Dark Secrets Read Free Page B

David.”
    That’s what I was
worried about. “ He’s not that cute,” I said, but the lie showed in my tone,
shouting to the world that I was as pathetic as Emily.
    She rolled her head to
one side. “It’s okay to like him, you know. We’re only
human.”
    I swallowed my pride
and said, “Does he have a girlfriend?”
    Emily leaned closer.
“He—”
    “ Sure thing, Mr
Benson.” David’s smooth voice filled the hallway a second before he
stepped out of the classroom, carrying his bag and a stack of
books.
    Emily straightened up,
poorly masking her conspicuous smile.
    “ Everything all
right, Emily?” he asked.
    “ Mm-hm.”
    He looked at me then
and studied my face with slightly narrowed eyes—as if maybe he was
trying to figure me out. I wished him luck. “You ready, new
girl?”
    I managed to nod.
Somehow, staying with Mr Benson seemed more appealing. I was going
to make a fool of myself in front of this boy, I just knew
it.
    “ Don’t worry.” Emily
touched my arm. “David will take good care of you.”
    “ You’re late for
class, Emily,” he said in a dull tone, looking at his
watch.
    “ Okay, well. Have
fun, Ara, and…I’ll see you at lunch?” she asked, her eyes round,
hopeful.
    Terrific, I’d just
made a new friend without even trying. Great. Not. “Thanks, Emily,
and yeah, sure, I’ll see you at lunch, then.”
    She skipped off,
beaming, but as she reached the corner, stopped to fan her chin,
mouthing what looked like “He’s so hot,” right as David turned to
catch her.
    I allowed a small
smile, watching her quickly press her hands behind her back as she
disappeared around the corner, leaving David and I completely
alone.
    My heart pumped blood
the wrong way around my body, and the beat bounced off every wall
in the school—a suspenseful soundtrack to a gripping scene. I
forced myself to look up from my shoes, and though I sat for hours
last night scripting topics for just this sort of occasion, when I
met David’s gaze, it was all gone—escaped me completely. All I
could find was a white cloud of wordless stupor. I was without
ammunition, alone in the wilderness, with a lion.
    “ Come, I’ll show you
to the library.” He started walking. I stayed put, safe and snug
against the wall, where I couldn't trip on my own nerves. He didn't
even notice I stayed behind, just walked ahead without me. Or maybe
he did notice but chose to ignore it, figuring I’d eventually move.
But staying behind gave me a great vantage point for
hotness-evaluation; I could see the definition in his back through
that black shirt—could see the marvellous contours of his arms and
how his torso seemed to taper inward at the waist, like an
upside-down triangle, despite his otherwise very slim form. I’d
seen that kind of physique, but a little bigger, only on guys in
the football teams back home. Which made me wonder if David was a
football jock. If he so, he disguised that stereotypical arrogance
really well under the impression of a kind, well-mannered
boy.
    “ Hey, are you
coming?” he said, walking backward to face me.
    “ Um, yeah. Sorry.” I
pushed away from the wall and started after him, giggling to myself
when he turned away. I always knew the world was unnaturally cruel
and today I learned it could also be cruel in an unbelievably
giving way.
    David strolled along
silently beside me, focusing on the path ahead. I didn't know if I
should—or could—say something to break the silence, which made it
turn suddenly into the uncomfortable sort. Yet, he didn't seem uncomfortable, and
his self-satisfied grin made me feel almost like he could hear
every deranged, lustful thought I was having.
    I rocked my jaw,
searching deep inside for that level-headed girl in me who didn’t
get pummelled by a cute face. She was dead, though. David killed
her.
    “ What were you
focusing on in your last school—for English studies?” he asked in
that buttery voice, like, if I could swallow it in one gulp,