Perfect Enemies

9

Our eyes remained locked even after Mrs. Adams began to impart her own interpretation. After Val finally turned around, I took out a piece of notebook paper and scribbled a short note. Careful with the optimism. People might think you care. I tapped her arm, discreetly passing her the folded paper. I don’t care what people think of me, but you, on the other hand, are in grave danger of smearing the carefree image you work so hard on. She wasn’t wrong. I’d spoken honestly about the poem, and my true beliefs were far more cynical than what I portrayed. I suppose both of us may be more complex than we seem. Too bad we’ll never be close enough to know. Her parting quip made me smirk. I had to resist the urge to reach out and run my fingers through Valentina’s chestnut waves to verify that she was real and not some figment of my imagination. Some heaven-sent enigma meant to test me. Tempt me. Everything about her was meticulously designed to appeal to me in a way that could only be divine retribution. What the hell had I done in a past life to deserve such a gauntlet of obstacles to overcome? It didn’t matter. Just like Robert Frost had said, as Valentina so eloquently pointed out, my time at Xavier was limited. No matter how tempted I was or how captivating the distraction, I would not allow myself to be swayed from my goals. I forced my gaze back to the board, severing my connection to the girl who was so much more than she seemed. OceanofPDF.com 5 OceanofPDF.com K VALENTINA ane was already seated at our lunch table when I arrived. His eyes sliced through the air and collided with mine the second I entered the cafeteria as though some internal radar had alerted him to my presence. His stare was rope snagged around my middle, coaxing me forward. Seeing him at our table reminded me of the day before when his arm had casually rubbed against mine. The warmth of his skin radiating against me and the shock of electricity that jolted through me with each accidental connection of our bodies. Just as he had in English class, his eyes held mine longer than appropriate. Longer than societal norms dictated for a chance occurrence of eye contact. His gold and mine silver, like the sun and moon, forever at odds with one another. I’d challenged him from the moment we met. Why did I get the feeling my resistance had only sparked his interest? Most men shied away from potential rejection. Kane was totally impervious. As long as he left Reyna alone, I could handle him. Despite her claims that she was tougher than she seemed, I was much more confident in my ability to manage a playboy like Kane. No matter how coaxing his playful manner and mesmerizing good looks, I wouldn’t lose my head where he was concerned. Do you hear me, Valentina? You will not fall for Kane Easton. With one last mental pep talk, I made my way to the table and took a seat on the opposite side as Kane. I wasn’t going to sit next to him and risk becoming addicted to the feel of his body touching mine. Just to be sure I set a clear boundary, I didn’t even acknowledge his presence. “Where’s Reyna?” he asked, ignoring my cool demeanor and bridging the gap between us. My temper flared. I was annoyed that he wouldn’t take a hint and leave me alone, but if I didn’t know better, I would have said some of that anger was also rooted in jealousy, which was absurd because I wasn’t interested in dating someone who charmed his way through life. He was only faithful to his own self-interest. His eyes tracked my movements, but he was the consummate flirt and harbored an unquenchable interest in Reyna. Was he hedging his bets and going after the both of us? Probably. Definitely not someone who should stir feelings of jealousy inside me. I had to stop dwelling on this Kane Easton. I had something infinitely more important to contend with in my life. I clamped down on my wayward emotions and smiled. “She wasn’t feeling great, so she went home for the day.” She’d gotten cramps, but that was none of his business. He lifted his chin, letting the subject go but continued to watch me as I laid out my lunch. “Those girls picking on her after school yesterday?” I flicked my eyes up to where he toyed with his sushi before returning my feigned concentration to the engrossing nature of my food. “They tried to when she started at the beginning of the year, but I put an end to it.” “That was very charitable of you, considering you must have hardly known her at first.” I shrugged. “Not exactly. She was incredibly quiet and made an easy target for jerks who take advantage of people weaker than themselves. Stopping them was just human decency.” At first, I’d stepped in partially as a way to keep Harper and her cronies in check. Does a person truly have power over others if they don’t exercise it on occasion? I found it prudent to throw my weight around when the opportunity arose just to make sure they knew I could. Otherwise, Harper would have gotten a big head and thought she ruled the school. What started as a power play became a friendship. As I got to know Reyna, I found that I wanted to keep the bullies away for her sake rather than my own self-interest. Looking back, I was embarrassed at how self-centered my motivations had initially been. “That how you two became friends?” “Yup.” I took a bite, hoping to end the conversation. When he didn’t say anything more, I glanced up to find him smirking at me like a hungry cartoon shark. “What?” “I don’t suppose you’d give me her number so I could tell her I hope she feels better?” What the hell was up with this guy? Did he realize how odd it was that he stared at me then asked for my friend’s number? Maybe that’s the reason he moved across the country and changed schools. He’d probably gotten his ass kicked by an angry mob of women. “I don’t suppose I would.” I took a big bite of my sandwich with a hostile glare. Kane only laughed. Impervious? Clueless? What was his deal? He bulldozed his way through life with a smile on his face and a trail of bodies in his wake. Did he see the consequences of his actions, or did he wear a set of blinders, purely focused on his goals? I couldn’t figure him out, and it both irritated me and fascinated me. For the moment, irritation won out. I kept my nose down and thanked the heavens when Bryson snagged Kane’s attention for the rest of lunch. I was free of my tormentor for the next few hours until poli-sci. He entered the room just before the bell, teasing me that perhaps he was skipping class and had left for the day. His appearance destroyed the sliver of hope I’d clung to that I might escape the day without any further encounters with him.