough on her own about that. "My dad thought we needed a change of scenery and a
fresh start," she said with only a small amount of bitterness.
Aaron made a face. "That sucks. You must miss your friends."
She did, but they apparently didn't miss her. Not even Diana had texted her back.
"You were close to your mom?" he asked as he handed her a set of goggles.
"She was my best friend." She glanced at him. "I know that sounds weird but we were
really close. She was awesome. Beautiful and talented. She was an editor for a big
publisher."
"No wonder you love
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