Chapter 3 Three

CHAPTER THREE

y lungs seized, and I stared in horror as three textbooks tumbled off the bookcase toward me.

M

I'd pushed myself back to get out of the way when strong arms wrapped around my waist, yanking me against a human brick wall I already knew so well.

The tugging in my chest stirred again, confirming my suspicion, as three ginormous chemistry books landed, kicking up a bit of dust where I'd been squatting mere seconds ago.

Silence surrounded us as I froze in Raffe's arms. When his chest expanded, the moment was over.

"I swear, you have a fucking death wish," he gritted out and dropped his arms from my waist, taking a huge step back. "Are you okay?"

My blood was pumping, but it wasn't only from the jolt running through me from whatever strange phenomena I lived with. Pure, unadulterated fear had mixed with attraction to make my pulse race, which never happened.

I spun around, coming way too close to slipping on one of the fallen textbooks. I caught myself and hoped like hell he hadn't noticed my clumsiness. "Yeah, but I don't understand what happened! The bookcase wasn't shaking. Then suddenly, I heard a noise. It was as if something other than me pushed the books." As soon as the words left my mouth, I regretted saying them. That was definitely weirdo level.

I blamed his rugged good looks and sculpted body.

The corner of his mouth tipped upward, and he shook his head. "You say that after almost tripping and falling over books that barely missed your head. You're a magnet for trouble, and that's a huge problem for me."

Of course he'd noticed. I was beginning to think he noticed everything about me, and the thought had my body thrumming with feelings I didn't understand. Feelings that risked me doing something incredibly stupid. I studied the top of the bookcase. "Did you see what made the books fall?" The shelf hadn't moved, and while I'd been scanning the course names for the books I needed, I hadn't seen any books near the edge. "It sounded like something scooted above me, but the entire shelf was sturdy where I was."

"Are you sure?" He stepped beside me, our arms brushing. "Because it'd be strange that something like that would happen to you."

Ugh, I sounded paranoid, but he was right. It wasn't like books could move on their own. I hadn't felt my blood humming, so maybe I was remembering wrong? "You're right." I exhaled noisily. The one time I hadn't caused the weirdness, I still sounded like I was imagining things. Maybe I would never fit in. "Sorry. I don't know what happened. I must have knocked into the bookcase while digging for a biochemistry book."

I kept my attention forward, not wanting to see the inevitable look of disgust on his face. He'd witnessed two of my "special" incidents in the span of mere hours. A new record for me.

"Hey, everything will be okay. It's been a long day, and I won't let anything happen to you," he said softly and turned to me.

Unable to stop myself, I mirrored his motion, the two of us a couple of feet apart. His focus flicked to my lips as he continued, "Maybe you should go back to your room like I suggested earlier."

My head jerked back. "Did you three find anything?"

His face creased. "No, unfortunately. But don't worry. We've alerted the school board that students aren't feeling safe in the woods."

He seemed like he genuinely cared. "Thanks for everything," I forced out, physically restraining myself from moving closer to him.

A worker strolled from the far side of the store through the door that led to the counter.

He rang a bell that was probably meant to alert customer service. "Bookstore is closing in ten minutes."

Of course. The worker must have done something to cause the books to fall. I was being stupid and paranoid. This was what happened when weird

shit always followed you around. You considered unexplainable things instead of thinking through the actual cause.

I bit my bottom lip, and Raffe's gaze moved there again. His eyes glowed faintly, and the intensity of his stare had me finding the thin gray carpet underneath me very interesting. "Thanks for saving me twice today." He hadn't hesitated when he'd thought I might be in danger. "I'll try not to cause any more scenes. I swear it's not intentional."

"Look, let me give you my number in case you get into another situation where you don't feel safe."

My head snapped up. Okay, I hadn't expected that. He stepped closer to me, leaving only a sliver of space between us.

"Or you can give me your number since you aren't taking out your phone." He pulled his phone from his back pocket and arched an eyebrow.

If I hadn't been in a complete trance, I would've laughed. He was so sure of himself. As if I wouldn't even consider not giving him my phone number. Worse, he was right. I rattled off my number, pretty confident he couldn't hear me since I was damn near breathless, but he typed it in with confidence.

Like he did everything. My phone dinged.

"There. If you ever find yourself in trouble, call or text me. Don't hesitate." He tilted his head and winced. "Even if you think I'm a jerk, please know that your safety is important to me."

With everything he'd done for me today, I couldn't imagine why I'd think he was a jerk. "Okay." The tug was becoming too damn strong to resist, and I leaned forward, about to close the distance between us.

"Raffe!" A voice echoed down the hallway of the student center. Keith. "I thought you were going to be quick."

Raffe tensed and took four large steps away from me, moving into the political science section.

The abrupt change left me reeling.

He turned and snatched a book from the shelf just as Keith and Adam walked into the store. Their attention landed on me.

Keith snorted and elbowed Adam as they strolled to their friend.

