Free For the Win (Playing for Keeps Book 1) by Amber Garza

my head in time to see London stumble over in the middle of the hallway. Maybe her ankle was worse than I thought.
    A laugh bubbled from Calista’s throat. “What a loser.”
    When I scanned the hallway, everyone was chuckling, pointing and whispering, but not one person was helping her. London placed her palms on the ground and pushed herself up. She held her head high, but I could see the struggle on her face as she fought against the embarrassment. Before I knew it, I was in front of her, holding out my hand. It’s like my body had a mind of its own, as if I couldn’t control it.
    London looked as stunned as I felt when she peered up at me. But she took my hand in hers. When I closed my fingers around her palm, I smiled. “We have to stop meeting like this.”
    She smiled wanly as I tugged on her arm. “I lost my balance.” Once she was upright, I released her hand and she looked downward. “Damn ankle.”
    “That’s right. Let him have it.”
    Her eyes found mine, and her lips curved upward. “Thanks for helping me.” She paused, her eyelashes fluttering. Normally when girls did that it was meant to be flirty, but I could tell that wasn’t her intention. Yet her innocence made it seem even more seductive. “Again.”
    “Any time,” I said, and then quickly amended. “With your track record, maybe it was a mistake to say that.”
    A small giggle escaped through her lips. She didn’t appear to laugh often, and it gave me a strange sense of satisfaction to know that I had elicited it. “Don’t worry. I’ll try to keep the accidents to a minimum as much as possible.”
    “That would probably be a good thing,” I said.
    “Well, I better get to class.” She cast her gaze downward.
    “Do you need help?” I asked, and then immediately regretted it. When my gaze swept the halls, I saw the horrified stares from Nate and a few of the other guys. I hadn’t even thought about them when I came rushing over here like a damn knight in shining armor. Swallowing hard, I craned my neck in Calista’s direction. If I thought my friend’s faces were bad, they were nothing compared to Calista’s. She was practically shooting daggers at me with her eyes.
    “I’m fine,” London said swiftly, and then hobbled around me.
    I was ashamed at how relieved I was that she didn’t take me up on my offer. What was wrong with me? My emotions were so conflicted when I was around her. No one else had ever had this effect on me before.
    “What was that about?” Calista sidled up next to me.
    “She fell, and I helped her.”
    “Why?”
    My previous embarrassment turned to disgust. “The better question is, why didn’t you? Why didn’t anyone?” Running a hand over my head, I spun around and stormed away. I didn’t even stop when Nate called my name. Honestly, I was disgusted with all of them.
    London was up ahead, limping slowly. She hadn’t made it very far, and it was clear she wouldn’t make it anywhere very fast. It only took a second to catch up to her. 
    “I gotta be honest, you don’t seem fine,” I said, grinning.
    “I look that bad, huh?” She wrinkled her button nose.
    With her hair pulled back and no glasses on, her eyes appeared even wider than usual, the unique color even more striking. Her lips held a hint of shimmer, her skin was so pale it resembled snow.
    “No, you don’t,” I breathed out the words.
    She bit her lip. I hardly knew her and already I knew she did this when she felt nervous. Kids flew past us, all hurrying to class, but we were moving at a snail’s pace. I found myself wanting to put my arms around London and guide her to class. But I couldn’t do that. Not here. Besides, from the little I knew of her, I didn’t think she’d welcome it anyway.
    “At least let me hold your bag,” I offered.
    She hesitated. Then a slow smile crept across her face. “Okay.”
    I carefully removed her backpack and held it in my fingers. My arm lowered from the weight of it. “Damn, what do