Scattered Colors by Jessica Prince Read Free Book Online Page B

comfortable.”
    I tried to hold down the laugh that wanted to escape at his retort, but unfortunately all it did was make it come out in a loud snort. The cough I followed up with did nothing to mask that I’d been listening in, and when I turned around to look, Brynn was glaring at me so hard I thought lasers were going to pop out of her eyes at any moment.
    Luckily, Mrs. Wilkins spoke up right then, “Okay, class. You’re in for a treat today. I’m going to have you partner up with another student…”
    A collective groan rumbled through the room at the thought of whatever team project our teacher had planned. And I swear, Mrs. Wilkins grinned at everyone’s misery.
    “We’ll be reading The Crucible ,” she stated as she began handing out papers. “I’ve put together a list of discussion points I want you and your partner to go over. At the end of the month, I want a four-page paper with your opinions on each topic.”
    I started to shift my desk toward Stella’s, assuming I’d partner up with her, when Parker’s voice rang out.
    “Mrs. Wilkins, I’d like to volunteer to be Freya’s partner. You know, since she’s new and doesn’t really have any friends.”
    My cheeks instantly burned red and the tips of my ears heated with embarrassment as everyone around me chuckled.
    “How chivalrous of you,” she replied banally. “But how about we ask Freya what she wants, hmm?”
    Curious eyes gawked at me from all different directions, waiting for my answer. I opened my mouth to speak, but all that came out was, “Uh…”
    “Fantastic!” Parker exclaimed with a clap from behind me. “Let’s get our learn on.”
    The sound of desks shuffling echoed off the walls. I shot a look at Stella who was giggling at my dilemma as she moved closer to the kid on her right. The traitor.
    “That desk isn’t going to move itself.” Parker laughed, clearly enjoying my discomfort. Begrudgingly, I began to spin my desk around to face his, moving as slowly as I possibly could.
    “You just don’t give up, do you?” I whispered once we were face to face. It took all my energy not to get sucked into those eyes that seemed to see everything. Parker’s lips quirked up in a knowing smirk, drawing attention to his ever-present lip ring. “What can I say? I’m a persistent guy.”
    “And I said I didn’t want to make any new friends,” I shot back. My emotions were rioting inside of me, one side annoyed he was becoming such a nuisance while the other was secretly thrilled at his attention. For as much as I didn’t want to be near him, I found myself drawn to Parker, even when he wasn’t around. During the times I wasn’t wallowing in my own heartache, my thoughts were all about him. I thought about what he might see when he stared at me so intensely, about what that messy hair would feel like if I ran my fingers through it. My traitorous mind even focused on what his lip ring might feel like if I were to kiss him. Parker was dangerous for me. But even though I knew that, I was still undeniably fascinated by him.
    “Yeah, I thought about that and figured you must not really know what you want after all. I mean, I’m a pretty awesome friend to have. You’ll realize it eventually.”
    Choosing to ignore the tugging match going on inside my head and trying not to feed into his ego, I quickly shifted the subject off me. “Since when do you know Stella? The other day you couldn’t even remember her name and now you’re acting like you two are close?”
    Parker leaned in and rested his forearms on his desk, staring intently. “I never said I didn’t know her, Freya. I just forgot her name, that’s all. I’m kind of bad about stuff like that.”
    I immediately shot back, refusing to admit that maybe he wasn’t the bad guy I’d made him out to be. “And what kind of self-centered jerk doesn’t remember the name of someone he’s known since they were kids, huh? You really think you’re an awesome friend, Parker?