"Looks like the lost pup from the woods is nipping at your heels." Keith waggled his brows at me, still looking attractive despite his over-the-top antics.

I spun away, not wanting to engage with him. When Raffe didn't tell him to back off, my heart ached with disappointment.

Adam sighed. "All the new girls think they have a chance with you or any of us. She'll learn like the rest of them."

That stung, even though I knew it was true when Raffe remained silent. My blood jolted, and I snatched a microbiology book from the bottom shelf, not caring anymore if it wasn't used. The school had said they'd cover the cost of my books, and my effort to be frugal was going out the window, thanks to their snide remarks.

"This is my last book." Raffe yawned as if he was bored and wanted to be anywhere but here. "The rest of them are at the counter."

It was as if he'd taken on a different personality. Though he wasn't being cruel, he wasn't stopping his friends from making fun of me either. In my world, not speaking up for someone was just as bad, if not worse, than doing the actual bullying.

Wanting to gain distance, I moved down to the chemistry section and grabbed my advanced chemistry book and accompanying lab notebook.

"Hurry up, man," Keith said. "Josie is getting tired of holding the table and said your ass better hurry up or she won't be wearing your jersey at the game on Saturday."

Pain exploded in my heart, catching me off guard. My blood fizzed to damn near a hum. The thought of Raffe with someone else bothered me more than should have been possible. I didn't even know him, and developing a super unhealthy obsession with him wouldn't bode well for anyone, especially not me.

"She'll wear it." Raffe chuckled. "She always gives in to me."

Jealousy clutched my chest, and I eagerly moved across the bookstore, searching for my last two books-Statistics II and Economics I. Luckily, they were close together on the other side of the store where Raffe had been before the untimely fall.

The three guys laughed and headed to the register, and I loitered with my last two books. I would wait until they were gone before I made my way there. I didn't need any more comments thrown my way about following Raffe around.

When the three of them headed to the bookstore's exit into the student center, I marched to the cashier, ready to buy my books and hide in my room for the rest of the night. But when Raffe reached the door, he turned

and nodded at me. "Remember, calm down, and go back to your residence hall."

He must have thought I was a freshman, but I didn't care to correct him. What bothered me was that he thought he could boss me around as if I were worthless.

Before I could retort, the three of them were gone.

"You ready to check out?" the guy at the counter asked. "It's closing time."

"Right. Sorry." I shook my head, putting all five textbooks on the counter. "I'm a little out of sorts."

"They're assholes." The guy rolled his hazel eyes as he scanned the books. "Don't take it personally. They treat everyone who isn't in their little clique like they're beneath them."

My brows lifted. For some reason, the fact they treated me like everyone else bothered me. "And everyone lets them get away with it?"

The guy shrugged and flipped his auburn bangs out of his eyes. "What can you do when Raffe is the star quarterback, EEU's football team captain, and the son of a billionaire who owns a majority of all the commercial real estate in Oregon? Add in the fact that Mr. Wright donates five million dollars to this school annually, and they don't get into much trouble."

I snorted. That didn't surprise me. The way the three of them acted screamed of arrogance. The kind you got from having money. "And the other two?"

"Their dads are Mr. Wright's right-hand men." He pushed some buttons on the register. "They all grew up together, and from what I hear, they live in the same ritzy neighborhood in Seattle. Everyone in that group does. It's sort of strange if you ask me, but the girls here don't seem to care one bit. Any of them would love to be with one of those three."

No wonder the guys had made so many snide comments. They were used to girls doing things to get their attention. Part of me was disgusted that they would lump me in with other women, but it wasn't as if they knew me. Just because I felt something weird around Raffe didn't mean it was reciprocated. "Well, thanks for the info. I'll make sure to stay clear of them."

The guy grinned and leaned back against the counter. He chuckled. "Is that so? You won't try to lure one into your grasp? Raffe talked to you more than he does most other people outside their group."

My heart kick-started, and my blood jolted. Down, girl. "It wasn't out of the kindness of his heart. Besides, I'm here to concentrate on my studies." And make friends, but I left out that last part. It sounded a little too pathetic.

"That's smart."

That was the one thing I had going for me. Intelligence. Not beauty or a good personality. But hand me a test, and I could ace it with minimal effort. Besides, with my blood heightened, I could read he had sincere intentions, so I added, "I have a scholarship, grant, or something that covers my books." Hell, I wasn't sure what to call what they'd given me since I hadn't applied or turned in my financials. All I'd had to do was send my transcripts over two weeks ago. "They said it'd be under my name, Skylar Greene."

"Oh. Okay." He tapped on the computer and nodded. "I found it, and you're covered." He put my books into an evergreen plastic bag with the school emblem and letters. "Here you go."

"Thanks." I took the bag. "And sorry if I held you up. I know you must want to get out of here."

"Don't worry about it." He winked. "I'm just meeting with my band to practice. No big deal. But I'm sure I'll see you around."

I smiled so wide my cheeks hurt. "Yeah. Maybe."

