Page 29 of Novice Girlfriend

Wyatt’s eyes flashed shock as I looked him over all dressed up.

“Okay, this is seriously getting ridiculous, Derek,” a guy drawled, and I wanted to melt into the floor when I recognized his friend from the gym who had paused in pulling on a suit jacket.

“Right, you said you had plans,” I whispered.

“Is everything okay?” Wyatt worried, glancing between me and the guard.

It was too late to hide the flowers, and there wasn’t any salvaging the situation, so I simply held them out in front of me. I opened my mouth to explain, but a gorgeous woman in high heels moved next to him and failed in covering a giggle.

“Oh, she’s so cute,” she cooed with a nasty gleam in her eyes. “Seriously though, Derek, you can’t let your students act like this with you.” She moved towards me with a condescending smile. “I know you think you have feelings for him, but you’ll grow up and learn that your crush is embarrassing, kiddo. Maybe ask your friends next time before you do something so—”

I grabbed her wrist when she reached out like she was going to pat me on the head and shoved it away, everyone freezing. I might not be able to handle everything I wanted, but this? A bitch like her?

I was raised and grew up around worse snakes and thrived handling these sorts of situations.

“Right, so clearly you want him or have already had a relationship with him to be so petty and ridiculous,” I drawled as I handed the bouquet to Wyatt. “But you’re the only person here being embarrassing because Professor Wyatt wasn’t the only one to get flowers from me today.” I nodded when she froze. “It’s a thanks to him, Mrs. Reid, and Ms. Anderson.

“I’d tell you why but honestly, you’re not important enough no matter how much you want to be and try to insert yourself. The jealousy dripping off of you is as tacky as your perfume. The grown-ups need to talk though, so can you go wait in the petty bitches corner for a moment and then you can go back to barking up the wrong tree?”

“Dayumnnnn,” one of the other guys whispered.

“I apologize for interrupting,” I told Wyatt as he accepted the flowers. “I should have checked, and I will try to remember going forward. There was an issue with that other matter.” I hurried on when worry filled his pretty green eyes. “It’s being handled with Ms. Anderson, and I believe Taylor Reid, but I didn’t want you to be blindsided later.”

“Thank you for letting me know,” he muttered, studying me. “Are you okay?”

I snorted and then gestured to my appearance. “I think I’m done with the week and it’s Sunday night.”

“Pretty understandable, but it’s your first midterm break, so you should rest.”

I gave him an amused look. “Yeah, sure, that’s on the agenda.” I glanced past him to his other friends who seriously all looked like they’d just stepped off a runway in Paris. A mix of men and women, all elegant, put together, and attractive.

Of course they were.

“I apologize for the interruption. Have a lovely evening, whatever you’re doing.” Then I pointed to the guy from the gym. “Except you. You still haven’t even introduced yourself to me, so I’m not the only ridiculous one here.” I turned to my guard and nodded we could leave, ignoring that he looked like he was going to fall over laughing.

“Thank you, Ms. Millen,” Wyatt said as I joined the guard in the circle he was laying down.

I raised an eyebrow. “For providing an anecdote you’ll all be talking about for years to come?”

He smiled and he wasn’t the only one but raised the bouquet. “For my first flowers. They’re lovely, and it’s nice to be appreciated.”

“You’re welcome. Yesterday meant a lot to me. I was scared, and it was nice that someone at the fucking school will actually help me when I’m different when the rest seem to want to toss me to the sharks or abuse me. I don’t care if men are supposed to give the flowers. Everyone likes nice things.”

“I love flowers,” my guard muttered.

I gestured to him as if to say exactly.

Wyatt winked at me since his friends were all behind him and couldn’t see me as the circle flared up. Glad he wasn’t upset at least.

No, that was the people waiting for me when I got home.

But not at me.

“I don’t want her in my house,” I said more calmly than I felt when I saw Nina sitting there.

“That doesn’t help, foxy,” Sergey whispered from where he was leaning against the wall of the kitchen.

I kept it together even as my lower lip quivered. “If Kevin Rose had put his hands on me, there is no world where you would just let him into my house hours later near me. She is bigger than me and I did nothing wrong. I didn’t touch her. She bruised me. Rita saw it. Don’t be sexist, and stay out of it if you clearly will choose her side.”