The Alpha's Rejected Girl

3. Petroleum Jelly

: : : Sophie : : :

"You alright there, monkey girl?”

As soon as I open my eyes I’m immediately hit with shock.

It’s Kieran De Angelo!!!

You can only imagine the emotions running through me. I’m shocked, I’m embarrassed — and then I see my hand — as I was falling, I was trying to reach for the shelves so I had something to hold onto, but instead, I was scratching his face and his neck and down to his shirt! The first two buttons are ripped and there’s a clear scratch mark going down from his cheek to his chest.

“Oh my God! I’m so sorry!” I yelp.

My sudden moves and yelp forces him to let go of me and I step down to my feet. Standing in front of him, I see a red line of blood forming on his face and I feel so mortified. He’s the Alpha’s son and I just scratched his perfect face!

I’m gonna be in so much trouble!

Fearing for my life, I can’t even bring my eyes up to look at him. I’m fully expecting the worst — he’s gonna get mad or yell or something, but instead he says:

“It’s fine,” His tone is cool and calm. It’s not like he’s fazed by this one bit. “Are you alright?”

Am I alright?

Okay, I’m in total shock now. Instead of getting mad at me, he’s asking me if I’m alright? Did I hear this right?”

“I–I’m fine, thanks to you…” I say cautiously, and my gaze slowly looks up. Even with that scar on his face, God, he still looks so beautiful. His deep green eyes are so mesmerizing and his sharp jawline… I just can’t help myself.

As I’m full-on gawking at him, Kieran tilts his head to the side and narrows his eyes at me. He’s probably thinking I’m retarted or something!

Quick, Sophie, say something smart!

“Petroleum jelly!” I squeak. I said it kind of suddenly, and he flinches back in shock.

“What?”

“Use petroleum jelly on the wound… it’ll heal faster…” I explain as I internally facepalm myself.

Great, Sophie. Very smooth.

“Okay,” He laughs dryly. “I’ll use some… petroleum jelly,”

Oh Moon Goddess, let me just go roll over and die right now!

The more I stand here in front of him, the worse this will get. I might as well cut my losses and go. And so, I put on a brave smile and say, “Thanks again… and sorry…”

With that, I quickly turn to my heels. But I can’t get two steps away before he suddenly calls out.

“Wait,” his voice stops me in my tracks. “Who are you?”

I turn around again and say, “I’m… Sophie Morgan. I’m a member of your pack, actually…”

“You are?” he furrows his brows. “How come I never see you before?”

You have. Plenty of time, actually. I walk past you almost everyday at school. You just never know I exist.

I could have said all that, but instead, I smile and say, “I don’t really go out much,”

Kieran narrows his eyes and he gazes at me with a look I can’t decipher. His gaze is piercing deep, it’s like he can read through my soul. I don’t know what to do or how to react. His gaze keeps me captive and I can only stare.

“Here,” He says suddenly, picking up the book I dropped on the ground. “You forgot this,”

In his hand is Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises.

“Oh, that’s not mine, actually,” I laugh nervously. “That’s the library’s. I was just returning it,”

He looks down at the book and up at the shelf. “It belongs up there?”

“Well, actually… it belongs with the other Hemingway books in aisle two,” I say sheepishly, pointing to the aisle a few rows away from us. “But I like this one a lot and I keep coming back to it. I don’t want someone else to borrow it in case I wanna read it again. So I was trying to hide it up there, ‘cause no one ever checks the top shelf…”

I realize now how crazy I must sound. He’s gonna think I’m a super weirdo nerd or something like that!

Kieran starts flipping the book in his hand. Still with that cool and unreadable expression, he looks back at me and says, "What's so special about this one?"

“Well,... it’s a book about love and war, and it talks about the Lost Generation… about people who don’t feel like they belong…” I try to explain it as briefly as possible. There’s so many reasons why I like this book but I don’t wanna start rambling again. "Anyway, it's an old classic. I needed a break from the usual textbooks and thought I'd explore something different…"

Killian starts nodding in understanding and that catches me off guard.

"I can relate,” he says.

“You do?”

“This place can suffocate the soul," he shrugs.

“Tell me about it,” I scoff. "It's like everyone here is living in their own little bubble,"

“Exactly,” He laughs. His laughter is unexpected but refreshing, filling the air with a lightness I hadn't anticipated

And for the first time in my life, I feel an indescribable spark. It’s a connection, however fleeting. I can’t even wrap my mind around it because it’s too crazy. This is Kieran De Angelo we’re talking about. He’s not meant to relate to someone like me.

Suddenly and without warning, Kieran jumps up to the shelf I was climbing. His moves are swift and agile. Within seconds, he’s reached the top and he puts my book into the empty spot. Then, he jumps down like freaking Ironman or Superman or whatever, and he lands coolly and gracefully back in front of me.

Whoa.

“Your book’s safe now,” He grins, and I catch the dimples popping off the corners of his cheeks.

Wow. He just gets more and more handsome the more you look at him.

“T-thank you,” I stammer. And again, I facepalm myself internally because I can’t be cool to save my life.

Kieran is standing pretty close to me now. We’re only inches away from each other. He takes in a deep breath and his brows furrow, and I’m immediately reminded that I forgot to put on deodorant this morning!

Oh, great. Now I really need to go dig a hole, crawl inside, and never come out!

* RING! *

Thankfully, the Moon Goddess decided to take pity on me. The bell to sixth period rings and the sound cuts through the air, causing both of us to flinch back.

“I have to go,” I say quickly. “Sorry again about… the face,”

I don’t even wait for him to respond, I just turn around as fast as I can and bolt to the door. But before I can get to the door, with his superhuman speed, Kieran beats me to it. He stands in front of the doorway and his hand stretches out in front of my face, blocking me.

“Sophie,” He says. “Right?”

Wow. Hearing my name coming out of his lips, I’m caught off guard for a moment. But once I get composure, I nod my head yes.

“Are you coming to my party this weekend?”

I blink a few times as I think of a response. I don’t want to offend him or anything, but a party like that is no place for someone like me. No matter how much fun Taylor thinks it’s gonna be.

“I… wasn’t really invited,” I say finally.

“Well, I’m asking now, aren’t I?” His voice is low and his tone is firm and commanding.

I look up at him and I’m at a loss for words.

“It’s not an invitation by the way,” He says as he turns around to leave. “It’s an order,”

*

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- - - - - To Be Continued - - - - -