#Nerd

“And why is that?”

“Because he’s going to be busy with me.”

“He’s coming here to study.” I pointed out. This girl was irritating.

Her eyes narrowed and her mouth thinned. “You don’t have a chance in hell with him.”

“I never said I wanted one,” I shot back. Was this girl actually implying I was here for something other than tutoring? I was here because I had to be, not because I chose this and certainly not because I wanted Romeo.

“Listen here, nerd,” she said, towering over me, using the fact that I was sitting to try and intimidate me. It was sort of working, but I didn’t want to show it. “He’d never go for a girl like you.”

“Sorry, I’m late again,” Romeo said as he walked toward the table. I turned and looked at him, but he didn’t look at me. He was looking at the girl.

Had he heard what we were saying? God, I hoped not.

“Romeo…” The girl’s voice was dripping with honey. “Are you here to study? I am too. Maybe we could do it together.”

Her friends had come closer to the table now. Everyone was looking at him, hanging on his every word, even the ones he had yet to see.

He glanced at the few girls just off to his side and gave them a charming smile. They all practically melted into a puddle. Then he turned back. “Sorry. Can’t. Coach’s orders.”

I felt my shoulders relax a little. For a moment, I thought he might ditch me to go with these girls. The idea of that really shouldn’t have bothered me, but it did.

“I won’t tell if you won’t,” she giggled.

I rolled my eyes.

She saw my reaction and glared at me. I could see something mean forming on the tip of her tongue. Romeo slid right between us, putting his back toward the girl and blocking her from my view. “It’s really crowded in here tonight,” he said, looking at me.

I nodded.

“Wanna go somewhere else to study?”

I couldn’t see the girl behind him, but I sure heard her sharp intake of breath. A little bit of bitchy came out inside me and I smiled. “Yeah, that’d be great.”

He waited for me to gather my stuff and then moved back to let me stand. When I was ready to go, he turned toward the girl behind him and smiled. “Later.”

She mumbled something I didn’t hear as Romeo draped his arm across my shoulders and steered me to the door. About every eye in the entire library stopped to stare at us. My face felt like it was on fire because it burned so badly from embarrassment.

Romeo didn’t seem to care or even notice we were getting more stares than a man dressed in drag. He didn’t even seem uncomfortable to be seen with me. When he released me to open the door and motioned for me to go, I practically ran outside.

The Hellcat was parked just a few feet away, but my steps faltered. Did he really want to go somewhere else to study? Or had he only said that because he was trying to help me out with those girls?

He didn’t notice my floundering, but when he got to his car, he noticed I wasn’t following behind. “Come on,” he said, motioning with his head as he slid into the driver’s seat and the engine growled to life.

Go, a voice inside me said.

I listened to it.

Chapter Fourteen

Romeo

As soon as she got in the car, my cell went off.

Then it went off again, and Rimmel’s followed.

She lifted hers off her lap, glanced down, and muttered, “Stupid BuzzFeed.”

I grinned. “You have the Alpha App?”

“They encouraged us to download it when we were freshmen. Get important university updates, they said. Stay in the know, they said.” She mocked. “Yeah right. It’s a freaking gossip line.”

I laughed. “Come on, now. The #BuzzBoss always lets us in on the good parties.”

She snorted.

Damn if I didn’t think it was cute.

She kept her eyes focused out the windshield, and it gave me the opportunity to stare at the side of her neck and the hair that caressed against her skin. When I walked in the library and saw her hair up again, my chest tightened a little.

But then I saw what else was happening around her. The vultures were circling. I saw the sneering looks being cast at her, and I knew they were trying to intimidate her. She wasn’t cowering, which was surprising, but I could tell it was getting to her.

No wonder she hated the #BuzzBoss. He’s the one who told everyone I was being tutored at the library. He’s the one who drummed up interest in my love life and the “unknown” girl in the Hellcat the other night.

It never bothered me to be the subject of the Buzz before. I was used to it. But it bothered me that it was somehow coming back on Rimmel. How the hell was I supposed to sleep with her and complete rush if the other girls were trying to scare her away?

“Do you really want to go study?” she asked, bringing me back into the moment. My phone beeped again, reminding me I hadn’t looked at it yet.

“Yeah,” I answered. “I have a ton of homework.”

“Where do you want to go?” she asked.

I was already lighting up the screen on my phone. The first thing to pop up was the newest notification from the BuzzFeed. Stick to your circle. I shook my head and deleted it. As I did, a text popped up.

STEAL SOMETHING FROM THE DEAN’S OFFICE.

BRING TO THE PARTY FRIDAY NIGHT.

I stared at the challenge for long moments, clenching my jaws. Zach wanted me to steal from the dean. Not only that, but I was supposed to keep it until Friday? If I got caught, I could get kicked out of school. My chances at the NFL would be gone before they even got started.

“Romeo?” Rimmel said from the other side of the car.

I glanced up.

“Is something wrong?” Her voice was genuinely concerned.

“Nah.” I lied. “Just checking my messages.”

“We can cancel today’s session if you want.”

I couldn’t. I needed the time to get closer to her. I’d just have to take care of this other thing later tonight.

“It’s all good.” I dropped the phone in the cup holder and pulled out onto the street.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

I gave her one of my charming smiles. “My place.”

Her eyes about fell out of her head, and I chuckled.

“Maybe we should just go back to the library.”

“You’d rather go back there with those vultures than go to my place?” I asked, some of my smile slipping away. Did she really dislike being around me that much?