Trouble from the Start Read Free

admiration in his tone. That and his smile made it hard to hold on to my annoyance with him.
    â€œThird.” The announcement had come a few weeks earlier. “Lin Chou and Rajesh Nahar are one and two.”
    â€œYou got robbed.”
    Was he sticking up for me? It was kind of sweet, but I also knew that I hadn’t gotten “robbed.”
    â€œNot really. They’re way smarter than I am.” Which he would know if he was in any of our advanced classes.And I didn’t mind coming in third. It meant that I didn’t have to give a speech during the graduation ceremony, but my grades were still high enough that I could get into any state-funded college I wanted—and the one I wanted was in Austin. I’d been accepted a month ago. I couldn’t wait until mid-August when I could head down there and be surrounded by people who cared about academics and grades as much as I did. I took another long swallow of the dreamsicle.
    He narrowed his eyes. “You should go easy on that.”
    â€œI’m not a novice to alcohol.”
    â€œSo that’s not why you staggered earlier?”
    â€œJust lost my balance.”
    He brought a brown bottle up to his lips and gulped down beer. I hadn’t even noticed he had one until that moment. When I realized I was transfixed by the way his throat worked as he swallowed, I lowered my gaze and noticed how his black T-shirt clung to a sculpted chest, washboard abs, and hard-as-rock biceps. Suddenly I felt warm. Why was I noticing these things? I couldn’t deny that he looked hot, and while I’d come here hoping to catch a guy’s attention, I just didn’t want it to be some guy with whom I had absolutely nothing in common. I knew he’d been held back at least one year, so studying wasn’t a priority for him like it was for me. Fletcher tossed his empty bottle back into a bush.
    â€œDon’t you care about the environment?” I scolded him.
    â€œYou’re not one of those , are you?” he asked.
    Ignoring his question, I walked over to the bushes, crouched, and tried to see into the darkness, but I suddenly felt light-headed and dropped to my butt.
    Fletcher hunkered beside me, balancing on the balls of his feet, his forearms resting on his jean-clad thighs. How did he manage that? I’d bet money he’d already swigged down way more than I had. “You okay?”
    â€œYes, just—” I realized that I’d finished off my drink. Everything suddenly looked far away, like I was viewing it through a tunnel. The cup slipped from my fingers and onto the grass.
    â€œYou need some fresh air,” he said.
    â€œWe’re outside,” I pointed out. “It doesn’t get any fresher than that.”
    His fingers folded around my elbow and I was struck by how large his hand was, how strong, how warm against my skin. With no effort at all, he helped me to my feet. “It’s better by the lake.”
    He curled his arm around my shoulders, pulled me in just a little, and I had this insane thought that we fit together like pieces of a puzzle. I liked his height compared to mine. He made me feel normal, when I often felt like a giant. He guided me over the uneven expanse of land thatled down to the lake. When we reached the bank, he didn’t release his hold, and while I wouldn’t admit it to him, I was grateful because suddenly nothing seemed solid beneath my feet.
    I knew I’d had too much alcohol too fast on a too-empty stomach. Snacks weren’t nearly as abundant around here as the drinks.
    â€œTake a deep breath,” Fletcher ordered.
    I did, and I could smell the brine of the lake, the sweetness of the wildflowers, the dankness of the dirt, and Fletcher. His was an earthy fragrance, nothing artificial, all male. With his arm around me, he was overpowering my senses, until he was almost the only thing I was aware of.
    â€œBetter?” he asked.
    â€œYeah.”