Chapter 6 I'm Not Into Bad Boys

• -Corrine-
• The question didn’t surprise me. He must have known my identity as well as I knew his.
• “I could ask you the same thing,” I said.
• Andrew smirked. “Smart girl.” Then he leaned in towards me and looked at me closely. “You know? I like smart girls.”
• I returned his smile, putting on my best arrogant face, and said, “Too bad. I’m not into bad boys.”
• He pulled back and leaned against the sofa, the smile still on his face. His reaction made me feel embarrassed. I had hoped he would be upset, but it was the opposite.
• “Are you Eva’s roommate?” he asked later.
• I thought for a moment, considering whether to give an honest answer or lie to him. Then I decided that providing information like that was not dangerous, and hopefully, Eva wouldn’t be angry with me for it.
• “Yes,” I replied. I glanced towards the restroom. There was no sign of Eva yet. “Seems like she hates you,” I said bluntly.
• I was quite surprised when I saw Andrew’s eyes change to sadness, even if it was only for a moment. He bowed his head and looked at his hands clasped over his stomach. “Yeah, you’re right. And I can’t blame her.”
• “Because you’re acting like a jerk,” I pointed out.
• His eyes lifted to my face. “Right again,” he muttered.
• He turned towards the counter, and I took the opportunity to admire his profile from the side. His nose was perfect, his eyelashes were thick and curly, and I wanted to reach out to trace his cheekbone which-
• Andrew turned his face towards me and I was caught off guard, caught staring at him. I tucked my hair behind my ear. “Waiting for someone?” I asked.
• I didn’t want to turn my face and show my embarrassment in front of him.
• “No,” he replied. He just kept staring at me. “Which pack are you from?”
• I was taken aback by his question. This was information that I couldn’t give out casually. Trevor had once said that Jerome had many enemies out there and one of them could use me to bring down the Alpha or even our pack.
• “You know I can’t say that, right?” I said, arching one eyebrow perfectly.
• Once again, he gave a small smirk. One corner of his mouth pulled up and the flash in his eyes showed how interested he was in me.
• I swear, I’m not exaggerating. I could feel it. His gaze on me made me cautious... and also drew me in.
• “Maybe I know your pack."
• “Then tell me first, which pack are you from?” I challenged him. I folded my arms across my chest and hardened my expression.
• “I don’t have a pack.”
• “You’re lying.”
• He shrugged. “Believe it or not, it’s up to you.”
• “Then you’re... a rogue?” Aka, the troublemaker.
• If Trevor found out that there was a rogue around me, he would surely be furious and come here to tear Andrew apart.
• “Wrong,” he muttered. “I’m not a lowlife like that.”
• My brain worked hard, searching for the right answer. He didn’t have a pack, but he wasn’t a rogue? That didn’t make any sense.
• Or did he decide to leave the pack and live like an ordinary human being? Is that why his father married a human?
• “I read a lot of speculation in your mind,” he teased.
• I widened my eyes, thinking he could read my mind. I glanced away, searching for something to do. My gaze fell on my latte cup.
• “No,” I scoffed. “Why would I speculate about you?” I took it and sipped it slowly, deliberately lingering to avoid any conversation with him.
• “I didn’t say the speculation you were thinking was about me,” he retorted.
• Since I didn’t have a clever answer to his remark, I chose to ignore it and continued enjoying my drink until it was finished.
• As I placed the cup on the table, Andrew said, “I’ve seen you before.” He sounded nonchalant, but at the same time, I felt the seriousness in his words.
• “Well, of course. We met at the party, remember?”
• “No. Before that.”
• I shook my head. “I’ve never seen you before,” I said. “You must have mistaken me for someone else.”
• “I have an excellent memory for faces, especially someone with a face like yours.”
• I frowned, staring at him. “What’s wrong with my face?”
• “Beautiful.”
• My reaction to the cheap flirtation was to burst out laughing. I covered my mouth with my hand and continued laughing until the corners of my eyes were watery. “You don’t use that kind of line on girls, do you?” I joked after my laughter subsided.
• Then I realized that Andrew hadn’t laughed with me. The rest of my laughter disappeared from my voice, and my lips were slightly parted as our eyes met.
• Once again, he looked at me with a seriousness that made me uneasy. One second ago, he seemed like a playful young man who liked to throw cheap flirts, but the next second, he appeared like a man shrouded in mystery.
• “I never say it carelessly,” he mumbled.
• My cheeks warmed up in an instant. I was not the type of girl who’s weak against flattery, but Andrew... he... he made me unable to resist. As I tried to find a way to divert my attention from him, I saw a couple walking in.
• Damn it. Was Golden Valley so small that I meet those two disgusting people wherever I go?
• It seemed like Andrew noticed the change in my expression. He also looked towards the entrance, seeing Daniel and Kasey walking very close as if their arms were glued together. Their faces looked full of happiness... well, it was disgusting to see Daniel happy with my ex-best friend.
• I grabbed my bag and wanted to leave, but Andrew’s words stopped me. “That night at the party, you met them, did you?”
• I stared at him. How could he know?
• “Is he your ex-boyfriend?” he asked again.
• “None of your business,” I replied curtly.
• But Andrew didn’t give up easily. “Did he dump you?”
• “I said it’s none of your business.” I started to get annoyed with him. I didn’t like him asking about my personal life and... and I didn’t like Andrew knowing that I had been dumped.
• I stood up from the sofa just as Eva walked out of the restroom. “I have to go."
• The only way out was through him, so I walked past him and was startled when he grabbed my wrist. I glared at him and was about to pull my hand away when he looked at me and said, “I can help you.”
• I squinted my eyes. “I don’t understand what you mean."
• “Revenge,” he growled. “I can help you get revenge on him.”
• “What?” I pulled my hand away and stared at him as if he was acting crazy. “I don’t want to get revenge on anyone.” My voice trembled, showing that there was a lie there.
• Honestly, I wanted Daniel to feel the same pain that I felt. Every time I remembered what he said on prom night, I still wanted to cry.
• “Corrine, let’s go!”
• I heard Eva yelling at me. She didn’t even want to come here because she wanted to avoid her brother.
• Andrew let go of my hand as I pulled away from him. My hand jolted and hit my stomach, and I groaned.
• “Call me if you change your mind,” he said. “And don’t forget, you still have to return my jacket.”
• I didn’t respond. I just looked at him one last time before walking away from him.
• When Eva and I were outside of Houghton Commons, she grabbed my shoulder and asked me to stop. We stood facing each other, and she looked me in the eye.
• This was the first time I had seen her face so serious that it made me feel uncomfortable.
• “I warn you." She squeezed my shoulder tighter. “Don’t get close to him. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
• I forced a smile onto my lips. “Relax, Eva." As if to contradict my words, my wrist throbbed. I could still feel Andrew’s grip there.
• “There are still many boys out there who are much better than him, Corrine.”
• I heard the roar of a motorcycle and looked towards the road. Andrew was on his motorcycle. He just went past us like that.
• “Yeah... sure,” I mumbled. While my eyes couldn’t help but watch him.