Page 58 of Always: A Legacy Novel

He stood, leaning against a row of lockers, a leather book bag sitting at his Doc Martens boots. The standard tie all male students were supposed to wear was loose around his neck, and the top two buttons on his dress shirt were undone. Even the sleeves of the dress shirt had been rolled up to his elbows. His hair, still black as sin, had been cropped short along the sides, while still leaving a bit at the top that looked like he had just dragged his fingers through it to keep it back in place.

For most of the previous year, Catherine had not seen or talked to Cross much at all after she broke it off with him. Occasionally, she would spy him in the parking lot when she had to meet up with her brother, but that was it. It certainly wasn’t a long enough glance to take in the changes that had clearly happened with him over the months.

Apparently, that year had been very good to Cross.

He was taller. Bigger. Wider in his shoulders, lazier in his grin, and still dark as night in his gaze. Gone was the pretty-boy she had known, and in his place was a young man. His jaw was stronger, and peppered with a light dusting of facial hair that said he probably hadn’t shaved in a couple of days.

Catherine tried to keep her focus on Trisha and whatever she was saying as they walked by, never mind not wanting to draw attention to herself. That was kind of hard to do when the pretty blonde, Queen Bee—Dina—from before was suddenly heading in Cross’s direction with a wide smile like they were friends of some sort.

Dina slid in beside Cross and grabbed something from inside his opened locker. He leaned in to say something to Dina, too low for Catherine to hear as they passed by, and his hand landed on her lower back at the same time.

Friends didn’t do that, did they?

Dina nodded to whatever Cross had said. Her laughter filled the emptying hallway.

He would be a year younger than Dina, Catherine realized, but she didn’t think it would matter to Cross. Not knowing him like she did.

If he wanted something—someone—he’d get it.

What was most shocking to Catherine, was not seeing Cross again, or even the fact he might have a girlfriend. She had known coming into the upper Academy that he still attended, and they would likely run into one another. He was a guy, so it was more likely than not that he would be with someone, too.

Those were not the shocking things at all.

What shocked her was how it made her feel.

Angry.

Bitter.

Confused.

Sad.

All at once.

Like a hurricane crashing through her heart.

No, Catherine didn’t expect to be jealous.

She didn’t have a reason to be, or a right. It had been her that broke it off with Cross a year before because she had been stupid, and thought it would please her disappointed parents. She wanted to do whatever she needed to do at that point to be their good girl—their perfect daughter. Her parents hadn’t made the demand that she cut off contact or break up with Cross; she had done that all on her own.

Catherine hadn’t realized how much it would hurt in her heart. How often she missed or thought of Cross, or how empty she often felt looking at her phone, waiting for something as stupid as a message. A message that wouldn’t ever come because of what she had done.

No, she shouldn’t be jealous.

A year had gone by.

She’d dated other boys.

She’d experienced a bit more.

She was not so naive or innocent.

It didn’t seem to matter.

She still felt it.

All of it.