Page 25 of Twilight of Embers
I stood there for a moment, just breathing, trying to slow my heart rate. What the hell was the matter with him? Mr. Grumpy Cat was exactly the right name for him.
More students appeared in the hallway, and I knew I needed to move. With one last deep breath, I went in search of my classroom. It only took me two wrong turns before I found it, but thankfully, I made it before the bell rang.
I’d always loved biology. It had been the science that had come most naturally to me. It was chemistry that was always a struggle. I hoped that this would be one of my easier classes, but as soon as I stepped inside the room, I knew that wouldn’t be the case.
Angry green eyes locked with mine, and I nearly tripped over my own feet. Easton. But he was a junior. Shouldn’t he have been in an upper-level science? I guessed not if he wasn’t a science major.
He sat at a lab table next to another guy who was typing away on a cell phone. Across the aisle from him, my roommate chattered away. I didn’t think he heard a word Delaney said. And when she realized she’d lost his attention, her gaze followed his line of focus. The moment Delaney caught sight of me, red rose in her cheeks, and a scowl twisted her pretty mouth.
Great. Just great. My favorite class was going to be ruined by two people who wanted to kill me with their eyes.
I hurried down the aisle, ducking my head and avoiding their stares. I slipped into an open chair at the back of the room. Looking over, there was a girl whose dark brown hair hung in her face.
She jolted as I sat.
“Is it okay if I sit here?” I asked.
She nodded in a staccato rhythm but didn’t say a word.
At least she wasn’t glaring at me.
“I’m Hayden,” I said quietly.
“Wren,” the girl said. Her voice had a husky quality to it, as if she didn’t use it often.
“Nice to meet you.”
She bobbed her head in a nod, and her hair shifted with the motion. It revealed a scar slashed across her cheek. I fought the urge to suck in a breath. Whatever had happened to her had to have hurt.
A voice cleared at the front of the room, jerking my focus in that direction.
“Good morning,” a gravelly voice greeted.
That tenor. It skated over me in a pleasant shiver yet again as Maddox’s gaze swept over the classroom.
“I’m Professor Kavanaugh, and this is Biology 101.”
Oh, crap. Knox’s hot-as-hell brother was my biology professor.
“Some of you are in this class because you’re already planning a science major. Others are just trying to get a core education requirement fulfilled. Either way, I’ll do my best to get you through this as painlessly as possible.”
Students laughed, and I swore I heard a few girls sigh.
I scanned the room and didn’t miss a few girls fluttering their lashes his way. A surge of anger swept through me, and I had to grip the desk to get myself under control.
Maddox’s gaze snapped to me, as if he could somehow read my emotions. His jaw tensed, and he forced his focus to the stack of papers in front of him.
What the hell was wrong with me? It was as if every one of my emotions was in overdrive lately.
I tried again to focus on my breathing as Maddox discussed the class’s syllabus, but it was a struggle. The words on my paper swirled and danced.
By the time class was over, I thought I’d only heard about half of what Maddox had said. I’d at least caught the reading we were supposed to do for homework. I needed to get it together by the time our class met next, or I was going to lose my scholarship for sure.
The bell rang, and I stuffed my notebook and the syllabus into my backpack. I didn’t miss how Wren hovered at the back of the classroom until most of the students were gone and then made a beeline for the door. I frowned after her as I made my way up the aisle.
“Ms. Parrish,” Maddox said, voice low.
My gaze jerked in his direction. “Yes?” The single word came out as more of a squeak.
