Shattered: A Salvation Society Novel Bella Emy (best ebook reader for laptop .TXT) 📖

won’t. Even if I were to text him and we’d meet up tonight or tomorrow before school, it would all be forgotten once Wednesday rolls around. Why can’t Erin get this? She knows who we go to school with. She knows how friendly the girls are there… especially when they see fresh meat. Hot, fresh meat. Still, I know she’s not going to let up about it. If I don’t tell her what she wants to hear right now, she’s never going to let this go.

I look Erin straight in the eyes, and with a small smile, I say, “Okay, I’ll think about it.”

Chapter Nine

Wednesday morning, Erin and I find ourselves walking through the halls of Tranquility Creek High School. Just as we had planned it out on Monday, we’re wearing our matching shirts with blue jeans.

“I can’t believe we’re juniors now!” Erin says as we walk to her locker first. Mine is down the hall.

She opens it, and I lean against the one next to hers. “I know. It’s crazy.”

Erin pulls out a notebook and then shuts her locker. Then, leaning against it next to me, she says, “The only thing that sucks now is that Kennedy is here, too. Dad says I have to keep an eye on her.”

I turn to face her. “It won’t be so bad… all her friends are here with her. She’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, all her friends, including that bitch, Tisha. My parents disapprove of her, and honestly, I can’t blame them. There’s word going around she lost her virginity when she was twelve and started drinking and smoking weed right after. It’s like she got smacked in the head with the stupid stick all at once.”

I chuckle. “I’ve heard all that, too. But Kennedy is smarter than that.” I put a hand on Erin’s shoulder and reassure her. “Don’t worry, I’ll help you keep an eye on her.”

Erin’s cheeks turn bright red, and her eyes widen. A smile pulls on her lips.

“What is it?” I ask, looking in the same direction as she is.

And then, I see it. Or rather, I see them. Jason Delaney and Kalen Starling, this year’s hottest seniors, walking down the hall. Jason is definitely staring at her, flashing her his famous smile.

However, Kalen is not looking anywhere but directly at me. Holy shit.

“Damn, Jason’s so fine,” Erin says, staring at him. I momentarily turn my head to look at her, and she’s biting her bottom lip.

Then I turn my gaze back at Kalen.

And he’s still looking at me.

And I want to melt.

He looks so handsome dressed in a black T-shirt and blue jeans. His hair is styled with gel, and a shadow of a goatee covers part of his face.

I quickly take a look around, and sure enough, these two guys have attracted an audience. Girls are whispering to one another, smiling and obviously finding the new guy hot.

I look back at Kalen and swallow hard. My palms are sweaty, and my heart won’t stop racing.

I need to control myself though. This cannot be happening. I can’t fall for this boy. I can’t lose myself.

As Jason and Kalen finally reach us, I freeze.

“Hi, baby,” Jason says to Erin, pushing her back against her locker, kissing her hard.

“Hi, Lexi.” Kalen smiles at me.

I want to say hello back, but I swear, I can’t articulate a damn thing.

He chuckles. “First day back to school jitters?” he asks.

I finally snap out of my frozen state. “Ugh, yeah. A little.” But that’s a lie. It’s all him.

My glance wanders back to Erin who’s now giggling as Jason has his arms wrapped around her waist.

“Me, too,” Kalen answers. The way he’s looking at me seems like he’s interested in what I have to say. “Can I walk you to your first class?”

He wants to walk me to class?

“Well, I…” I stutter. I swallow hard and finish my sentence. “I was supposed to be walking with Erin to English class.”

Erin’s laughter interrupts our conversation. “Actually, Lex, Jay’s going to walk me… you can go with Kalen, it’s cool.”

If I could kill her right now, I would.

I turn to glance back at Kalen, and he’s smiling. “So, shall we?” His right hand is extended in front of him as if telling me to lead the way.

I smile nervously and take slow steps in front of him.

“Jason and I got here around seven-fifteen this morning. He was giving me a tour of the school. I think I know where I’m supposed to be first period,” he says as we walk side-by-side down the hall.

I nod. “That’s good. The first day at a new school can be nerve-wracking all on its own. You don’t need to be getting lost to add to the tension.”

We make our way up the staircase. “Yeah, it was his idea to show me around.” When we reach the top of the stairs, he walks in front of me and grabs the door, swinging it open.

“Thanks,” I say, stepping through it.

He comes up next to me once more, and we walk through the second floor.

Once we reach the door to my classroom, I say, “This is me.” We stop in front of it, and I lean against the wall.

Kalen steps closer, and for a second, it really feels like he’s about to lean in and kiss me.

I stop breathing for a few moments before his words break through my thoughts. “Lexi, I know you didn’t want to see me the other night, but I would really like to get to know you. I swear I’m not a bad guy.”

His statement takes me off guard. I don’t want him to think I think he’s a bad guy. I don’t think that at all. I’m only trying to protect my heart in case someone else steals his.

I give him a small smile. “I know you’re not. I think you’re a great guy. Really. I just can’t go out with you…”

He smiles slyly at me, and oh my God, if I could melt into a