Free Hard to Forget (Hard to Resist Prequel) by Shanora Williams Page A

and I guess I got kind of . . . lost.” He eyed me again but my cheeks heated and I tore my gaze away.
    “My name’s Bryson Daniels.” He reached a hand out to me and I immediately took it.
    “Natalie Carmichael,” I breathed.
    “ Alright, man. I’ll catch you later,” Christian said as he capped Bryson’s shoulder and then slipped away. Bryson watched Christian leave but I couldn’t help but stare at Bryson. He was beautiful. Perfect. He had that perfect face that wasn’t too hard or too soft. He had dimples that sank every time he smiled down at me. Words couldn’t explain how lucky I felt to be standing in front of him.
    “I’m having a hard time findin g my classes,” he grinned. “You think you could help me out?”
    “Oh, no.” My head shook heavily as I stepped back. “I wouldn’t be of much help. I know nothing about this school and I know I should have attended open house but I found it kind of stupid.”
    “Well maybe we could look together. What’s your first class?” My heart pounded against my chest as I dug in to my pocket for my schedule. I handed it to him and he read the numbers and the names quickly before looking up at me and handing the paper back.
    “Let’s go try and find your classes.” He winked again and I walked with him through the hallway. I wasn’t paying much attention to anything else. He had all of my attention and I was kind of thrilled by his presence.
    I met Bryson, by literally running into him.
    The next three years were a whirlwind, from becoming friends, to flirting, to dating, to becoming a couple.  He was quarterback of the varsity team, and I cheered him on for a couple of years at each game but during junior year things started to get complicated.
    There were moments when I’d felt like a truck had run over my heart from his actions. Moments when nothing hurt more than to know that Bryson may have fallen out of love with me. It was sad that it all had to change.
     

Sen ior Year
     
    Chapter Two
     
    I slammed my locker shut, my notebook tucked beneath my arm before turning around and leaning against it. An annoying giggle came from down the hall and I turned to look. Sara Manx was walking up the hall, side-by-side with my boyfriend Bryson.
    “What the hell is he doing with her?” Grace asked me with a frown. She leaned against the locker with me and watched as Bryson stopped in front of Sara’s locker with a sheet of paper. He was hovering above her with flirtatious eyes and it was really getting under my skin. It was a new semester but he was starting it off in the wrong way. I knew to trust Bryson , but I just didn’t like Sara and I didn’t like him to be anywhere near her.
    I met Sara my sophomore year and I seriously hated everything about her. I tried to be friendly but she was too stuck-up and thought she was better than everyone else. I had tried out to be a cheerleader and made the team but with Sara around, it made me not want to be one anym ore. I was captain but I gave my spot up because I just couldn’t deal with her. She always had a rude remark or something smart to say. I knew that I if I stayed on the team another day, I would have eventually beat her ass and I didn’t do girl-fights very often. I had to keep myself in check so I figured that dropping off of the team and focusing on school and my future was better than ruining my life over some dumb broad that wanted my boyfriend. She had her eyes on Bryson since day one. She transferred to our school the second semester of our freshman year and since then, she’s been on my hit list.
    “I’m serious. I hate chemistry. I’ll need the answers,” Bryson said, taking gradual steps away. Sara smiled at him over her shoulder as she shoved a book into her locker.
    “I’ll help you. I’m pretty good at it.” Glancing over at me, she smirked. “I’m pretty good at a lot of things that I could show you.”
    “ Alright, that’s it,” Grace snapped as she took a step forward.