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My own gaze travels to his lips. Am I leaning forward? Or is it him? Both of us?

My heart pounds in my chest, loud enough so that it drums in my ears. My palms start to sweat, and nerves of anticipation build in my stomach.

That’s it.

Theo clears his throat and pulls back, and the warmth in the air immediately cools. He reaches into the pack on the floor beside him. “I saw what you kept doing wrong with your formula,” he says, pulling out my notebook. “It’s right at the beginning, something small, but you’ll waste hours of time trying to figure out the problem without fixing it first. If I help you with this, will you take a break with me? A day of my choosing. And we do anything I want. Only fun allowed.”

No way. You were just in some weird Theo spell. It’s too messy. You’re already in too deep. Abort. Quit. Say no.

“Okay,” I agree, my entire body filled with undeserved butterflies. “And, Theo?”

He raises his brows.

“I’m sorry for how I spoke to you under the bleachers,” I say.

“I know, Violet.” He places a hand on my thigh. “I’m sorry I didn’t understand you. And you’re right, sometimes I don’t listen to you, or anybody, because I don’t want to. It’s not fair to not think about your feelings too.”

“I know, Theo.”

And I hate that I do, because I know so much more about Theo. And still, I want more.

My gaze is trained on his hand, and then I narrow it on the band around his pinkie. I grip his hand, bring it to my face. It takes a moment before the memory pulls up. “You left me a candy before,” I say, “after a test.”

He frowns, then recognition saturates his features. “Right, yeah, you looked like you were going to pass out. Which, seeing as what just happened, I’m realizing was a very real threat.”

I let out a sigh and pretend it’s from annoyance at his attention and not at all from the guilt pummeling into my chest.

CHAPTER 16

An Excerpt from Bell-Haven’s Vandalism Policy

Definition of Vandalism

Vandalism is defined as any intentional act that damages, defaces, or destroys school property. This includes but is not limited to painting, unapproved statues, destruction of furniture, tampering with facilities, etc.

(Nothing written about a clown costume? But “not limited to” may cover that. Could push?)

Theo chooses Friday as our Only Fun Allowed Day. After the final bell rings, I head to the bathroom to get changed into the “comfy attire” Theo required and put on my black sweats, cozy turtleneck sweater borrowed from Lexie that makes the outfit still acceptable for the public, and sneakers.

When I meet Theo in the parking lot, he’s in tan sweats and a brown sweater zipped to the top. Somehow his casual outfit still looks fancy and it makes me frown at him. “Almost perfect,” he says as I approach him by his car, a four-door Civic I saw in a commercial, I’m pretty sure.

He opens the trunk, then blocks my vision before I’m able to catch what he’s rustling through. He shoves a beanie over the hair I straightened this morning, and then, before I can speak, he’s shoving gloves over my fingers too.

“It’s colder than I thought it’d be,” he says. “It’s been in the seventies all week.”

“Climate change. It’s coming for us.”

“Hopefully it lets us live until the day is over.” He opens the passenger door. “I’d be grateful.”

I roll my eyes and enter. Theo follows soon after and starts the car.

“So,” I say as he presses a button and my seat begins to warm. “Where are we going?”

“To do nothing.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m still firm in my belief nobody needs to do nothing more than you.” He drives off as Lexie texts me Have fun on your date, even after I told her it wasn’t one. “And nothing can be fun.”