The Girl I Was Before (Falling #3)(8)

I can tell she’s sleepy. She keeps standing and stretching, yawning with her arms over her head. We’ve got a few empty energy drink cans on the table between us, and I feel wired enough to run home. I kind of don’t think Paige would make it past the fountain out in front of the library before curling up and dreaming.

“You’re tired. I think I’ve got this now. Let’s call it a night,” I say, moving to close the book and gather my notes.

“No, it’s okay. I’m not that tired, and we still need to go over your verbs again.” She’s shuffling through papers in front of me, searching for the one she wrote the verbs on. I list off the verbs in order, my pronunciation as close to perfect as I’m going to get.

“See, I think I’m good,” I say. Paige lets out a big breath, her eyes grazing over the pile of papers in front of her before flicking them up to meet mine. There’s the blue.

“You’re…sure?” She twists one corner of her lip up, scrunching her right eye.

“Honestly, if I would have been here alone all night, no…I wouldn’t have been sure. But you are like a Jedi master,” I say, and she rolls her eyes, standing to pack her things, pulling a thick sweatshirt out from her bag.

“Boys and Star Wars. I don’t get it,” she says.

“Ohhhhh, do not bag on Star Wars. The force is not to be reckoned with. It’s strong with you,” I say, feeling the twitch in my lips as I try not to laugh at the way she’s looking at me.

“Wow. You just went all convention there on me, didn’t ya?” she says, waving her hand from side to side.

“I did,” I laugh, zipping up the last of my things and pulling my bag over my shoulders. She walks next to me all the way to the door, and I can’t help but think how much nicer she is when that asshat she’s dating isn’t around. I’m about to bring him up, when she speaks, stopping me.

“You don’t have figurines, do you? Please tell me you don’t have figurines,” she says, and I keep my eyes forward. I may have one…or three or four. I don’t remember. They’re in a box in Mom’s closet. But only because I asked her to hang onto them for safekeeping, and…

“Ohhhh my god! You have dolls! Like, figurines! You should meet my sister’s boyfriend. You two would so get along. He has a thing for teddy bears,” she’s talking fast, and there’s this smile on her face that I’ve never seen on her before. “What?” she asks, pausing in the middle of her make-fun-of-Houston-fest.

“Nothing, I just noticed…” I start, but then rethink where I’m going with this. Ah, what the hell. “I just noticed you have a nice smile. You don’t show that one a lot. You should; it’s….” I stop before the word pretty slips out, but that’s what I’m thinking. Paige’s smile is pretty.

“What do you know?” she says back, the smile gone and her defensive tone right back where I’ve grown used to it. I nod and make a mental note to add another second to my think-before-talking rule. “It’s not like you’ve seen me a lot, or even know me very well. You work at the deli counter. Whatever.”

I’ve never had my employment thrown back in my face quite like that, and I know I should be offended, but her backlash only makes me laugh.

“What?” she asks, still letting her anger rule her demeanor.

“You,” I say, and she furrows her brow, her eyes zeroing in on me as we near the parking lot. “That’s all I’ve got. Just…you. You’re…I don’t know. You.”

I click twice to unlock my car, then scan the parking lot looking for hers, but soon realize she didn’t drive here. She walked. And it’s dark outside, the sidewalks empty.

“You want a ride home?” I ask.

“I have a boyfriend!” She almost yells it at me, and I work hard, pushing my lips together with every bit of control I have as I try not to laugh.

“Wow,” I mouth. I can see her start to feel embarrassed. “I’m sorry. That’s…I know. I’ve met him, remember?”

She nods, rolling her eyes a little. She’s covering, and I’m going to let her.

“I just meant…it’s late. I don’t like the idea of you walking anywhere far—alone,” I say, pushing the passenger door a little wider.

“It’s not far,” she says, her face looking off to the side, her lips hanging open, her breath held along with her thoughts. “But…a ride would be nice. I’m just at the Delta House, on Main.”

“Easy enough. I’ll drop you off,” I say, pushing the door all the way open now. She slides in, her bag and purse on her lap. My car has one of those automatic seatbelts; it’s old, and I’m pretty sure it’s been recalled. Paige lets it fold over her before unraveling it from her purse and bag. Watching her through the closed door makes me smile. She catches me looking and shrugs her shoulders; I jog over to my side, toss my bag in the back, and start the engine.

“Your seatbelts are stupid,” she says, her lame insult catching that nerve in my mouth, making me smile again. It’s funny that those words come out of the same mouth that speaks perfect Spanish.

“So, why do you know Spanish so well?” I ask, doing my best to make small talk during the short ride.