Chapter 8
Out from behind the fake fountain, this tall, lean dude stepped into the scene. He was rocking the school's blue and white jacket, a plain white tee underneath, and a black baseball cap that did nothing to hide his blonde locks. Nolan Frost tipped his cap up, a hint of mystery in his gaze. "Having fun?"
The laughter from the squad of girls fizzled out as they all swiveled their heads to peep at the dude who'd just rolled up on the scene.
Brianna Caldwell's eyes popped. "Nolan... what're you doing here?"
Her bestie leaned in, whispering something that made Bri crack a smile. She stood, all eyes on her. "Nolan, you..."
Nolan was all business. "Come here."
Bri blinked, totally shook. "Nolan, who you hollerin' at?"
He wasn't having any of it, his eyes locked on target. "Come here," he repeated, cool as ice.
The crowd's gaze snapped to where he was looking, and the vibe went from zero to a hundred real quick.
Brianna, a beat behind, pointed at Ivy Sterling, her voice all shaky. "You... you mean her?"
Boom. All eyes on Ivy, the air thick with side-eye.
Ivy had zero clues about what was up, what this guy wanted, or what his deal was with Bri and the crew.
She played it cool, though, and walked over to him.
He reached out, grabbed her arm, and they were off, leaving a silent crowd in their wake.
They dipped out of the grove, the sun throwing down rays that made his blonde hair sparkle.
Ivy's mind raced, but she found her chill and asked him, "You needed me for something?"
Nolan Frost didn't bite, just dropped her arm and hit her with, "Where's the infirmary?"
She blinked, caught off-guard, then pointed to the admin building. "Ground floor."
It meant circling the whole playground.
Nolan gave her a look, those dark eyes kinda frosty under the sun. "You always this slow to get to the point?"
Ivy's heart did a little flip.
He glanced toward the infirmary, then shot his arm out to her.
She froze.
Nolan hit her with a lazy drawl. "Need me to carry you, or what?"
"No, no..." she stammered, shook her head, and latched onto his arm. "Thanks."
In the infirmary...
"The cut's busted open again, but it's nothing major. No stitches needed. Just keep it dry and chill on the workouts," the doc advised, all business while wrapping her up. She rattled off a bunch of do's and don'ts.
The pain hit late, a sharp sting spreading like wildfire up her leg.
Ivy camped out on the chair, her grip white-knuckle tight, biting back a yelp.
"Kinda weird how you got these cuts and bruises, though," the doc mused, eyeing her leg. "How would you got into a tango with some glass just like that? Your calf's blown up like a balloon."
Outside, Nolan's thumb stalled on his phone screen, the words hanging in the air. Dr. Adams peered at Ivy, her brows knitting together. "You didn't catch these bruises from someone's mean streak, did ya?"
She shook her head, voice barely a whisper, "Nah, just had a nasty breakup with my bike."
Dr. Adams let out a long breath, her eyes scanning the gnarly colors blooming on her leg. "Girl, you've gotta watch yourself. If you don't baby that leg, it's gonna scar up fierce. And with your porcelain skin? Those marks will scream louder than a viral tweet. No more cute summer shorts for you."
Ivy pressed her lips together. "Got it, Doc. Thanks."
Hobbling back to class, she leaned on Nolan's arm for support. Two calls came through on his phone, and he handled them brief.
The dude was a man of few words.
Either he couldn't be bothered to chat, or he just wasn't feeling it.
When they hit the academic building, Ivy pulled up, giving Nolan a little nod. "Appreciate it, but I can take it from here. You probably got stuff to do."
He cocked his head, a hint of a smirk on his lips. "So considerate?"
Ivy hesitated.
But before she could spit out a word, he was tugging her toward the stairs.
Her arm felt like a twig in his grip.
Too skinny.
He gave her a once-over, then suddenly kicked it into high gear up the stairs.
