Falling for the Wrong Guy Page 4

  He ran his fingers through his hair. What was it with that girl that she always seemed to be wherever he was? It seemed like she had some sort of GPS locator inside her brain and knew exactly where he would be at any given time. It was bad enough that they were going to be working together on this project. He was half an hour early, so there was no reason for her to be around right now.

  As he stood there, wondering if he should go study in one of the carrels on the other side of the room, Ruby glanced up.

  “Hi,” she said, smiling at him. Like she was actually happy that he was there.

  When he didn’t respond, a flicker of uncertainty showed in her eyes. Maybe she’d realized she shouldn’t be talking to him outside of the group. Because of Blake.

  Every time he saw her, he thought of Blake. Of what he’d done to him.

  “Hi,” Drew muttered. Unable to be rude and walk away, he pulled out a chair and made a big deal of taking out his math book from his messenger bag. According to the clock on the wall, there was still another twenty-five minutes to go before the others arrived. He needed to catch up on his math. A year of not doing any had meant he’d gotten behind and couldn’t remember all of the formulas he was supposed to know before starting algebra II. He opened his book and tried to focus on working out the equations, except he couldn’t. Ruby was too distracting. He sneaked a glance at her a couple of times, like a moth drawn to a bug zapper. Engrossed in her copy of The Scarlet Letter, she seemed not to notice. On the third time, she looked up and caught him, so he quickly averted his eyes.

  She closed the book and tossed it on the table. “Thanks for supporting my idea for the project,” she said, forcing him to look at her.

  “That’s okay.” Drew shrugged. “The other ideas were crap, and it beat spending hours staring at plants and bugs.”

  Ruby grinned. “Exactly. What’s not to love about my idea? I could think of a lot worse things to do than sit drinking coffee every day.” Her previous awkwardness had disappeared, and it felt like the old Ruby was sitting across from him. The one who’d been his friend.

  “It’s more involved than that,” Drew offered, wishing he could shake his own awkwardness.

  “I do know that. I’m not a total idiot.” Her gaze flicked upward, a look of mild annoyance crossing her pretty features, even though she was still smiling.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean that you were.” He rubbed the back of his neck, which felt so tense and rigid, he felt more like a wooden puppet than a human. God, would he ever know how to interact with people again without being a socially inept disaster?

  “I know.” The corners of Ruby’s mouth turned up, and he realized that she’d been teasing him. It had been so long since anyone had done that, that it had flown right over his head. He could feel the tension gradually easing away from his body when she full-on grinned at him.

  Drew resumed his math, but again he couldn’t focus. He wasn’t sure how much Blake had seen the other day in Echoes but was convinced that he wouldn’t want them talking. Drew didn’t want to come between the two of them. Ruby loved her brother, and it would hurt her if something drove a wedge between them.

  “What are you working on?” Ruby asked.

  Drew looked up from under his eyelashes. “Nothing.” He cleared his throat and then refocused on his book. The numbers in front of his eyes blurred and smashed together, meaningless to him. He used to like math. The logic of it appealed to the way his mind worked. But now, it felt like he’d forgotten everything he was supposed to know about the numbers before him.

  “It can’t be nothing. You’ve been frowning and looking puzzled ever since you sat down.” Ruby leaned forward and rested her arms on the table.

  “Why are you so interested?” Drew felt drawn to her long, pale, perfect neck. His fingers itched to trace a line from her chin downward, along her collarbone.

  Every muscle in his body tensed as he tried to shake off the feeling. She was Blake’s sister, for God’s sake, and definitely off-limits.

  “I just wondered if it’s anything I can help with. That’s all,” Ruby replied, chewing thoughtfully on her pen cap, her bottom lip jutting out just slightly to convey that her feelings had been hurt.

  It reminded Drew of how she used to act when she’d been a lot younger and couldn’t get her older brother to let her have her own way. She’d have ridiculous girly tantrums, which made Blake and him laugh so much that they had inevitably given in to her demands. She’d really known how to play the both of them.

