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His mother is beautiful. His sister is too. His grandmother is Fable Callahan. Even I know who Fable Callahan is and it’s funny to me that I didn’t put it together that Rhett’s younger brother’s name is Callahan, but then again, I’m not an NFL fan. Fable is married to her husband Drew, who is one of the best quarterbacks to ever play football. Meaning, Rhett comes from a very famous family. An important family in both college football and the NFL. No wonder Westscott is so protective of Rhett.
I’m not about to become the downfall of Rhett Bennett and his football future. No thank you.
Not that I believe I have that kind of power, because I am just a girl who can’t seem to get anyone to pay attention to me here anyway—with the exception of Rhett. I wonder if Westscott said something to the other boys about how they needed to stay focused and not get distracted by girls. Did he talk to Rhett? Would he do that?
Doubtful. It’s never a man’s fault if a woman is involved. In this scenario, I’m the siren who is temptation personified. This is a tale as old as time—straight out of the Bible even. Rhett is Adam and I’m Eve, holding the apple toward him and egging him on to take a bite.
Okay, my thoughts are completely overdramatic, but I can’t help it. I’ve been dwelling on my conversation with Westscott all day.
And on that note, why wouldn’t Westscott say something to the teachers so we could avoid situations like the very one we’re in currently? I’m supposed to leave Rhett alone, yet I’m paired up with him for the next two weeks? Who assigns a two-week project anyway?
“You don’t think we’re compatible, huh?” Rhett is smiling, and I can tell he’s about to call me out on my lies. Ugh, that smile. Its power is devastating and I lock my knees so my legs don’t wobble.
“We’re not.” My voice is firm. I guess I can be a good liar when necessary. “You said so yourself that you don’t do relationships.”
“When did I ever say that?”
My mind scrambles—I remember Iris saying something like that, but I don’t know if those words ever came out of Rhett’s mouth.
“It doesn’t matter,” I tell him. “I am a relationship girl through and through.”
“Oh yeah?” He squints at me, as if he’s having trouble understanding. “How many relationships have you been in?”
“Um …”
None. Zero. Nada.
“That’s what I thought.” His voice is smug.
“Well, how many have you been in?” I throw at him.
“Not a single one,” he says without hesitation. “We’ve already had this conversation. We’re just talking in circles.”
He’s right. I know he is.
“I’m willing to change things up though,” he adds.
“Change things up about what?”
“A relationship doesn’t sound so bad … with you.”
Oh God. Did he really just say that?
“I thought we had something going on the last week, but now you’re giving me mixed signals, Will. And I don’t get it. What happened?” He sounds genuinely confused and I feel terrible.
The urge to tell him what Westscott said rests on the tip of my tongue, but I swallow the words down. Would he even believe me? Or worse, would he run off to Westscott’s office and confront him over it? That would be awful. I’m not about to stir up any trouble because then I would just be proving Westscott’s point.
I’m a distraction.
And I refuse to tell my parents about any of this because the headmaster is right—there are more important things to worry about right now in regards to Lancaster Prep than whether I have a crush on the varsity team’s top football player. What I want shouldn’t matter. Besides, it’s our senior year. We’re going to graduate and go our separate ways.
From the start, I’ve told myself I want a high school romance to enjoy during my senior year. A guaranteed date for all of the important events—dances, prom. That’s what I was looking for, and yes, it probably would’ve been fun to do all of that with Rhett, but this is turning into too much trouble.
Trouble I don’t want.
“Like I said, I had a realization. We would never work,” I reiterate.
“You so sure about that?” Oh, there’s that dare in his voice again. The sly smile on his face. It’s like no matter what I say, it doesn’t deter him. I didn’t think he’d be so determined.
