Until the End (Sea Breeze #9)(3)

For almost three hours I had waited anxiously for another glimpse of him. Then finally at lunchtime I saw him again. He had a girl on each arm, and one even sat on his lap while he ate. His friends were all the same. Girls acted ridiculous to get their attention, and threw themselves at the guys, who seemed to think it was their due. Like they were supposed to get to pick and choose females. When Rock had gotten up to leave the cafeteria, he had looked back at me and winked. Right before another girl grabbed his arm and he walked out the door with her. By the end of the day I knew more than I wanted to know about Rock Taylor.

“Is that Rock Taylor?” Krit asked in awe. As if Rock were a celebrity. The guy was a high school football star. So what? He was gorgeous and talented, I would give him that much. But he wasn’t anyone I wanted my little brother idolizing. Rock Taylor used girls. I’d seen it firsthand. Over and over again.

But no matter how many girls I’d seen in the bathroom in tears on a Monday morning when Rock had ignored them after sleeping with them on Friday night, my body still reacted to him. Like it was on high alert. I understood why girls always went willingly into his arms, even while knowing it would end badly.

The difference was, I had real issues to deal with. Survival being the number one issue. For me and my brother.

Ignoring Krit’s comment, I changed the subject. “Do you have your schedule? And remember, give yourself at least five full minutes to get from the upstairs classrooms to the downstairs classrooms. Don’t be late for lunch or you won’t have enough time to get your tray and eat. And eat it all. Okay?”

Krit gave me a crooked grin. “I got this, Sis. Seriously, chill.”

He was going to be a hit here. He had been in middle school. Krit had always been a beautiful child. Girls were noticing that more and more. I was proud of him, but I also hated for him to define himself by his looks. He had so much more inside him.

“I know you do. It’s just a big day and I want it to go well for you,” I replied.

“That’s them. See ’em?” Green said, pointing back toward where I knew, without even looking, Rock stood. “They own this school. See the girls all over them? Day-um, that’s awesome. We’re so gonna be them in two years.”

Krit turned to look back, but I fought the urge. I knew what I would see. Dewayne Falco, Preston Drake, Marcus Hardy, and Rock Taylor looking like the kings of the world while the females did everything in their power to get their attention. They personified every cliché in the book. Dewayne was the bad-boy rebel, Preston was the playboy with the smile that dropped panties everywhere, Marcus was the wealthy privileged kid, and Rock was the football star. All of them had bodies and faces that sent girls into a frenzy.

“Y’all get to your side of the building. It takes longer to get over there than you think. Be good. I’ll see you out here at three. Don’t be late or we’ll miss the bus.”

They both rolled their eyes, then headed right, toward the eighth-grade side of the school, while I turned left toward the high school section.

Chapter Three

Rock

It had been almost three months since I’d seen her. I had tried everything to get that girl out of my head, but damn if she still didn’t take my breath away. Last year she had been new. She was a transfer student from a nearby city. Her name was Trisha Corbin, and she starred in every fantasy I had. That was all I knew about her. Not from my lack of trying. She just wouldn’t give me the time of day.

Admitting that I’d been looking forward to school starting again just so I could see her was pathetic. But damn if it wasn’t the truth. Even if she ignored me, I got to watch her. Every gorgeous inch of her.

Today she had stepped off the bus with a guy walking close to her like he was warning anyone who looked her way. Didn’t know who the f**k he was, but he was young. I could see that in his face. His body hadn’t grown into his height. He was lanky.

“Looks like her brother. That hair color. He has to be related,” Dewayne said beside me. He’d been watching me watch her. Shit.

“Doesn’t matter,” I said, jerking my gaze off her and back to the swarm of females trying to get some attention.

“Fuck, whatever,” Dewayne muttered.

Hiding anything from my friends was impossible. We’d been close since second grade. They knew me well. My fascination with Trisha Corbin was something they had all picked up on last year.

But after she’d shot me down not once but twice, I had backed off. Being turned down wasn’t something I was used to. Ever.

“I heard you and Gina broke up,” a blond cheerleader—Kimmy something or other—said, running her nails up my arm.

“Never dated Gina,” I replied, annoyed. Kimmy was cheap. I wasn’t interested in that. Not when I had just seen Trisha Corbin looking like a dream.

“Oh, well, she sure is telling people you f**ked her good up against the wall, on the car, and over the table,” she said, then giggled, batting her eyelashes at me.

“I f**k. I don’t date,” I replied, then threw her arm off me and stepped around the girls. I was a glutton for punishment—I was going to see if I could find Trisha and get her to talk to me.

“I like it hard,” Kimmy said as I walked past her.

“I can help you with that,” Preston drawled, and I knew pretty boy would get her off my back. She’d found just the guy to scratch her itch.