Free Ink by Holly Hood

wasn’t returning. He busily chatted it up with Brandon. “Tuck has a thing for the ladies, that part is correct. He’s been known to break a few too many hearts,” Campbell explained.
    Lydia snatched her by the arm as Tucker fast approached. I gave a quick smile, trying to act as if nothing was said.
    “ So you’ve seen the gym. Now let’s see the rest of this place,” he said, heading out into the hallway. Tucker slid a hand over the trophy case. “If you look inside, you will be proud to know many of these have my name on them.”
    I stared into the case, not seeing anything close to the name Tucker, and then I thought I possibly spotted one in the back, but it was blocked by others, so I wasn’t sure. I looked back up to a satisfied grin.
    “ It was a joke.”
    I sighed, feeling like an idiot, and followed him down the hallway, my flip-flops suddenly a lot louder than I liked.
    “ So, tell me why you attend Ashwilder,” I told him. We rounded the corner. Several classrooms were on either side of the walls. I silently counted six in all.
    “ Choir and piano,” he informed me. “You’re a ballerina and a singer. My mom was filling me in the other night. I got to say, ballerinas are pretty hot.”
    I bit my tongue. He was not afraid to say what he thought at all. Too bad I wasn’t so witty or I would have had a great comeback, I thought in agony. “I do more than just ballet. I just like to dance, it doesn’t matter the style.”
    “ That’s even better. I bet you liked going out to clubs back home, am I right?”
    He was wrong. I had never stepped foot inside a club because I was too afraid of using a fake id. Karsen many times tried to convince me to just live a little, but I never would. I debated telling a lie, just saying that I did to seem cool. But then I wondered if it would bite me in the butt later. I settled on a silent smile instead.
    “ You can tell me, I won’t run back and tell that dad of yours. He’s probably too busy flirting with all the ladies anyway. They all got their eyes on him, you know that right?”
    He opened up the door to one of the classrooms. It clearly was science class of some kind, the desks wooden with the usual black tops with microscopes on top of each desk. I came in, looking around at everything, taking my time to take it all in. It was a tour after all.
    Tucker hopped up on one of the desks at the back of the class.
    “ I’m not a wild girl, so don’t get your hopes up. I’m kind of focused on college right now.”
    “ So maybe we can study some time. College is good.” He nodded.
    “ Where do you plan on going?” I lifted myself onto the desk across from his.
    Tucker licked his lips. “Honestly, I haven’t thought about it. But I tell my mom and pops UCLA all the time. So let’s just say UCLA.” He laughed.
    “ Obviously the reason Nona was so happy to introduce us. They have you pegged as the studious, hardworking guy.” I laughed to myself. Boy did it seem he had them all fooled.
    “ I think Nona introduced us because she thought you would think I was cute. So was she right?” He slid down from the desk and took a seat next to me. He stared straight ahead, waiting for me to say something. I didn’t bother; I was too busy being intoxicated by his musky cologne.
    “ I hear you’re a player, Tucker. Or should I call you Tuck?” I wasn’t going to confess my physical attraction to him so easily. He would have to work for it. Slade was good looking as well, and probably could be just as attractive if not for his rotten attitude, and I wasn’t out shouting his hotness from the rooftops, either.
    “ You can call me whatever—”
    “ You like,” I finished for him. I hated to think he was so predictable.
    Tucker smiled, running a hand through his hair. “Those girls, they just want something I haven’t been willing to give them. So it’s to be expected they would call me names. I swear I’m a sweetheart. Let me prove it to you?” He