Promposal - Softcover

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Rhonda Helms is the author of Promposal, Struck, Never Too Late, and Portrait of Us. She lives in Northeast Ohio with her husband, two kids, and three dogs. Visit her at RhondaHelmsBooks.com.

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

Promposal

CHAPTER ONE

Camilla

Social norms are a challenging thing for us to face,” Mrs. Brandwright said in a thoughtful tone. She paced up and down our classroom aisle, locking eyes with each of us for a moment. Her blond shoulder-length bob brushed her face as she walked. “So how have cultures evolved different perspectives on what is considered acceptable behavior in public? Because it does vary, depending on where you are.”

I jotted the question down in my notebook, then went back to nibbling on my pen. I could pretty much predict that was going to be on our next pop quiz.

“I’m excited for us to start breaking these apart, to really analyze these norms, such as ‘Don’t talk too loud, or you’ll bug people or look desperate for attention’ or ‘Control your emotions, or you’ll appear volatile’ or ‘Stay outside of strangers’ personal boundaries, or you’ll be labeled creepy.’ ” She paused. “As a society, we learn that we must act a certain way around others, even from a young age. And as we get older, having internalized those rules, we grow uncomfortable when those around us break them. Who we perceive as rude or weird or lacking manners . . . or crazy.” She locked her eyes on Carter, the guy behind me, who, from the sound of it, was halfway to snoozeville. “Carter—wake up.”

He snorted and said in a bleary, sleep-filled voice, “I—I’m present.”

The class tittered.

“Carter.” Mrs. Brandwright gave that heavy teacher sigh. “I already took attendance. Pay attention, sir.” She spun around and went back to the front of the classroom to write a few key terms about social norms on the chalkboard.

I turned my attention to my psychology notebook and tried to focus on her lecture, on writing notes. But once again my gaze slid, unbidden, to the back of Benjamin’s neck. From my seat directly behind him, I could smell his light ocean-scented cologne wafting to my nose.

It was so, so hard not to lean forward and inhale.

Twelve freckles on the back of his neck. I knew because I’d counted them innumerable times since the beginning of the school year. Had stared in fascination at the small, dark blond swirl on the top of his head, which gave his hairline a twisty part and made the top spike in a haphazard fashion.

Benjamin ran a strong hand along his neckline, then scratched. Cheeks heated, I ripped my gaze away and fixed my attention on my notebook. Doodled a little in the margins, wrote my name in fancy script—Camilla is super awesome. It was stupid of me to spend all this time looking at him, I knew.

Not once since the school year began had the guy said more than five words to me in a row. Tests and papers were handed back in total silence. No chitchat before or after class. Hell, he barely even made eye contact with me. The last time it happened, I felt a strange zing through my whole body when those dark green eyes fixed on mine.

Then he’d looked away, back down to doodle in his notebook or sneak-read whatever novel was hidden in his lap, and I was reminded that Benjamin didn’t give two shits about me. He probably didn’t even know my name, despite the fact that I’d sat behind him since August. And given that it was already the beginning of April, I didn’t see that changing anytime soon.

“Camilla,” Mrs. Brandwright said, snapping me out of my thoughts, “what about you?”

Shit. I had no idea what we were talking about. “Um.” I cleared my throat and narrowed my eyes at the board to see what she’d written. “I . . .”

The sigh she gave me closely resembled the ones she typically reserved for Carter. Her brown eyes creased as she shot me an irritated look. “I asked when was the last time you’ve been in a socially uncomfortable situation because of another person.”

“Oh.” My brain scrabbled for an answer, and I tried to ignore the huffs of impatience around me. “When I went to see a movie last month, the row my aunt and I chose was empty, and we sat in the middle. And then this older guy took the seat right beside me, despite there being plenty available elsewhere.”

“I hate when that happens,” Megan, the brunette in the seat beside mine, mumbled. “Why is it always guys who do that?”

“Interesting.” Our teacher leaned back against her desk and crossed her arms over her ample chest. “Is it really always males who break these societal rules, especially regarding personal boundaries?”

“I think females break them too,” Benjamin said in his low, husky tone. “But in different ways and maybe with different intents.”

Intents. Yeah, like wanting to touch every lean line of his body, the way I ached to. I bet he was always having girls cuddle up a little too close to him. Had to get a bit old for him, being so ridiculously hot.

Okay, he wasn’t hot in the typical sense. His nose was a little crooked, his lips a bit on the thin side. He was tall and kind of lanky. But there was something magnetic about those dark green eyes, the way he seemed like he could see right inside you. Saw past the facade and pierced to the truth, even with a brief glance.

Plus, he was well-read, unlike most guys in school who whined about having to do any reading outside of class. I didn’t remember ever seeing Benjamin without a book in hand. All those classic titles he toted around—War and Peace, The Count of Monte Cristo, even Jane Eyre—gave me snippets of his personality, made me want to know more.

The first time I saw him freshman year, walking down the hallway with a couple of guys, I felt the impact of it long afterward. There was an intensity in his eyes that I’d never seen in anyone else’s, and I wanted more. But we never had classes together, never shared a lunch break. My experiences were limited to fleeting glimpses during the occasional shuffle between classes.

So when I discovered on our first day of senior year that we were both in this psych class, I’d reveled in the realization that this was my big chance. And then had found out quickly that Benjamin wasn’t much of a talker—not to me, not to anyone. But when he did talk in class to answer questions or offer thoughts, he was intelligent, albeit succinct.

Mrs. Brandwright peeked down at her watch. “Okay, everyone, grab your journals. Today’s entry is going to be about your most recent experience with someone breaking a societal norm in your presence. Sitting too close, talking too loud, doing something that made you uncomfortable because it broke those ‘silent rules’ of manners we all seem to adhere to. Analyze what made you so uncomfortable with the experience and also tell me how you reacted to it.”

The sounds of pencils and pens scratching across paper filled the silence in the room. For a moment, I watched Benjamin scrawl in his notebook, his left hand sweeping across the page. He paused, tilted his head in thought, then wrote more.

What was he writing in there?

My heart squeezed in my chest. I dropped my gaze to my paper and wrote about my movie theater awkwardness. How I’d spent the rest of the movie leaning closer to my aunt Betsy, and how we’d exchanged whispers about the creeper beside me. Yet I hadn’t moved...