Seducing Liam

chapter 2

(LIAM'S POV)

"Keep the shirt," I told her, my voice sounding deeper than usual in the small bathroom.

Angel was staring at my bare chest with an expression I couldn't quite read. Her eyes were wide, her breath hitching just a little. I knew I was doing the right thing.

"This should help sell the story," I added, trying to stay cool. "Since I’m walking out with your underwear, it only makes sense that you have my shirt. It makes it look real."

I walked out of her room, feeling a strange mix of triumph and guilt. But the next morning, reality hit me like a puck to the face.

It was Monday morning, and the air in the math classroom was thick with tension. We had just finished a surprise test, and Mrs. Ashley was handing back the graded scripts.

"I am very disappointed in this class," Mrs. Ashley sighed, her heels clicking on the floor. "Most of you failed this test miserably. There was only one person who truly studied. Only one person who earned an A."

She stopped at a desk in the front row. "Well done, Angel Bendel."

She dropped the paper on Angel’s desk. For the first time, I saw it. Angel smiled. It wasn't just a small curve of her lips; her whole face lit up. She looked beautiful. Captivating.

I leaned back in my chair, stunned. Has she been in my class this whole time? How did I never notice how bright she shines when she’s happy?

But the moment didn't last.

"You’ve got to be kidding me," Mia snapped, standing up. She looked at her own failing grade and then glared at the back of Angel’s head. "You’re such a pathetic jerk, Angel. All you do is study. Don't you have a life? Or do you think being a bookworm is going to make you popular?"

Mia crumpled her test paper into a ball and threw it. It hit Angel right in the back of the head.

"Yeah! Get a life, nerd!" another girl shouted, throwing her paper too.

I felt a surge of heat in my chest. I wanted to stand up. I wanted to grab Mia’s arm and tell her to shut up. But then I remembered Angel’s words from last night: Stay away from me. Never come close to me again.

If I defended her, I might make it worse. But before I could decide, Mrs. Ashley reached my desk.

She didn't smile. She dropped my script face down. I flipped it over. A big, red F stared back at me.

"Liam Neche," the teacher said softly so only I could hear. "You have failed every single test this term. If you don't wake up, you’re going to repeat the year."

The blood drained from my face. I had been so focused on leading the hockey team to the championships that I hadn't realized how deep a hole I had dug for myself. My father, would kill me if he found out. To him, failure wasn't an option.

Later that afternoon, I was on the ice for hockey practice. Usually, the sound of the skates and the cheers from the girls in the bleachers made me feel like a king. Today, I felt like a fraud. Every time I hit the puck, I saw that red F in my mind.

"Neche! My office. Now!" Coach Andrew barked as practice ended.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead and followed him, my heart heavy.

"Liam," Coach said, sitting behind his desk. "You’re the best player I’ve ever coached. You’ve got heart, and you won us the international match. But you’re also the laziest student in this school."

"Sir?" I asked, shocked. "Best and laziest? Those don't go together."

"They do when it comes to your grades," Coach snapped. "Your math teacher called me. She said you’re failing so badly that you won't be allowed to play in the finals. If you don't get an A on the final exam next month, I have to strip you of your captaincy. You'll be off the team."

The world felt like it was tilting. "An A? Sir, I’ve never even gotten a B in math."

"Then you better find a miracle," Coach said. "I don't want to lose you, Liam. But rules are rules. No grades, no hockey."

I walked out to the bleachers, my eyes searching the crowd. I didn't see the cheerleaders or the fans. I was looking for the girl with the books.

There she was. Sitting at the very top of the bleachers, far away from everyone else, her nose buried in a thick math textbook.

I climbed the stairs, my shadow falling over her pages. I reached down and snatched the book from her hands.

"Is there ever a time you aren't studying?" I asked, trying to sound like my usual confident self.

Angel looked up, her eyes snapping with fire. "What do you want now, Big Head? I thought the deal was to stay away from me. Give me back my book and get lost before I scream."

I looked at the book, then back at her. I saw the bruises on her ego from the girls throwing papers at her earlier. I saw the girl who was the only one smart enough to save my future.

"I know I made a promise," I said, my voice dropping to a serious tone. "But sometimes, life happens. And right now, my life is falling apart."

I sat down on the metal bench next to her, closer than I should have.

"I need you, Angel," I whispered. "I need you to tutor me. If I don't get an A, I lose everything."

She didn't answer right away. She just stared at my hand, which was still resting dangerously close to hers on the cold metal bench.

"And why," she asked, her voice trembling with a mix of hate and something else I couldn't name, "should I help the guy who destroyed my reputation?"