Page 64 of Always: A Legacy Novel

“Bye, Daddy,” Cam told her father, leaning between the seats to kiss Calisto on the cheek. She poked her brother in the forehead before he could bat her hand away. “Happy birthday, sucker.”

Then, his sister was gone from the SUV.

Calisto tried to hide his amused smile, but failed miserably.

Cross just rolled his eyes.

“I’m going to be late, too,” Cross pointed out.

“Like you care.”

“Yeah, well, it’s you who gets the calls.”

Calisto tipped his head to the side. “Point taken. Good luck with your game tonight.”

“Thanks.”

“And I don’t say it much, but thanks for being a good brother to Cam.”

“I’m the only brother she’s ever going to have, right?”

Calisto nodded. “Right. Get going before I get a call or some nonsense.”

Cross jogged across the school parking lot, and slipped in through the upper Academy’s front doors just as the bell rang overhead. He ignored the buzzing phone in his pocket, knowing who it probably was.

Dina.

Again.

Some girls he dated were low maintenance, and he preferred that, honestly. He wasn’t up for the clingy type because he didn’t have the give a damn or energy they took, and he only really wanted to have fun, anyway.

Dina was not like those girls. He’d met her toward the end of summer at a party Zeke had gone to, and Cross went along for the ride. He knew her from the Academy, but hadn’t made an effort to approach the girl until that night at the party.

Cross didn’t like titles. He didn’t want to be somebody’s item. He was perfectly content to just be him, and take some detours along the way to make the trip worthwhile. Dina was convinced she could change all of that over time—three months and he was still the same. He thought she understood where he was at regarding them. Not an item. Not together. Not going to change. She was perfectly happy and down to fuck at first, but then school started, and suddenly they had to be other things, too.

No, Cross wasn’t up for that. Dina would either learn it quick, or fuck off somewhere with somebody else. Either way, he would be fine.

Cross was reminded of another reason why Dina was a hell of a lot more clingy and on his ass lately as he rounded a corner for his homeroom.

Catherine Marcello.

She stood at her locker, dressed in jeans and a very familiar leather jacket. The hallway had practically cleared of students. She wasn’t dressed in the standard school uniform, and didn’t look to be in any kind of rush to get to homeroom.

Yeah, she was a big reason why Dina was pissed at him in a major way.

Two months into the school year, and Catherine was everywhere. Cross had done okay for the year he attended upper Academy while Catherine was still in the lower school. It was easier because he didn’t have to see her very often, if at all.

It took him a while, but he realized why it had hurt him so goddamn much that day she showed up at his house. She broke his heart into pieces. He hadn’t realized quite how much he cared for the girl until she didn’t want him to care for her at all.

Catherine Marcello was every single reason why Cross wouldn’t be anything with anybody. That girl got under his skin quick, fast, and in a real fucking hurry. He thought about her more often than he should, considering they hadn’t been very much to begin with.

First loves were like a poison a person couldn’t save themselves from, apparently. And his first love taunted him every day without even knowing it.

He wasn’t about to let someone else do that to him again, but frankly, he wasn’t sure anybody else but Catherine could do that.

Cross wasn’t sure why he approached Catherine while she was still digging through her locker. Maybe it was because she was wearing his leather jacket—the damn thing still looked far better on her than it ever had on him. Or maybe it was because this was the first time he had the chance to speak with her alone; there were always too many people around at every other time.

“That’s my jacket,” Cross said.