Page 3 of Unexpected Prejudice

“Keller?”

Keller. That was what the guys from the team called me. Him saying my name jolted me back to reality.

“What?”

There was a moment of awkward silence as he examined me before giving me a crooked smile, pointing at my hand. “My condoms.”

Realizing I still held the box, I quickly shoved it inside the plastic bag and handed it over.

“Thanks, man.” He patted my shoulder then moved to leave the shop.

“Hey, Rogers,” I called after him, forcing him to stop and look at me.

“What?”

Even under the harsh fluorescent light, the guy looked hot. His lazy half-bun, the baggy jeans sitting low on his narrow hips, and the white cropped top that showed his sexy-as-fuck Adonis belt. And don’t even get me started on those beauty spots—one underneath his left eye and two on his right cheek, above his lips.

“Can you not tell people about… about me working here?” I mumbled.

“Your secret’s safe with me.” He winked my way before leaving the shop and returning to his car. Something in how he said it excited me, but also… made me wary.

Jessie

“I’m not thirsty,” I mumbled as I picked out something to wear for our first day in our new school. “Especially not for Diesel’s funky-tasting green smoothies.”

“They’re fucking delicious,” Diesel yelled from downstairs as I tried on a pair of vintage trousers. I bought them two weeks ago with Levi when we went to eat at that cute restaurant by the beach.

“Babydoll, can we grab tacos today after school?” I looked over my shoulder at Levi, still sitting on our bed, holding a glass of the green juice I refused to drink.

“Sure, why not.” He shrugged while coming to stand beside me in front of the mirror, looking at my reflection as he nudged the smelly drink my way. “Come on, drink this and eat the granola bar.”

“But I’m not thirsty or hungry,” I whined, took the glass from him and finished the whole thing in one go. Yuck.

“Now eat.” He handed me the breakfast bar. It was one of those with dried blueberries, which didn’t taste as good as the ones with chocolate chips.

“I don’t want to.”

“Come on, Jessie. You know you can’t take your medication on an empty stomach, or else it will make you feel like a zombie.”

My babydoll often reminded me to take my meds since I always forgot. I usually only took my ADHD medication when I needed it, like for school or work. But on my days off, I preferred not to take them. Sure, my mind was a little more scattered, but I liked it like that. I also had anxiety pills, which I took every day.

Looking at Levi through the mirror, I noticed his gray eyes were brighter than usual. Probably because we spent the whole day under the sun yesterday, and he got that sexy-as-hell sun blush that made him look even more gorgeous.

“You’re sexy. You know that?” I said, taking the granola bar from him and finishing it in two bites while Levi grunted and looked away.

His cheeks reddened and he shook his head, dismissing my comment. “I’m not. Now take your meds.”

“You are.” I grabbed the pills from his hand and swallowed my medicine as Levi picked up the clothes I’d scattered around the room and began folding them back into the closet. I had the tendency to leave a mess behind me. I tried to be more organized, but it just… didn’t work. From making sure I took my pills on time to picking up after me, Levi always did his best to take care of me.

“You guys ready to go?” Andrei asked as he popped his head in the doorway. He looked good this morning, but then again, he always looked good. Now that I think about it—

“Have you ever not looked good?” I asked him.

“Of course, Jess,” he chuckled, and those dimples of his popped on each side of his face. “No one looks good all the time.”

“Speak for yourself.” It was Diesel who spoke, walking down the hall while giving Andrei a slight nudge with his shoulder.

They had a funny dynamic, just like Levi and me, only they weren’t a couple, so I guess their dynamic wasn’t quite the same. But they were close and acted like an old married couple half the time.