Page 3 of Forgotten Prejudice

“A-Anything will do.” I tried to sound mature but knew I’d failed the second his eyes met mine, and I saw the amusement in them.

“Something tells me that you’re not twenty-one yet.”

Shit. My heart rate picked up, and the lie was out of my mouth before I could stop it. “I’m eighteen. Just don’t tell anyone.” It wasn’t a complete lie because I’d be eighteen at the end of next month.

“So you’re a freshman, not a junior?”

Feeling like a kid who was just caught stealing a cookie, I looked down at the floor and nodded. “Sorry.” I should have told him here and now that I wasn’t even in college but in high school, yet being the center of his attention felt too good, so I kept with the lie.

“You’re lucky, you know that?”

Confused, I looked up, a nervous smile tinged on my lips. “W-What do you mean?”

Taking two glasses, he placed them in front of him. “Most people are rather ugly when lying.” He put a cube of ice in each glass. “But you?” He raised his eyes to meet mine, his lips pulling into a stunning smile. “You look adorable when you do.” He then poured the drink on the ice and handed me one glass.

“Cheers?” he offered, his drink raised.

“C-Cheers.”

Downing the liquor in one big gulp nearly made me choke as the alcohol burned its way down my throat. Amused by my behavior, Soren chuckled. God, I was making a fool out of myself.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I breathed through my nose and tried to calm myself down. Despite my brief moments of embarrassment, I was determined to impress Soren. Even though nothing would come of it, the least I could do was try. Bracing myself, I opened my eyes and was ready to face him again, only he was already gone.

What?

“Soren?” I looked around in the hope of finding him, but tracking him down in the busy room was nearly impossible. A strong sense of rejection, followed by disappointment, took over me. If only I was a bit more assertive, maybe then—

“There you are,” Zoe said, already wrapping herself around me. “You disappeared on us.” Breaking the hug, she checked my empty glass and filled it with the bottle Soren had left behind. “Who was that handsome guy you were talking to?”

“W-What?” I spat out.

Why would she mention he was handsome? Did she know I thought the same thing?

“Why are you so nervous?” she giggled, her big eyes searching mine. “Anyway, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about. But let’s go out. It’s too loud in here.”

After we found a quiet spot on the back porch, I leaned against the house wall and waited for Zoe to speak. So far, she hadn’t said a word and was busy running her fingers through her mass of hazelnut curls that reached her back.

Once done playing with her hair, she moved her eyes to meet mine. “You know I plan to go to Europe during summer break, right?”

Not understanding what she was getting at, I shrugged. “Sure.”

“I asked Kai to join me.”

“And?”

“And he refused.”

Good to know.

Ready to go back inside—and probably home—I pushed back from the wall and stretched my neck. “Well, Zoe, sorry to hear that—”

“He refused because of you. He said you have plans together.” Her expression turned serious. “He refused a trip to Europe because you two have stupid plans to go camping by some lake.”

Her comment pissed me off. Just because our plans didn’t match her own didn’t mean they were dumb.

“They aren’t stupid,” I said, trying to hold back a smile because a part of me was happy Kai preferred to spend his summer with me than with her.

“Come on, Chief. You realize how weird it is that he’d rather sleep in a tent than in five-star hotels.”