Bad Judgment by Meghan March Page A

aren’t BS. I really do mean them. I would hate to see anyone throw away an opportunity like this, and given all of us who have lost our scholarships, the fact that he’s thinking about throwing away his free ride really pisses me off.
    Ryker reaches for the bakery bag between us but keeps his gaze on mine. “I don’t think you’ve said that many words to me at once . . . ever.”
    “Someone has to point out how shortsighted you’re being to waste an opportunity that some people can only dream about.”
    Again, my words are not only the truth, but ones I strongly believe. With the kind of doors his parents can open for him, Ryker could have a life that I can’t even imagine. The more I think about him throwing that away, the angrier it makes me. I open my mouth to say more, but he raises his hand between us.
    “I get it. You’ll think I’m a totally ungrateful little prick if I don’t get my head out of my ass and apply myself.”
    “Yes. That’s exactly what I think.”
    And if that’s all it takes to change his mind and get him back on the right track to studying and not failing, then I just earned my tuition in ten minutes. If only it were that easy .
    “Then let’s make a deal.”
    “What kind of deal?” My tone is skeptical at best.
    “I’ll study . . . but only if I’ve got you sitting across from me to stare at.”
    My brain goes blank for a second, and then the thoughts come fast and furiously. First, a flash of victory. Graduation, here I come. My tuition is paid . And withstand the distraction of Ryker to get my own studying done? Finally, that dumb feeling of guilt creeps in and I shove it away. This is for his benefit. I’m not doing anything wrong.
    I might have expected the guilt, but I didn’t expect his condition. I need to say something. I can’t agree right away because he’ll know something is off. Past history would have me turning him down cold.
    “We can’t study together every day. Seriously. That’s . . . not going to happen.”
    “Why not?”
    I’m still struggling for a legitimate reason, and I blurt out the first one I can think of. “Because I like to take my contacts out, put my glasses on, put my hair in a bun, wear my pajamas, and ditch my bra.”
    Of course, as soon as I say the word bra , Ryker’s gaze drops to my boobs.
    “Feel free to ditch the bra anytime. It’s not going to bother me at all. Actually, I’ll be perfectly honest—I’ve got zero motivation to study on my own, but a braless Justine sounds like amazing motivation.”
    Covering my chest with both arms in an attempt to escape the intensity of his gaze, I force myself back to the subject at hand. Is he playing me? Or is he serious?
    I’m still not ready to give in and make this seem too easy. Strategy. This is all about negotiation. “Look, we can only study together a couple times a week. I study every day, and I can’t have you up in my business all the time. I don’t want anyone up in my business all the time. I don’t actually like people enough for that much human interaction.”
    His response is so quick, it’s like he was anticipating me shutting him down. “Three days during the week and one day on the weekend. A couple extra days before the Professional Responsibility midterm, and then we go hard for all of our finals.”
    When he says go hard , my mind immediately dives into the gutter. Bad, Justine. I force the illicit thoughts away and focus firmly on the subject at hand— studying .
    “You know you need to ace that Professional Responsibility midterm, right? Because otherwise Babcock is going to screw you over. You need irrefutable proof that you crushed that test so if she does screw you over, you can appeal the grade. You pissed her off, and she’s not going to forget.”
    He nods. “I know. That’s why I’m thinking we have to focus harder on that one.”
    When did this become a we thing? But then again . . . Professional Responsibility is my least favorite