Burning Bright Read Free Page A

looking into
her
eyes, kissing
her
lips . . .
    ‘I told you – nothing,’ Flynn growled.
    ‘But it wasn’t nothing, was it?’ I said. ‘You got in a fight yesterday at school, during the snowstorm. You pushed some boy into a hedge because he was angry with you.
That
was what Alex was talking about before, wasn’t it?’
    Flynn met my gaze. He said nothing, but the sullen look in his eyes told me that I was right.
    ‘The boy you pushed was mad with you over some girl?’ I said, anxiety now knotting my guts.
    ‘Who told you that?’ Flynn snapped.
    ‘It doesn’t matter,’ I said, tears threatening to well up. He wasn’t bothering to deny it. ‘Who was she? What had you done with her? Why don’t you want to
tell me about it?’
    ‘It was nothing, nobody was hurt,’ Flynn insisted. ‘It was just a misunderstanding.’
    ‘Right.’ Angry, terrified misery filled me. I turned and stalked up the road after the others. I didn’t look round to see if Flynn was following me. What was the point? If he
couldn’t trust me with whatever had happened, we didn’t have much of a relationship anyway.
    Flynn caught up with me as I reached Amore Pizza. Everyone else was already inside the restaurant, taking off their coats and finding seats around the long table.
    ‘River?’ he said, touching my arm. ‘I just don’t want to talk about it, right now, okay?’
    I shrugged and went inside, feeling hurt and angry. Okay, so Flynn didn’t want to talk. Maybe I was overreacting, but what with school and all his jobs, we had so little time together . .
. so few opportunities to be close. And he was spoiling what should have been a really nice night.
    I deliberately sat apart from him while we were having our pizza. He looked over at me a couple of times, but didn’t say anything. Later everyone started getting tanked up on beers and he
pulled out some money – I knew it would be the exact money for what he’d eaten. As usual, he couldn’t afford to pay a split of the bill, and anyway – because of his da
– Flynn never drank alcohol, so he’d have been paying for other people’s booze.
    Despite the fact that it was fair, I knew that Flynn hated having to do it. I could see his eyes hardening as he left his cash with James. He looked over at me one last time – a long,
resentful look. Then he got up and walked away from the table without saying goodbye.
    My stomach twisted into knots as I watched him leave. I caught Grace’s eye. She was smiling at me sympathetically. Then I looked up the table to where a very drunken Alex was chewing
Emmi’s face off.
    It was crazy. Grace was fond of James. And Emmi certainly fancied Alex. But I was sure neither of them felt like Flynn and I did about each other. So why was it always so difficult with him? Why
did he get so angry and moody about everything? Why did I get so upset?
    I stood up and stomped out of the restaurant. Everyone would know I’d gone after Flynn, but I didn’t care. I wanted to tell him how furious I was. How stupid he was being.
    Outside it was still bitterly cold. My breath whirled in front of my face as I glanced up and down the road.
    Flynn was leaning against the wall of the bank next to the pizza restaurant looking across at me. His eyes glinted gold in the street lights as he pushed himself off the wall. Then he strolled
lazily over, his hands in his pockets, a smile creeping round the edges of his mouth. How annoying! He’d
known
I would follow him outside. He was infuriatingly sure of himself.
    And so unbearably sexy that I couldn’t look away.
    He stopped just in front of me. ‘Thanks for coming out,’ he said.
    ‘Why are you being so horrible?’ I snapped, angry at him for being able to predict my behaviour like that.
    Flynn raised his eyebrows. ‘I just said I didn’t want to talk right now which—’
    ‘I know what you said, but it’s not fair. Alex knows. Emmi knows. And it’s not my fault Alex wound you up about whatever