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“Then what’s it like?” Caden steps in close and pushes his finger against my chest. “Is it like kissing Zach? Are you protecting someone else?”

Fuck. I knew that’d come back to bite me.

“Not at all.” I meet his eyes and show him how sincere I’m being.

He scowls. “Then what?”

“You trust me?” I straighten.

“Normally, but for some fucked up reason, you keep giving that guy a pass when it’s obvious he still wants you.”

“I don’t want him. Isn’t that enough?”

Caden’s lips press together. My veins sizzle with anger.

I shove him back. “You think I’d fuck around on Harper?”

“I don’t know, Jack. We used to share everything, but I know you’re keeping something from me. These fucking secret meetings with Coach Turner of all people. It doesn’t look good.”

I grab his shirt and pull him down an inch. My words are barely a whisper when I say, “He’s DEA.”

Caden rears back and searches my eyes.

“Undercover.”

“Sounds like another fucking trick to get back in your good graces.” Caden shakes his head.

“I saw his badge, Caden. It’s not a ploy. Why else would he be here? At Sherman High School? Yes, we have a good program, but it’s not like it would make his career.” I step in close. “He might be the key to making sure our pest control problem is handled.”

Caden shakes his head, but he’s considering it. He’s too smart to deny we need help at this point. Outside help. Even if we get the police involved, their hands will be tied by the higher ups in the department that answer to pricks like William Foster. Zach will keep slipping through their fingers.

Nothing will ever stick to him.

“He needs to stay the fuck away from you,” Caden growls.

“The only person for me is Harper.” I take a deep breath. “Trust me on this. I’m not going to be the one to break her heart.”

Caden searches my eyes, and I don’t hold back anything. He can see every inch of my soul because that’s who we are. Friends. Brothers. Inseparable.

The music fades a little, and we both look at the doors to the gym.

“It’s time,” he says. He hasn’t confirmed he believes me, but I know he will. Zach was a misstep. A miscalculation I should have come clean about earlier. I’m done hiding shit from Caden.

But this is bigger than any of us. “You can’t say shit. He was reluctant to tell me.”

“No more secrets.” Caden grabs my shoulder. “At least between us. We should get in there.”

I nod. “Let’s do this.”

We walk through the doors, and the principal is on the stage. Parker stands next to him, beaming from ear to ear. She notices us and winks.

I refrain from rolling my eyes as I walk over to the table. Eli helps Nico with his crutches and we walk to the dance floor to join Harper and Luke. Harper looks pale, and I press my hand against her bare back.

I lean in close and whisper in her ear. “I won’t take my eyes off you.”

She turns those brown eyes on me. “Promise?”

“Promise.” With everything I have.