Shattered: A Salvation Society Novel by Bella Emy (pdf to ebook reader .TXT) 📕

Leaning in closer, he whispers into my ear. “And why’s that, beautiful girl?”

My heart speeds up even faster. I want to respond, to say anything, but instead, I’m frozen once again right where I am.

Kalen, on the other hand, is very cool and calm, and damn sexy. He reaches up with his hands and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear.

And I’m shivering. Chills race up and down my body. All I want to do is kiss him. All I want at this very moment is for him to place his hands anywhere on me.

But instead, it’s at that moment that the bell rings and he pulls away.

My eyes automatically lock with his. His smug grin with that devilish look still embodies his face, and fuck, he’s so hot.

He chuckles, and I think he knows exactly what he’s doing to me. Shit.

“It’s okay, Lexi. I told you. I’m not giving up.” He steps back, and right before he turns around, he says, “I’ll see you around, beautiful girl.”

Then he fades into the mass of students scattering through the halls.

Somehow, I don’t fall over from the thrills he causes my body, and I walk into first period English.

Erin and I had first period English together, but we didn’t get to talk because she got there right before the late bell rang. I had seen her and Jason share another worthy tongue kiss right in front of class, and when she walked into the classroom, she was definitely floating on cloud nine.

Now it’s fifth-period study hall, and we’re finally getting a chance to catch up.

“So did Kalen ask you out again?” she asks.

I shake my head. “He says he wants to get to know me. He thinks I think he’s a bad guy… I tried telling him I don’t think that, but I don’t know if he believes me.”

She shakes her head. “He probably thinks that because you won’t give him the time of day. Can’t you just hang out with him one time by yourself and see if you guys click?”

I let out a deep sigh. “I don’t think that’s the problem. I’m pretty sure we click…” Thoughts of the way he made me feel right before I walked into English class wash over me. Damn. I still get chills just thinking about it… and him. Fuck.

Erin flips through her notebook and opens up a fresh sheet. She scribbles her name on top and then Jason’s underneath, drawing little hearts and clouds around it. She’s got it bad for him. She never acts this way over a guy.

“So what is it then?” she asks.

I shrug, and she glances up at me. “I’m just scared, you know? I don’t want to end up getting hurt. I saw the way the girls were looking at him this morning when he and Jason were walking toward us down the hall.” I bite the side of my cheek and pout.

“You said it, girl. They may have been looking at him, but his eyes were glued on you. He didn’t even seem to notice anyone else. They were walking toward us. They came to us. Not those other chicks. You can’t live your life in the what-if.”

She’s always saying that to me because I do tend to wonder what if all the time.

I shrug. “Maybe.”

“You never texted him that day I gave you his number, did you?”

I shake my head.

Erin shakes her head back. “Well, fine. It’s on you. But I still think you should give the guy a chance. He obviously really likes you.”

“He keeps calling me beautiful girl.”

“See. He does like you a lot.”

I shrug again. “I guess so.” Maybe. 

“Jason asked me to the pep rally next Friday night.”

My eyes widen. “He did?!”

A smile spreads across her face. “Yeah… the first official school event, and we’re going together. Then we’ll probably hang out afterward. Of course I still want to see him before then, but to know that we’re going together? Lexi, I think I’m falling for him.”

I smile back. “I’m happy for you.”

“You’re going to come, right? We can meet up there. You’ll sit with us, won’t you?”

I don’t want to be the third wheel, but everyone from school always attends the pep rally. I have to go. And where else would I sit? “Yeah, I’ll be there, and I’ll sit with you.”

“Good.”

And then it dawns on me. If she’s asking me to sit with them, is Jason asking Kalen to sit with them, too?

Chapter Ten

I’ve totally sold out. I wasn’t going to sign up for the cheerleading team, but I decided to follow Erin and do it, too. And what do you know? I made the team.

Besides Erin begging me to try out with her, I had hoped I’d be seeing Kalen more this way. Jason told her Kalen was going to join the football team, and since the football players and cheerleaders both spend their afternoons practicing outside on the field, I figured I’d get to see him more.

I frown, thinking how I haven’t been seeing much of him lately. It sucks, but I knew this would happen all along. I’m sure either Sarah Michaelson or Cynthia Jenkins grabbed his attention. He must have forgotten all about me after seeing how flirty they are. I’m sure they threw themselves all over him at the first chance they got.

Now I only get to see Kalen for a few moments in the halls every so often, but it’s just not the same. The last time we spoke was on the first day of school.

It’s now a week later.

It sucks how things work out. But at least I warned myself before I let it get too far. Sure I have feelings for him and I still really like him, but at least I caught myself before it was too late and I fell for him. Because I could surely tell that’s exactly where it was going to go if I kept at it.

Maybe I