  “Algebra? Really? Math has never been your strong point.” Drew laughed. He couldn’t help it.

  “How do you know?” Ruby leaned back in her chair, looking really indignant.

  “Because you were always asking Blake or me for help with your algebra homework when you were a freshman. And I think I remember you bribing me once with a bucket full of chocolate-chip cookies to do your geometry your sophomore year.” Drew arched an eyebrow.

  “Well, that was in the past. I’m fine with math now.” Ruby tossed her head, causing her curls to swing softly about her shoulders.

  “If you say so. In which case, what about these quadratic equations? Can you remind me how to do them?” Drew slid his textbook across the table fast, and Ruby just managed to stop it with her hand before it careered off the table. She picked up the book and stared at it in silence for a few moments.

  “Um—um—” The way her cute button nose twitched had Drew mesmerized.

  He inwardly shook himself. This fixation with Ruby had to stop. It was wrong on so many levels.

  “So that’s a no, then?” Drew asked, shaking his head.

  “I’m taking trig. I hate algebra,” Ruby said, going a light shade of pink. “I won’t remember how to do quadratic equations until Mr. Ernst goes over it again next year.” As juniors, they could either take remedial algebra, algebra II, or trigonometry, and then they’d have the choice of algebra II or pre-calculus their senior year.

  They looked at each other and started to laugh at the same time. It almost felt like the fire had never happened, and things were exactly as they had been a year ago.

  A loud bang made Drew start, and he jumped back in his chair. His laughter hung in midair as he saw Blake standing at the head of the table. He’d thumped it hard with his fist, and was about to thump it again.

  “What the hell?” Blake growled. A vein in his temple throbbed, and he stared daggers at Drew and then at his sister.

  “Blake, what are you doing here?” Ruby asked, blinking rapidly. She started twisting a small silver ring around and around her finger, seeming to shrink into herself.

  “I’m watching my sister stab me in the back. Care to explain?” Blake leaned forward and rested his hands on the table.

  “We’ve got a meeting for our science project. We’re in the same group,” Ruby said, her voice barely above a whisper.

  Drew’s insides clenched. He couldn’t have imagined a worse scene if he’d tried. And, as usual, he couldn’t blame anyone but himself.

  “Well, it doesn’t look much like a meeting to me,” Blake replied, pointedly glancing at the empty seats at their table.

  “We’re waiting for the others to arrive. We were just talking about algebra, weren’t we?” Ruby looked to Drew as if for support. He felt like complete shit for coming between the two of them like that.

  “Yeah, bro. That’s what we were doing,” Drew said, trying to sound relaxed and hoping he wouldn’t make things even worse.

  Blake finally looked at him. “Don’t bro me. I’m not your bro. And never will be. Why don’t you fuck off back home? How many times do I have to tell you? You’re not wanted here. Get it?” Blake’s eyes blazed with anger as he turned and stormed off.

  Drew’s only reaction to Blake’s anger was sadness. He missed his best friend. And the fact that he didn’t have one anymore was his own fault.

  “He doesn’t mean it,” Ruby said, cutting into Drew’s thoughts.

  Heaviness fl
ooded his body, and his limbs felt tired. From where he stood, there was no question that Blake meant every word of it. And then some. “Of course he means it,” Drew snapped. “Because it’s true.” He drew in a long breath.

  “Just give him time. He’ll get used to you being back.” Ruby didn’t sound at all confident.

  “Yeah, time. Something Reese doesn’t have.” He stood up, leaned across to pick up his math book and jammed it into his bag. “You just don’t get it, do you?” He had to get out of that place, get away from Blake’s sister. “I don’t want your pity. I’m not your friend. And I’m going to fuck off back home now.”

  Screw the meeting—they would have to manage without him.

