She nodded through a yawn.

I pulled my car up next to hers. “Thanks for coming. I don’t know how Josh would’ve handled it if you hadn’t been there to come to his rescue.”

She shrugged. “At least Tommy’s going to be okay. That’s the main thing, right?” She opened the car door and stepped out. I followed. I wasn’t ready to say good-bye yet. Throwing her bag in her car, she turned back to me. “I can’t wait to climb into bed and crash.”

“Yeah . . .”

“Are you tired?”

I shook my head. “Not really. I’m probably gonna go for a run.”

She laughed quietly. “That actually doesn’t surprise me at all.”

For a moment, silence filled the space between us, then she spoke. “So, I’ll see you on Wednesday, right?”

“Or at school tomorrow.”

“About that . . .” she said. Her eyes focused on the ground while she contemplated her next words. When she looked up, her bottom lip was caught between her teeth. “I think—” She broke off and let out a breath, then started again. “I think that maybe you shouldn’t talk to me at school.”

“What?”

“I just don’t want people to know that you know me. I know it sounds strange, but it would just cause issues.”

“What—”

“Nothing bad.” She cut me off. “It’s just for me. It’s something I want. Please?”

“I don’t get it.”

“I don’t expect you to. I just need you to do it, okay?”

“So, what? I see you in the halls, and you just expect me to ignore you? That’s gonna be hard, Chloe.” I didn’t know why I was so pissed, but the thought of not speaking to her when she was right there made absolutely no sense.

“You’ve done it for four years. I’m sure you can manage another three months.”

My eyes narrowed.

“Please, Blake.”

I wanted to argue, but I didn’t. Instead, I took a step forward and placed my hand on her hip. Her body stiffened, but she didn’t push me away. “What are you doing?” she asked, exhaling a shaky breath.

“I don’t know,” I told her truthfully. I had spent the entire night doing everything I could not to replay that kiss in my mind. And to ignore her uniform . . . her goddamn shirt was so tight I could see every bump, every curve, every part of her.

Leaning down, I rubbed my nose against her cheek, followed by my lips. Her breath caught on a gasp, and she held it. She must have sensed it, too. Whatever this was between us. I felt her hands on my stomach as she gripped my shirt. I had her pressed up against her car by the time my lips moved to her jaw. “Blake,” she whispered.

My tongue grazed across her skin. “Mmm?”

She tilted her head, inviting me to keep going.

I started kissing her neck. When she let out a soft whimper, I was certain she wanted the same thing. My hand moved from her hip, to her thigh, gripping it and lifting it off the ground so I could get between her legs. My other hand settled on the back of her head. Fingers curled in her hair, I pulled back slightly, dipping her head back so I could see her lips. Her eyes were half-hooded, and even in the darkness, I could see the lust filling them. My mouth descended, aiming for hers.

“Blake,” she said again. Louder and firmer this time.

Her hands on my stomach flattened, and she pushed me away.

“What?” I asked, confused as all fuck.

She straightened up, adjusting her top. She pulled it lower, which only revealed more of her cleavage. Then, her words were like being doused with a cold bucket of water. “How’s Hannah?”

She got into her car without a word and drove off. Even after my dick move, I was still worried that she was too tired to drive, so I decided to follow her home. Only she didn’t go home. She drove to the restaurant we had gone to on Saturday night. But instead of going into the basement, she rang a buzzer next to the door. A minute later, Clayton, in nothing but his boxer shorts, opened the door for her. They greeted each other wordlessly, and she stepped inside.

I waited half an hour, like a stalker, for her to come back out. She never did. I drove home, but I couldn’t sleep. I replayed the night in my head over and over again. The thought of her sleeping with that Clayton asshole—kissing him, fucking him—I wanted to throw up.

I finally ended up going for a run. I skipped school and hung out with Josh the next day. I didn’t want to see her, not when I couldn’t speak to her.

Hannah called.

Eighteen times.

I never answered.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Chloe

“Busted.”

I froze in the hallway and looked over to see Mary sitting on the sofa, book in hand. “Crap.”

Her eyes narrowed, and it seemed that she was trying to keep her voice firm when she said, “You’re supposed to be at school, young lady.”

“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again,” I said, though we both knew that wasn’t true.

Mary and Dean weren’t too strict with me. We had agreed that I would graduate and that what I did after that was up to me. They knew what my plans were for afterwards, and they supported them. The only rule was that I check in enough while I was there so that they knew I was safe, and I always made sure to do that.

I slumped down next to her. She wrapped her arms around me and squeezed tight. “Did you stay at Clayton’s?”