Instead of heading to the cafeteria to get dinner, I made my way back to the apartment. I'd had my first normal interaction with someone, and I wasn't about to risk something else happening in front of Raffe and his friends to ruin the progress I'd made.

Part of me wanted to go find Raffe, but I pushed the instinct aside. He was with Josie.

The thought nagged at me, so I focused on the small win I'd just had.

Maybe coming here would wind up being okay after all.

THAT NIGHT, I didn't sleep well. I dreamed of Raffe with some woman with no face. I woke up in a foul mood and with red eyes, feeling as if I'd been run over by a truck.

I kicked off my comforter and walked to the closet at the foot of my bed then snatched up a thin lilac sweater and jeans and headed into the bathroom to take a quick shower, hoping I could soothe my swollen eyes.

The bathroom was between my room and Lucy's, and I wasn't sure when her first class was. I slipped inside, turned on the water in the marble- tiled shower, and placed my clothes on the sink while snatching a towel from under the counter so I could grab both easily when I was done.

Not wanting to be late for my first class, microbiology, I rushed to get clean then stepped out, the cool tile floor sending a chill down my spine. Within ten minutes, I had my hair dried, and I was dressed with makeup on. I checked my appearance for signs that some random guy I'd known for all of five minutes had kept me up all night.

Luckily, my amber eyes were back to their normal brightness and no longer swollen, and I'd gotten all the knots out of my long, dark-brown hair. My olive complexion was a hint lighter than usual, but at least I didn't look as pale as the cashier from last night.

I blew out a breath, opened the door ... and heard a whisper from Lucy's room.

"This isn't funny, Lafayette. Something needs to be done. This is unacceptable." Her tone held a tinge of anger.

Knowing I shouldn't listen, I froze because that was what normal people who wanted to fit in did: stayed and eavesdropped. Dammit, Skylar. Move. Nothing good can come of you being curious, and if she finds out-

"I can't be stuck with her as a roommate." She scoffed. "Do you think she'll be willing to go outside and run with me under the moon? Or understand when I need to disappear and take care of my own needs? This can't happen. You know the rules-you're on the housing board. She should've never been assigned to me in the first place."

My blood jolted and my chest constricted. I hadn't done a thing to Lucy, and she was making me sound like the judgmental one. I didn't care if she liked running under the moon or sleeping around. None of that mattered to me, but instead of talking to me, she was talking to the housing office, trying to get me moved.

Now I was thankful that I'd eavesdropped so I wouldn't be blindsided later today.

No longer worried about being quiet, I stomped to my room and grabbed my bag. It was eight-forty in the morning, and my first class began in twenty minutes. I didn't want to rush trying to find it.

I slung on my lilac backpack and was heading into the living room when Lucy's bedroom door opened.

"Skylar, wait," she said as she hurried after me. "Please, let me explain."

I stopped between the round wooden kitchen table and the TV stand and turned around as she stopped near the brown cloth couch across the room.

I swallowed the words I wanted to say and tried to act like the type of person people didn't mind hanging around. "No need." I forced a smile, but from her wince, I could tell I'd missed the mark for looking casual.

Okay, I needed to try harder, so I smiled even wider.

When her entire body cringed, I gave up. I didn't know how to people.

"Look, I heard you in the hall, and I'm assuming you heard my conversation. I just want to say-"

"Can we not?" I most definitely did not want to have this conversation. My blood was already escalating from a jolt to a fizz. The one thing I could control at the moment was getting out of this room and away from Lucy.

I adjusted my bag, needing to expend the energy before the walls started shaking or the kitchen table rattled. "I don't know where my class is, and I need to find it."

Her expression crumpled. "Yeah, okay." She placed her hands behind her head, her white shirt inching up to reveal a small section of her stomach. "Just ... can we talk later?"

"Sure." I had no plan to follow through. I could sleep in my car and come in here only to shower until Lucy got the room situation worked out. The idea of living in a residence hall surrounded by lowerclassmen worried me due to the lack of privacy, but I'd do whatever I had to. I'd learned that forcing people to be around you accomplished only one thing-becoming the butt of every joke.

With that, I marched out of the apartment.

The charge through me was now fizzing to the point that a hum would happen at any second, so I walked faster than necessary to the elevator and counted the seconds until I was outside.

I didn't understand why Lucy had such a problem with me. We'd said only a few words to each other, and she hadn't been in the apartment when I returned from the bookstore last night. I'd gotten ready for bed and eaten some crackers then hung out in my room, hoping that the nice conversation I'd had with the pale clerk at the bookstore was a sign that things would start to go right.

Clearly, I'd been wrong.

Even as I walked into the partially sunny day, I couldn't keep the pressure from building. I needed to squelch my anxiousness, but between the encounters with Raffe yesterday and Lucy's actions this morning, I felt out of control.

Students were milling around outside, several in groups, heading in the same direction I was.

And, as always, I was alone.

That was when the hum happened.

Shit.

I was going to implode.