Pieces of Lies by Angela Richardson Read Free Book Online

and grinned at me, hoping for a smile in return. “That sounds good Norah. I’ll talk to you next week then.”
    The corners of my mouth turned up slightly as a gesture of reassurance. Josh’s eyes still looked woeful, but he nodded and took off in the opposite direction. He knew me well enough to let things cool off a while more. Tess looked at me, completely confused, leaning in to ask, “What was that all about?”
    I sighed, “Oh you know guys, they’re always being dicks.”
    Tess laughed loudly, “True that.”
    We were both in the next class together, which was at least another hour away, so we decided to head to the quad tables and kill some time sketching and making notes. We found a spot at one of the tables and laid out our notebooks. The quad was the heart of the campus where most students congregated at the tables or under the trees, to hang out in between classes. It was always a mix of students studying and eating, couples bickering or making out, and random groups playing football or frisbee.
    Looking at university life unfold around me, my eye was caught by a glimmer of dark blond hair surrounded by co-eds on the far lawn. I could see the back of Clint a few tables over from where Tess and I sat. He was chatting with a group of girls, who all had on their best smiles, twisting their hair and bobbing their heads from side to side. Even from that distance you could tell they were all flirting with one another, and that the girls were clearly enjoying Mr. Weston’s attention. 
    As I watched him, I admitted to myself that I was curious about Clint. Both at the party and at my apartment, he had shown me different dimensions to his personality that seemed unexpected for a guy who walked around as if everyone was supposed to bow down to him. If anything, given his behavior towards me, he seemed a little lost. There was something about him that didn’t fit the perception and I liked that I had seen a glimmer of that.
    I tapped Tess’s notebook with my pencil, her head flicking up. “Tess, I haven’t been here all that long, and I’ve heard the gossip, but what can you tell me about that guy?”
    Tess’s eyes looked in the direction I was motioning to with my pencil. “Oh him. Yeah, that’s Clint Weston. He’s hard to miss hey. Drop dead gorgeous, but he runs with the rich, and supposedly he’s a member of the Lappell Secret Society. I don’t think anyone has ever seen him with a girlfriend. Not that you would want one with the kind of attention he gets.” I gave Tess a knowing smile. Clint turned and saw us, his head bobbing a little to the side as he looked carefully in our direction.
    “Oh, and by the looks of it now, he’s scoping out some fresh meat.” She nudged me with her hand and I brushed it away as if she was being ridiculous. We giggled, but then we both watched as Clint shifted his gaze to our table, watching us intently. Then he began walking towards us.
    “Shit, he’s coming in for the kill. Oh please, please don’t fall for any lame lines, OK Norah.”
    I was a little excited, watching Clint walk our way, but I didn’t show it. Tess was not aware I was already acquainted with Clint, her face turning into a scowl as soon as he stopped at our table.
    “Hello Norah,” he said softly, his sky blue eyes melting right into me. He then shifted his eyes to Tess, who seemed a little thrown that he greeted me by name. Her mouth dropped open in shocked amusement.
    “That’s Tess,” I gestured. She smiled nervously.
    “Hello Tess,” he said politely back. She lifted her palm silently to say hello and then smirked as she watched on.
    “So, I was thinking Norah, that perhaps we could do lunch and maybe a gallery tomorrow, if you are interested?” He was incredibly confident in the way he asked so casually. He was probably used to women throwing themselves at him, so made no attempt at small talk before the invitation.
    “Well, actually, I have other plans tomorrow at lunch, but