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“What about lunch?”

“I’m eating with my dad.” I’d already made him promise. I didn’t want to be in the cafeteria sitting where I always sat next to Jacob. It would feel like we were still dating even though it was so painfully obvious that he didn’t reciprocate my feelings.

I stared at him. He’d told me it had always been real. But maybe he was the liar. Because if it was real, why wasn’t he hurting too? Why was he just laughing with Axel? How could he just suddenly not care about me at all?

I stared up at him. Normally he’d been leaning down to hug me. Kiss me. Twirl me around the hall.

I clutched my books in my hands. My hands that were used to holding his.

“Are you coming to the party tonight?” Jacob asked.

I shook my head. It would be the first time I’d ever missed the Caldwell Halloween party. I’d done a lot of firsts this year. But I never guessed that would be one of them.

“Come on,” he said. “We already got costumes. We can go as friends.”

I hated the word friend. For a second I just stared at him. I thought that maybe he looked a little sad. But what did I know? I’d thought he loved me six days ago. I couldn’t read him at all. “I have plans to watch scary movies all night.”

“You hate scary movies,” Axel said.

I’d almost forgotten that he was standing there listening to all of this. I shrugged. “I used to. I guess people’s likes and dislikes change pretty quickly.” I tried not to look at Jacob when I said it. And I did want to watch a scary movie. They consumed me. And terrified me for weeks. And I just wanted to feel something other than hurt. Watching a marathon of scary movies by myself in an empty apartment should distract me for a bit.

“You’re really not coming to the Halloween party?” Axel asked.

I shook my head.

“But you love Halloween.”

I shook my head again. I did love Halloween. But spending Halloween at the Caldwell mansion felt like a nightmare. I didn’t want to see Jacob dancing with someone other than me. And the thought of seeing Aunt Brooklyn or Uncle Matt made me feel all panicky. Jacob would have told them I was a liar. Maybe they didn’t love me anymore either.

I clutched my books tighter to my chest. I think I’d be bowing out of a lot of family things over the coming weeks.

“I hope you change your mind,” Jacob said. “It won’t be the same without you. And I really want you there.” He squeezed my elbow and then walked down the hall to class.

Yeah, it wouldn’t be the same. It would be better. For him. We both knew he didn’t want me there. What the heck was he even talking about?

“Are you okay?” Axel asked. “You don’t look like yourself.”

As if he cared either. I thought about all the times I’d sent him soup when he didn’t come to school. I’d been out all week. And he hadn’t even sent me one text to ask if I was okay. “I’m great.”

“Are you eating? It looks like you’ve lost weight.”

“I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine. Come on, let’s get out of here. I’ll take you to breakfast.”

I shook my head.

He lowered his eyebrows. “Please. I hate seeing you hurting.”

“Give me a break, Axel. You don’t care if I’m hurting.”

“Of course I care.”

“Really? I wasn’t in school all week and you didn’t even ask me if I was okay.”

He just stared at me. “If you had told me that you needed me, I would have come over. You know that. I was just trying to give you some space.”

It was so weird that I ever thought Jacob and Axel were my friends. I wasn’t sure either of them even liked me as a person. They certainly didn’t care about me. “It’s fine, I’m sure you were too busy with your girlfriend to send a text, let alone soup.” Asshole. “I gotta get to class.” I stepped past him.