  Chapter Five

  The haunted expression on Drew’s face cut Ruby to the core. She’d never seen anyone look so desperate in all her life. He’d suffered and continued to suffer, and witnessing the sheer fury Blake directed at him really brought it home to her. Her heart ached for him, for her brother. And for Reese. Ruby hadn’t known her well—Reese and Blake generally hadn’t wanted company when they’d been dating. But on the occasions where Reese and Ruby had spent time together, they hadn’t talked much beyond surface-level stuff, since they hadn’t had a lot in common. But that didn’t mean that Ruby wasn’t sorry she’d lost her life.

  Without stopping to worry about what Blake might say if he found out, she hurriedly threw on her jacket, picked up her books and went after him. After bursting through the library door, Ruby caught sight of him as he headed down the corridor, his head bowed. She followed as he turned left and went outside into the student parking lot.

  Crap.

  She’d never reach him now, as he’d probably parked his car close by the school entrance. But as she pushed open the heavy steel doors that led outside, she saw that he’d walked away from where his black hatchback was parked and headed down the street. Keeping him in sight, she followed. When he reached the end of the road, he turned left onto West Magnolia Drive. A few seconds later, Ruby reached the corner and saw him about twenty yards in front of her. He had come to a halt and was facing one of the houses, his hands jammed into his pockets.

  Reese’s house. The house where the fire had occurred.

  It looked desolate. The windows were still boarded up, and scorch marks marred the wood paneling, a reminder of the awful damage that had been done all those months ago. She sucked in a breath, then jogged toward him.

  “Drew,” she said softly as she approached him.

  He didn’t respond, so she tapped him gently on the shoulder, and immediately wished she hadn’t because he jumped back in shock. When he tried to regain his balance, one of his black Chucks came down on her foot.

  “Ouch!” Ruby yelped, as pain shot through her foot. She sat down on the stone steps on the walkway in front of the ruined house and yanked off her Skecher, rubbing until the throbbing began to ease. She hated that she sounded like a big baby, but who wouldn’t holler when someone of Drew’s size came down squarely on their first two toes?

  “Sorry. Are you okay?” Drew reached out and placed a palm on her arm, rubbing it up and down like you might to soothe a child. It was the first time she’d seen him touch anyone since he’d returned, and she could only blink stupidly at him.

  He looked down at his hand and then pulled it back with a small hiss, like she’d burned him. “Sorry,” he repeated.

  She slipped her sneaker back on, the pain forgotten. “I’ll survive.” She waved her hand dismissively, not wanting to make him feel any worse than he clearly did, and pretending that he hadn’t just touched her or that it had affected her so much.

  “I didn’t see you. What are you doing here?” He frowned, looking like he wanted to sit next to her. She scooted over to make room for him, but he just backed a few steps away from her.

  She didn’t want him to go, so she tried the truth. “I was worried about you after the way Blake went off on us, so I followed you.” Okay, that had probably made her sound like some kind of stalker. It didn’t help that they always seemed to be in the same place at the same time—through no fault of his.

  He gazed at a spot above her head, his green eyes going slightly unfocused. “You don’t need to worry about me. I’m happy to be left alone. It’s best that way.”

  Ruby’s breath hitched in the back of her throat. Her dad’s favorite saying ever since his accident was “I just want to be left alone.” Always said in a self-absorbed, I’m-a-victim sort of way. It was disturbing to hear those same words coming from Drew’s lips. But it was yet another reminder that this kind-of crush she was developing really had to die. “Don’t think that. Of course we should worry about you,” Ruby said briskly, hoping to snap him out of his mood.

  “Whatever.” He shrugged.

  She should probably just leave him, but she couldn’t bring herself to move. Maybe it was the fact that his cold dismissal didn’t sound completely convincing. Or maybe it was that she knew she was the closest thing he had to a friend at school. If only she could get him to open up and talk, it would likely do him good.

  “Do you often come here?” She hoped he would say no because stalking the house of his dead…whatever Reese had been to him…would indicate that he was further gone than she’d thought.

  “No,” he said, without defensiveness and with enough sincerity that she believed him. “This is the first time. I don’t even think it was a conscious decision. I just started walking and ended up here.” He swallowed and shifted his weight, clearly uncomfortable.

