Page 9 of The History in Us

My eyes shot to Levi’s.

“I’m thirteen,” I whispered to brown eyes, hazy and ringed in red.

“Shit,” he hissed in my face, his breath washing over me like a dirty cloth. I shivered in humiliation, not strong enough in my own voice to defend myself. His eyelids suddenly heavy, he swayed before me, reminding me he’d been drinking. Too much apparently. When his eyes opened again, they’d shuttered to a dull black. His cheeks softened in apology.

“She’s just a kid, man.” I wanted whoever was speaking to shut up. Just shut up, like my mama said. Anger filled me and my body trembled. Heat rushed to my face, and I blinked away the liquid clouding my eyes. I saw the moment Levi realized what he’d done.

“I…” His mouth twisted.  He releasedmy shoulders, raising his hands in surrender, and stepped back. One hand ran over his shaved head.

“Wait, just wait…” The grief on my face apparent, or maybe it was the humiliation that he didn’t realize who I was. Either way, my heart plummeted to my stomach. I hadn’t made it fully out of the bathroom door before our interlude, so I pushed at his chest with all my might, watching him stumble from the force. The thud against the wall opposite the bathroom was exaggerated, the power in my thin arms startling him, like his kiss took me by surprise. My small, hurt voice snapped at him.

“That wasn’t a kiss. Only when you’re a hero can you have a real kiss from me.”

* * *

Heat rose in my cheeks with the remembrance of that night. There was something more to that kiss and deep inside me I compared most other kisses to that memory. Only one other kiss competed to replace the first. Oh, how I hoped Levi Walker had a bad memory.

Later that week, I took my seat toward the back of the classroom. Thankfully, I didn’t see Levi.

“One of the first assignments in this class is to pick a partner for field study. That means you’ll share field trips throughout Chicago and collectively report on something specific about the city. It should be historical in nature and involve a journey.”

I stared at the wire rims of Professor Erickson’s glasses.

“A journey?” Nate asked, snorting in disbelief. “Like what, the Cubs run for the pennant?”

“If that’s what you wish to report on, then so be it.”

Levi entered the classroom, shifting his eyes to the professor and offering a brief nod of apology. I noticed he walked hastily but with a limp, his right hand pressing against his right thigh as he shuffled down the short aisle and took a seat next to me. There were other choices in the room, but I dismissed his selection as a decision like mine—he was a back-of-the-room kind of student.

“How am I supposed to report on that?” Nate barked and sat up straighter.

“That is up to you,” Professor Erickson replied, lowering his glasses to the bridge of his nose to glare at Nate. I sensed Nate’s too-perfect hair and sharp eyes had no effect on the older professor, unless he swung that way. “You’re in a graduate-level course, Mr. Reynolds. I expect you to figure out your own solution.”I guess he isn’t fazed, I was thinking when Levi whispered from my left.

“What are we talking about?”

“A project. A tour of the city that somehow traces a journey of something historical.”

Levi nodded and sat back in his seat.

“In the interest of saving time, I’ve decided to assign partners.” My head swung to the professor as everyone groaned. “People, real world involves working with others, and we don’t always get to pick our partners.”

“Eek,” Nate interjected. “I sure hope so.” His head swung to face me and he winked at me. My mouth fell open at the directness of his comment and the sexual implication. My face heated and a shaky hand came to my cheek, willing myself to calm the tell-tale sign of my embarrassment. His eyes roamed down my neck and my staring continued. He certainly was good looking. If only he didn’t have an attitude from knowing that fact about himself.

“By that look, I’m assuming you wish for Katie Carter to be your partner on this journey in your life, Mr. Reynolds.” Professor Erickson peered over his glasses, a witness to Nate’s ogling gaze. Our sneaky professor’s comments were equally as suggestive of something more than casual classroom coupling.

“Katie’s already mine.” The rough voice from my left startled me, and instead of turning pink, I blanched white in disbelief at Levi’s implication. His eyes widened when he saw me staring at him and he cleared his throat. “I mean, with all due respect to your decision, sir, I’d like to request Katie Carter as my partner.”

Something in the appeal of another gorgeous looking man in my classroom did affect old Wayne Erickson, and with a twist of his lip, he nodded his ascent.

“Fine. As history is full of mutiny, and I seem to be having one in my classroom at the moment, you may select your own partner. But let me firmly remind you, there are no givebacks. Once you’ve chosen, you’re stuck.”

“I’ll stick,” Levi said, and my head swung back in his direction. His eyes pinned me too briefly before he twisted to open his iPad. “Thanks,” he muttered without looking at me, before I ever agreed to anything.

When class ended, and I was gathering my things, Levi finally spoke to me.