taunts.
‘Hang on a sec,’ he delved into his jeans pocket, ‘if I give you the money, can you just get me a small iced coffee Big M and a packet of Samboys?’ Coins spilled out and rolled everywhere as he upended his pockets.
Laura glanced around, looking mortified. ‘Boon,’ she said through gritted teeth.
Poor Laura. I knew all too well what it was like to be embarrassed by family. I sighed, shaking my head as Boon scrambled to stop the rolling coins.
‘Here,’ I said, holding out my hand, ‘I’ll bloody get it.’
Boon’s eyes snapped up, his whole face lighting up in surprise. ‘Really?’ he said, grinning from ear to ear.
‘Really,’ I repeated, with absolutely no enthusiasm.
‘Bloody legend!’ he shrieked, plunging the coins into my palm.
I rolled my eyes as another coin twanged to the ground. ‘What did you want again?’ I asked.
Boon picked up the wayward coin, placing it in my hand with a confused line pinching between his brows. ‘Oh, it’s not for me,’ he said in all seriousness, before nodding his head towards the Kirkland boys. ‘It’s for Ballantine.’
•
‘You know what you’ve done?’ said Laura. ‘You’ve opened up the floodgates. Now the boys know they can boss you around you’ll be their lackey.’
I watched on as Boon swaggered his way back towards the boys. I could see the mystified look on Ballantine’s face as he looked at his mate’s empty hands. I couldn’t help but smile, watching his expression change into something darker as Boon explained exactly where his goods were coming from. Ballantine’s eyes lifted, searching along the line before settling on me. I offered a small wave and a smug little smile.
So much for avoiding him.
‘Do you know Ballantine?’ Laura’s troubled look shifted between us.
‘Yes and no,’ I said, breaking off the stare.
‘Well, remember what I said, as they’ll probably think they can bully their way into getting you to do this all the time,’ she warned.
‘I don’t think so, I think they know not to mess with me,’ I said, lifting my chin.
‘Oh yeah? And why do you think that?’
I glanced behind me, catching the briefest glimpse of a less-than-amused Ballantine.
‘Oh, I just know.’
Chapter Ten
I expected him to say something smart, to maybe snatch the food out of my hands, so when he instead asked, ‘What’s your name?’ I wasn’t exactly prepared for that.
I blinked. Twice.
Having known of Luke Ballantine even before I had sighted him, I kind of just assumed that he may have known my name. But how could he have? I hadn’t been called to the principal’s office, or elected as some momentous house captain. Still, I had hoped that maybe Amanda might have explained who the sleeping girl she had stepped on to get out the window was, or might have mentioned my name in passing. But then I thought of the long list of names she probably did refer to me as, and I blushed. Yeah, he probably only knew me as tragic, or scrubber, or the cousin who had ruined her life.
‘Lexie,’ I said, sounding nowhere near as confident as I had felt earlier.
‘Well, Lexie,’ he said, ripping open the top of his iced coffee Big M. The straw I had given him rested next to the chips on the bench seat beside him. He had given me a strange look when I’d handed it to him and then I realised, of course, these were the surfing delinquents, the bad boys. And bad boys don’t drink through straws. That really should be on a t-shirt, I mused to myself.
Laura elbowed me, shifting my focus back to Ballantine, who was sitting, looking up at me with interest.
Oh crap, had he said something?
‘Um, sorry?’
He held out his hand, an empty hand, and my brows lowered in confusion, my blank stare telling him as much until a small crooked smile tilted the corner of his mouth and I was blinded by that dimple. I felt my chest tighten. It was the first time I had been so close to that smile. It really
‘Hang on a sec,’ he delved into his jeans pocket, ‘if I give you the money, can you just get me a small iced coffee Big M and a packet of Samboys?’ Coins spilled out and rolled everywhere as he upended his pockets.
Laura glanced around, looking mortified. ‘Boon,’ she said through gritted teeth.
Poor Laura. I knew all too well what it was like to be embarrassed by family. I sighed, shaking my head as Boon scrambled to stop the rolling coins.
‘Here,’ I said, holding out my hand, ‘I’ll bloody get it.’
Boon’s eyes snapped up, his whole face lighting up in surprise. ‘Really?’ he said, grinning from ear to ear.
‘Really,’ I repeated, with absolutely no enthusiasm.
‘Bloody legend!’ he shrieked, plunging the coins into my palm.
I rolled my eyes as another coin twanged to the ground. ‘What did you want again?’ I asked.
Boon picked up the wayward coin, placing it in my hand with a confused line pinching between his brows. ‘Oh, it’s not for me,’ he said in all seriousness, before nodding his head towards the Kirkland boys. ‘It’s for Ballantine.’
•
‘You know what you’ve done?’ said Laura. ‘You’ve opened up the floodgates. Now the boys know they can boss you around you’ll be their lackey.’
I watched on as Boon swaggered his way back towards the boys. I could see the mystified look on Ballantine’s face as he looked at his mate’s empty hands. I couldn’t help but smile, watching his expression change into something darker as Boon explained exactly where his goods were coming from. Ballantine’s eyes lifted, searching along the line before settling on me. I offered a small wave and a smug little smile.
So much for avoiding him.
‘Do you know Ballantine?’ Laura’s troubled look shifted between us.
‘Yes and no,’ I said, breaking off the stare.
‘Well, remember what I said, as they’ll probably think they can bully their way into getting you to do this all the time,’ she warned.
‘I don’t think so, I think they know not to mess with me,’ I said, lifting my chin.
‘Oh yeah? And why do you think that?’
I glanced behind me, catching the briefest glimpse of a less-than-amused Ballantine.
‘Oh, I just know.’
Chapter Ten
I expected him to say something smart, to maybe snatch the food out of my hands, so when he instead asked, ‘What’s your name?’ I wasn’t exactly prepared for that.
I blinked. Twice.
Having known of Luke Ballantine even before I had sighted him, I kind of just assumed that he may have known my name. But how could he have? I hadn’t been called to the principal’s office, or elected as some momentous house captain. Still, I had hoped that maybe Amanda might have explained who the sleeping girl she had stepped on to get out the window was, or might have mentioned my name in passing. But then I thought of the long list of names she probably did refer to me as, and I blushed. Yeah, he probably only knew me as tragic, or scrubber, or the cousin who had ruined her life.
‘Lexie,’ I said, sounding nowhere near as confident as I had felt earlier.
‘Well, Lexie,’ he said, ripping open the top of his iced coffee Big M. The straw I had given him rested next to the chips on the bench seat beside him. He had given me a strange look when I’d handed it to him and then I realised, of course, these were the surfing delinquents, the bad boys. And bad boys don’t drink through straws. That really should be on a t-shirt, I mused to myself.
Laura elbowed me, shifting my focus back to Ballantine, who was sitting, looking up at me with interest.
Oh crap, had he said something?
‘Um, sorry?’
He held out his hand, an empty hand, and my brows lowered in confusion, my blank stare telling him as much until a small crooked smile tilted the corner of his mouth and I was blinded by that dimple. I felt my chest tighten. It was the first time I had been so close to that smile. It really
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