Read After the Before for Free Online Page B

and his friends faces in.
    Instead I say, “Well, tell her she has nothing to worry about , I want nothing to do with her, either.” My voice is surprisingly solid, despite the shaking rage he’s ignited inside of me.
    My mind betrays me, clueing me in on how much I actually wanted to talk to Jasmine. Not only before school started, but after seeing her again, her image is all I see. Nevertheless, if she wants nothing to do with me, it’ll be easier to keep my distance from her.
    The final bell rings , signaling we are now late to class. Without muttering another word, I push past Andrew and his friends. I go slowly, daring one of them to take a swing at me and give me a reason to defend myself, but they let me pass without interference.
    Luckily, class has not yet started. Kids are still talking to one another, waiting for the teacher to call them to order. When I glance over to see what has got the teachers attention, my breath catches in my throat.
    Long , golden hair shines back at me, stopping me dead in my tracks. Her back is turned to me, assisting her neglect in noticing I’ve entered the classroom. I’m enjoying her backside, admiring the shapes and curves I’ve overlooked before, but when she stiffens and turns to look at me, I know she can sense my heavy gaze roaming over her.

Chapter Seven
    Jasmine
     
    This day has been so long. The excitement I had felt earlier about returning to school has long since vanished. It seems there are a lot of people that were excited for me to return, but those same people couldn’t think of anything to say other than, “Sorry about your brother.” By the end of the day, they decided to just stop talking to me altogether.
    I wish I could say that I minded , but actually, it is a huge relief. Besides, I was never friends with many of the kids at school. This was my brother’s crowd, not mine. Without him around, I will probably be a loner here.
    I finally arrive at my last class of the day – Biology. Andrew is in two of my other classes, and he has made certain that we sit next to each other. In a way, it is nice to have his attention, but I’m staying guarded. He seems genuine, but that still doesn’t tempt me to break down my wall and be open with him, or anyone.
    I walk into class, just seconds before the tardy bell rings and hand my schedule to the teacher. Most of my teachers want to know where I left off in home school. It turns out that I’m ahead of the senior curriculum by half a year. Most of the teachers seem to agree that if I can finish the second half of the curriculum now, I could graduate four months early. That is the highlight of my day.
    The teacher is about three -quarters of the way through the same speech every other teacher has given me throughout the day when I feel a warm tingle shoot up my spine. My heart skips a beat and jumps hard in my chest. I can sense someone’s eyes caressing my body; it feels like fingers are dancing along my spine.
    I know who’s behind me without turning to face him. He is making my skin tingle and come alive. I fight my body’s urge to turn around and meet his eyes, but I fail miserably, so I turn around to face him.
    Instantly, his eyes lock on and capture mine. They begin to move away to trace my body, all the way down to my shoes. People have checked me out before, but none of them have ever been as obvious as Alex is being right now. As his eyes travel, he pauses on my breasts, then my hips, and make their way back up to pause on my lips for a second longer before meeting my eyes again.
    The teacher’s voice breaks through the fog lingering in my brain.
    “Have a seat at the desk in the back, Miss Heartly.” She smiles at me, noticing who my gaze is on, oblivious to the silent burst of energy radiating between us. “Mr. Navarro, please take a seat next to Miss Heartly at the desk in the back.”
    What ?
    I make my way to the back of the room without tripping or falling on my face, and well aware of his