Free Gilt Hollow by Lorie Langdon Page B

on the wonders of ancient melodies, and zoned out.
    Even if the house belonged to Ashton’s family, her mother had signed a contract allowing her to live there as caretaker. He had no right to bust in like he owned the place. She had to confront him, convince him to leave before her mom freaked out.
    When the bell rang, Ashton stood, grabbed his things, and left without a glance in her direction. Willow blew out a gut-level breath. People filed out, whispering and casting surreptitious glances in her direction. Should she shoot a cocky smile? Ignore them? Make a joke about an ex-convict, a nerd, and a monk?
    With a disgusted sigh, she dropped her aching head into her hands. She’d finally begun to break out of the stigma surrounding her. She had a new best friend and a real date. Was it too much to ask that she could have a normal senior year?
    The second bell sounded and she lifted her head. If she didn’t get to lunch, Lisa would likely make a missing-person’s announcement over the PA system. But as she gathered her things, she saw that she wasn’t alone. Isaiah Kagawa flicked his tied-back dreads over his shoulder and met her gaze.
    His dark, almond eyes drilled into her, assessing, before he turned and walked toward the door.
    And so it begins. Willow shoved her notebook into her string bag. As one of the boys who’d testified against Ashton, Isaiah had kept his distance for years. But recently that had seemed to change. Last year he’d asked her to join his group for a history project, and after that he’d gone out of his way to say hello. It would seem Ashton’s return had screwed that up too.
    “What does he want?”
    The quiet words gave Willow a start. Isaiah hovered inside the doorway, shifting on his feet as if he couldn’t decide if he wanted to stay or go.
    Willow looped her bag over her shoulder and stood, deciding a bit of honesty couldn’t hurt. “If you mean Ashton . . . I have no clue.”
    Isaiah’s brow lifted in surprise. Why everyone assumed she had the inside track on Ashton’s thoughts, Willow couldn’t say. Just because she’d defended an old friend didn’t mean she could read his mind. Especially not now.
    “He shouldn’t be here.”
    Willow cocked her head. His decisive tone almost seemed like a warning. “Why?”
    Isaiah stared down at the yellowed linoleum, shuffled his feet, then glanced back up, not meeting her eyes. “A lot of people don’t want him here, that’s all.”
    Willow moved forward slowly. “That’s kind of obvious, but you mean someone specific, don’t you?”
    Yells and the sound of running jerked their attention to the hallway. Willow passed Isaiah and found a circle of students, their excited whispers indicating a fight. Dread twisting in her gut, she pushed to the front of the crowd. Ashton and Colin Martin faced off like two bucks about to lock horns.
    “Don’t touch me again, Keller.” Colin shoved a finger into Ashton’s shoulder. For all his blond prettiness, the varsity quarterback gave Ashton a run for his money in the muscle department.
    “You were in my way,” Ashton growled, just before his gaze shifted from Colin and found Willow. As if a switch flipped, the tension leeched out of his shoulders and he stepped back. But before Willow could register relief, Ashton’s eyes shuttered and his mouth slid into a dangerous smirk. He may have changed over the years, but that expression still spelled a million kinds of trouble.
    Fear burned in Willow’s chest, and she took a step forward. Someone had to stop him. He didn’t come back here to be expelled the first day. A hand gripped her arm and pulled her back. She glared over her shoulder and found Brayden shaking his head. “Stay out of this,” he hissed.
    “What’s the problem, Colin?” Ashton had crossed his arms over his chest and widened his stance. “Are you afraid ?”
    “What the frick is that supposed to mean?” Colin lurched forward, strands of hair falling out of the knot at