Page 89 of Unexpected Prejudice

“Fuck,” he grunted when I kept quiet.

“Yeah, I’d say you fucked things up.” I crossed my arms over my chest and looked away because it was still hard to ignore my urge to reach out and lick his sweat. You’re a hopeless case, Jordy.

“Mind telling me what I did? I was so fucking wasted. I don’t remember shit from that night.”

Was he so high and intoxicated that the whole night was wiped from his memory? His use of drugs and booze really worried me.

“You said you’d pick me up. You never came. Then I found you at the party, making out with Chloe, and when I tried to talk with you, you pushed me so hard that I crashed against a table.” I clenched my jaw before I faced him again. “What the fuck, Shay-Lee? It’s one thing to blow me off, but making out with her in front of me? Lashing out? Pushing me to the fucking floor in front of everyone? I know we’re just hooking up, but that was bullshit.”

I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat and looked around. We were still alone on the field, but it wasn’t the time or the place for that conversation.

“Shit, Jordy,” he said quietly and reached to touch me, but I pushed his hand away.

“I mean it, Shay-Lee.” I paused and shook my head. “I know it’s probably just a game for you, but it isn’t for me. I care about you.” I rubbed my face with my palms and grunted. “Shit. Just forget it, okay?”

I was about to walk away when he grabbed me by my forearm. “I’m sorry, baby. I’m sorry I fucked up.”

Baby. He just called me baby, and the way that one word twisted my insides was un-fucking-real. I swallowed hard before I stopped and looked at him.

“Let me make it up to you.”

“Shay-Lee.” I tried to act cool, but that didn’t deter him.

“You working today?”

“No.”

He flashed me his gorgeous smile. “Good. After school, I’m taking you somewhere special.” He let go of my arm, but not before sliding his fingers down my skin in a way that gave me goosebumps before he walked back onto the field.

The sounds of waves and seagull calls surrounded us as we sat on the porch of an old beach restaurant at the top of a cliff. The place overlooked the shore and ocean and it was one of those restaurants with a good vibe. I couldn’t explain it. The delicious food, the courteous staff, the view of the ocean, and the briny breeze all created the perfect scene.

While Shay-Lee was busy devouring his cheeseburger, the messy meal left some traces on his cheek, and I wanted to reach forward and clean it up. God, I’m like my mom. The thought was amusing and caused me to chuckle, which caught Shay-Lee’s attention.

“What’s funny?” His baby blues shone brighter under the sunlight, and he licked his lips before he flashed me a confused smile. He looked beautiful, even more so with how he pulled his blond hair into two adorable buns.

I tapped the side of my cheek. “You’ve got some mayo here.”

Wiping the corner of his mouth, he laughed softly. “I’m a mess.”

He was about to return to his food but then glanced at my plate, which was still full of the teriyaki chicken I’d ordered. It looked delicious, but I wasn’t hungry—I was confused. I was confused because of all those mixed messages Shay-Lee had sent me over the past week and even more now because of how I reacted to them. One minute we had sex, and the next, he blew me off, which hurt. Now we were on a fucking date, and all I wanted to do was to clean traces of food off his face.

Shay-Lee’s hot and cold personality made me dizzy.

“Why aren’t you eating?” He nudged his head in the direction of my plate.

I sighed and pushed it aside before I leaned on my elbows and played with the straw of my drink. “What are we doing here?”

“We’re eating.”

Rolling my eyes, I dropped the straw and faced him. “I mean it, Shay-Lee. If you’re not telling me why we’re suddenly on a date on the other side of town, I’m gonna go.”

“I told you. I wanted to make it up to you for fucking things up the way I did.”

“I’m talking about this, Shay-Lee.” I pointed between us. “What the hell is the point of this? Of us? Why are we here?” The moment those words left my mouth, my stomach twisted. I hadn’t planned to ask him that, but now that it was out, I had no choice but to wait and see what he said.

Pushing his plate aside, he leaned back in his chair. With his arms crossed over his chest, he sighed. “I just like our time together.”

“And yet, you don’t want us to date. Not really.”