  He seemed so sad and broken that all Ruby wanted to do was to fling her arms around him. But how could she? First of all, she was Blake’s sister, and she owed it to her brother not to throw herself bodily at the guy who had betrayed him. And second, the gesture would probably make Drew jump out of his skin. He seemed so intent on punishing himself that an overload of kindness could send him over the edge. “Sometimes we do things without knowing why.” Wow. That sounded like a horrible Hallmark card. Or, at least, something her mother would say. She paused for a moment, wondering what to say next. “Is being here helping at all?”

  As soon as the words were out of Ruby’s mouth, she wished she could take them back. How on earth was looking at a burned-out house gonna make him feel better? She could have kicked herself.

  “Not really. Standing here brings it all back to me.” His voice cracked.

  Tears formed in Ruby’s eyes. He was hurting so much, and she just felt…helpless. “Do you want to leave? We can walk back to school or go somewhere for a coffee, if you want to talk.” When he didn’t say anything, she stood up and moved directly into his personal space. “Drew, it’s okay. You can talk to me.”

  His gaze locked onto the house behind her. “It’s like I can hear Reese’s screams even now,” he said, his voice distant and flat, like he hadn’t even heard Ruby. “I couldn’t reach her. I tried. So hard. The flames pushed me back. And then the firefighters pulled me out.”

  Ruby shuddered. She couldn’t even begin to imagine how horrific it must have been for him. “Reese wouldn’t want you to blame yourself.”

  “How can I not?” He shuddered, and she reached out and gripped his upper arms, willing her own strength into him. He closed his eyes and sighed, leaning his head forward until his forehead rested against hers. And then, like they were inside their own private bubble, he began talking. “It was my fault. I saw Reese at the mall.” Ruby could feel the warmth of his breath on her face, and when she looked up at him she could see his long, dark lashes resting against the slightly shadowed skin under his eyes. She held as still as she could. “She’d been so upset by the breakup that I didn’t want to leave her. She asked me back here.” He jerked his chin slightly in the direction of the house but didn’t lose contact with Ruby. “I should have said no. Why didn’t I say no?” The expression on his face was filled with anguish.

  “You didn’t know what would happen.” All she wanted to do was pull him closer and comfort him, but sh
e didn’t want to break the spell between them. He needed to talk, and she needed to listen.

  “We had a few beers and just started making out. I didn’t mean for it to happen,” he continued. “I tried to push her away, said it wasn’t right. But she kept telling me that they were broken up, so it was okay. And I— I wanted it to happen.”

  She couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy, which was ridiculous. Reese was dead. She squeezed his arms, silently urging him to continue.

  “I’d never have hurt Blake intentionally. He’s my best friend. Was my best friend. I—” He opened his eyes and shook his head, looking up at the sky. “God, I’m such a selfish bastard.”

  She couldn’t completely disagree. Blake and Reese had been on and off all through high school, so Drew should have known better, should have left her alone. For months after Reese’s death, Blake had refused to leave his bedroom, other than going to school and eating the occasional meal. The weight had dropped off of him. His cheeks had grown sunken, his blond hair dull. But the worst had been the fact that the brother who loved to play practical jokes and whooped like a hyena when he laughed had just—disappeared. Replaced by a sullen, perpetually angry imposter. It hurt to see him like that. At times, Ruby wondered if she’d ever see the old Blake again.

  And yet, she knew that it wasn’t Drew’s fault. It had just been a senseless, horrible accident. Blake would have gotten over it. He might have even started back up with Reese again once she got Drew out of her system and they’d been through their requisite share of drama and tears. But she’d died, and now, everything was so wrong.

  Drew and Blake—it felt like they were tearing her in two. It was all so impossible, and she felt so helpless.

  Could she help Drew and still remain loyal to Blake?

  “Looking back is pointless. You can’t change what happened. No one can. However much you wish you could.” Even to her ears, she sounded like some daytime TV host, the one who tries to solve people’s problems on their show and who always made her feel like shouting at the TV screen not to be so stupid. She’d have been better not saying anything, if that was all she could come up with.