9: Magnet for Trouble

Quincy St. Martin

Oh, God, I’m going to die of heatstroke, I swear, and it’s not even noon yet. I’ve attended one class so far, and now I’m heading for my second in the next building.

All morning I’ve been tugging the hood all the way down to cover my face, especially when I see a hot-looking guy walking past. I know, I know, that’s totally the opposite of what other normal, straight human girls are doing, but I don’t want them to see the weirdo underneath the stinky ugly hoodie.

So much for being normal.

Think positive. Think positive. Oh yeah, well, at least I don’t have to worry about birth control and stuff. Who needs birth control when you have a hobo hoodie on?

Yup, that’s right. I’m calling it a hobo hoodie. Nana would be so proud. This is a great way to start my new life here as Queen Normal. It’s awesome.

***

“Oh God, somebody must’ve taken a ~bath~ in cheap perfume,” says a brunette in a yellow sundress, waving her hand in front of her nose. The three girls in front of me make a point of turning to look at me before they burst out laughing.

Oh, great! We have a joker in the house.

This is my second lecture of the day, and I’ve made a point of finding a seat in a corner near the wall, as far away from everybody else in this big auditorium as possible. I was early, and it was peaceful until these three girls slipped into a row right in front of me.

“Maybe she slipped and fell into a cheap perfume factory,” answers another one in a floral sundress.

Wow! Funny! My bad, ~two~ jokers.

“Maybe somebody forgot to take a shower and tried to mask her BO with cheap perfume,” adds the third, who is also in a sundress.

“Ewww,” I hear them say.

The sundress squad moves a few seats away and keeps whispering and giggling while giving me sly looks once in a while. I know they’re still talking and making fun of me but whatever. Sticks and stones may break my bones as Nana used to say.

Yeah, be nice. Be nice, Quincy. This is only the first day. Be nice.

I pull the hood more securely over my head while slowly bringing my middle finger out to flip them. I hear their gasps of shock and indignation. Bitches! I tip my chin up and smirk at those girls, and that’s when my eyes catch sight of ~him~.

My heart jolts in my chest, and my stomach dips the moment my eyes land on him.

He is very tall, taller than my cousin Jonah. If not for his height and looks, the way he walks definitely draws attention. Stalking in like he owns the place. So much confidence and elegance. A mesmerizing mix of regal and predatory.

The world around me fades away, and I suddenly find myself involuntarily standing up. I quickly sit back down and try to calm my frenzied heartbeat. It’s hard to think. My stomach is rolling, and my body is shaking. My breathing is labored. What is wrong with me?

He’s like a magnet pulling me in. Oh, God, what’s going on?

The two newcomers keep moving farther into the room, and there’s no way that anybody could ignore such presence. The buzz of conversation almost falls to a hush. I know all eyes are now on them, just like mine.

“Oh, my God,” says one of the girls who was talking about me. “Wow!”

“I know, right?” I vaguely hear her friend say breathlessly.

I know what she means too. He is definitely the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen.

It’s hard not to notice the way his white T-shirt clings tightly to his broad shoulders and chest and tapers down to a flat stomach…

The way the designer jeans mold beautifully to his long legs and tight butt…

~Dayyumm~! ~Bad Quincy! Look away, Quincy. Look away~!

I’m aware of a stunningly beautiful redheaded woman walking next to him, but I can’t take my eyes off the man. My eyes track the two of them all the way to their seats. I curl my fingers into fists and wrap my shaking arms around myself.

They seat themselves right in the middle of the back row, quite far away from where I’m sitting, and a lot of the other students move to sit closer to them.

Like moths to a flame.

Everything about them screams elegance, wealth, and power. These people around me can’t sense it, but I sense dangerous vibes coming from them in waves. I don’t necessarily feel threatened or feel like I’m in any kind of danger from them, but I know they’re dangerous. Deadly dangerous.

Even with that knowledge, I still can’t keep myself from staring at him from underneath my hood. My eyes move from his strong aristocratic nose to the high cheekbones and sharp angular jaw. The sharp contours of his face make it seem like it’s carved from granite.

His silky shiny golden-blond hair is streaked with lighter golden locks and perfectly styled. His smooth, golden tanned skin glows. A golden god, that’s what he is.

The god looks bored. He sits back, draping his magnificent body lazily over his chair, and scans the people around him with a lack of interest. Like he’s some kind of a king. Like we’re beneath him. A mix of haughty and boredom.

For some reason, the bored-haughty expression on his face is totally sexy. I don’t know what color his eyes are from here, but even from this distance, the eyes under those strong prominent eyebrows seem piercing.

His cursory glance skims over me without stopping even for a beat, dismissing me as unimportant and of no interest. For some reason, that makes my heart ache. I see his eyes linger on some of the pretty human girls who are now showing him more skin than they should as they flock to sit closer to him.

His companion, the redhead, rolls her eyes and says something in his ear. His sexy sensual lips curl up into a little smirk before he looks around in boredom again.

Quincy! Keep your head and stay away! I can almost hear Nana’s voice in my head now.

Yeah, I know it’s totally not healthy to be hearing voices, especially of dead people, but hey, I never claimed to be right in the head.

And now I’m totally going bonkers!

I wonder if the redhead is his mate or something. Ughh. Why does the thought make me feel sick? I manage to drag my eyes away from him when our professor enters the room.

As soon as the middle-aged professor turns around to write on the board, my eyes return to look at the golden-blond god again. How can he look so sexy, flicking the pen like that? Everything he does looks freaking sexy.

No, no, no. This is not happening! Normal human man. Normal human man. Remember normal human man, Quincy. No lusting over…whatever creature he is.

I stare at the blank notepad in front of me. ~Oh, Quincy what are you doing??? Pay attention~!

So far, all I’ve gotten from this class today is that my lecturer’s name is Professor Harrison. Yup, that is a very useful information for my exam.

No matter how much I try, I keep finding my eyes straying toward him. Now I’m noticing how long his legs are, spread out underneath the table, and how good they look encased in those blue jeans.

By the end of the lecture, I’m fuming. I’m so mad and frustrated with myself I could cry. I have no clue what was being taught today.

Why? Why, Quincy? He’s not even interested in you, not even in the slightest, which is good. Very good. Absolutely, awesomely good. Totally!

I am very sure those two are not human. They’re not werewolves either. What are they? Nope, I should not care. It doesn’t matter what they are.

What really matters is I should stay away from anything that’s not human. Insanely sexy and stupidly gorgeous though he may be.

I sigh as I gather my things together. Why am I so drawn to him? Why do the ‘not normal’ ones have to be so darn gorgeous and attractive?