When Our Worlds Collide (Our Worlds #1)(42)

I panic. Go ahead, call me an idiot. I know the opportunity I just let slip through my fingers. Most guys would have already had her splayed out on the bathroom rug screaming their name. I was once one of those guys. In fact, I’m pretty sure I am still one of those guys. If it would have been anyone else but her I suppose this moment would have happened completely different.

Frozen in the same spot, I kiss Kennedy on the forehead breaking the trance we are in. “You better check that,” I nod towards the phone in reminder. And that’s how I leave Kennedy standing in the bathroom alone with her cellphone with a waiting text from Craig.

Did I seriously just kiss her on her forehead? For fuck sakes, we were practically mauling each other this morning in her bed and now I downgrade her to a brotherly kiss on the head. I’m an idiot. I’m the biggest kind of fucking idiot.

It’s no surprise that Craig had texted Kennedy this morning to see if she needed a ride to school. She told him no without giving him any type of explanation. I don’t understand why. She could have easily told him that I was the one that was picking her up. She chose to keep it a secret, to keep me a secret. Would I keep her a secret too if the roles were reversed? Maybe she’s more into Craig than what I originally thought.

The ride to school is driven in silence. Neither of us says a word to each other. I don’t know what to say. We allow the music to fill the small space in my car instead. Kennedy makes it easy, making her that much more intriguing. I don’t think it’s necessary to say anything when she’s around. There’s a comfort that radiates off her. I’m in more trouble than I think when it comes to having Kennedy hanging around.

There’s plenty that Kennedy and I can discuss. I practically rejected her in her bathroom this morning, that’s how she feels about it. I can tell by the way she looked at me as we ate breakfast. She felt discarded. I didn’t give her any reason to feel differently. Feeling her eyes on me while I’m driving isn’t easy. Knowing I had done the right thing by her helped me get through being in such close proximity.

My mind flicks to the night before, the way Craig eyeballed Kennedy and rubbed her leg under the table at the restaurant. Perhaps I’m thinking too deep into our little “situation” that we both had participated in willfully. Maybe that moment this morning was just a fluke, a temporary moment between two people who clearly shouldn’t have let it escalate that far. It’s pure sexual attraction, that’s all. I’m the man-whore who sleeps with my fair share of girls and she’s the sweet virgin who happens to have killer legs to pair up with all that innocence.

I pull into my normal parking spot luckily to find everyone is already inside the school. Explaining arriving at school together wasn’t something that Kennedy or I would be able to do. It’s something I’m sure Kennedy wants to avoid by her lack of an explanation to Craig.

“About this morning, Graham…” her voice trails off as if she’s in deep thought. As if she struggles trying to piece the words together. I don’t let her stammer along at what I know is bound to come. I’ll put us both out of our misery.

“I know what you’re going to say and you’re right. It was a mistake. Last night made me flustered and vulnerable. I played on those emotions and ran straight to you. It wasn’t fair,” I lie opening my driver’s side door before getting out. I bend down to peer in at Kennedy who sits still in her seat staring towards the school. “And I’m sorry for everything. I shouldn’t have allowed myself to get so comfortable with you just because you showed me a tiny hint of empathy.” I admit not knowing if I believed it myself. I take that back, I know I’m full of shit.

Kennedy steps out of my car pulling her crutches from my back seat. Peering over the top of the car she looks my face over a couple of times allowing her eyes to rest on my bruised eye. “It was…a mistake,” she whispers lightly. I’m not sure if she means for me to hear that, or if she’s telling herself.

I close my car door making my way into the school knowing that Kennedy’s lagging behind. I peek back towards her. I think I see sadness in her eyes. Without the courage to slow my pace and fall in line with her I continue with my long strides. Putting distance in between us is the only thing I know to do if I want to keep my hands to myself. I’m not exactly sure if that’s even what I want. I know that nothing good can come from Kennedy and me. We’d end up hating each other. I’d just hurt her more than I already have.

In the end it doesn’t matter anyways. As soon as Kennedy sees Craig her eyes light up with a smile as he runs over to her placing his arm around her shoulder to greet her. She doesn’t shy away from him. I guess that’s my answer. It all was a mistake.

I was the one to utter those words just before coming into school. I can’t be upset now with the way she laughs along with all of the things Craig says when I see them standing by his locker. It’s not that they are trying to throw it in my face. Besides Kennedy, Craig has no idea what happened this morning. He has no reason to back off. She’s fair game.

Opening my locker and throwing my bag in a little too roughly causes unwanted attention. Craig glances over at my outburst. “Dude, what happened to your eye?” he observes the brutal black and purple bruise on my face.

“Ugh…I…” trying to come up with an excuse isn’t easy. I almost forgot about my face with everything that had happened this morning with Kennedy. No one knows what my family is like. I intend on keeping it that way. Kennedy eyes advert before catching me in her gaze.