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The smell of burning cotton was the first sign I’d messed up.
Black smoke was the second.
I shut off the welding torch and frantically patted down the scorched edges of my sleeve. As soon as I did, the piece I’d been so intent on welding, and that had almost lit me on fire, fell to the ground in a loud clatter.
A groan escaped my lips. I’d spent exactly one hour trying to make some progress on the statue and I was getting nowhere. And as I sat on the dirty floor of the shop class and stared up at my half-formed statue, despair ripped through my chest. Everything had been going so well. And now, my idea for the perfect class gift was literally falling apart — just like everything else in my life.
“That’s what I get for avoiding him,” I muttered, wiping the back of my dirty hand across my sweaty forehead. “That’s what you get, Trina Frye. Only what you deserve.”
Great, now I was talking to myself in third person. I really was taking a dive off the deep end. But after seeing Polly and Mason together this morning, I’d been feeling off all day. When it had come time for Research Methods class, I just couldn’t face seeing Mason. Savannah’s words were still echoing around in my mind.
Candy. Extra Weight. Love.
Ugh, nothing was making sense anymore.
What was love, anyway? Was it the way my parents shifted around their busy schedules to have lunch together at the hospital cafeteria every week? Or the way Audrey and Collin looked at each other when they thought no one else was watching?
Or was it a deep and consuming feeling that destroyed everything in its path?
I had no answers. Just a nauseating feeling in the pit of my stomach that wouldn’t go away, no matter how many ginger candies I scarfed down.
“Time to face the music,” I said with more courage than I felt.
After putting away my failed project, I shouldered my backpack and trudged through the halls on the way to the library. Every nerve in my body seemed to be tugged by a string, urging me to turn around and run the other way. But that wasn’t me. That wasn’t who my parents had raised me to be. I had to march into that library and congratulate Mason o
n reuniting with Polly. I’d smile my best smile. Let him know how happy I was for him. That was it.
And then we’d all move on.
But as I attempted to open the door to the library, it flew open on its own and nearly threw me off balance. I stumbled and landed both of my forearms on a hard chest. Two large hands clasped my wrists, helping me to steady myself. I blinked up in surprise and my stomach nearly dropped out of my abdomen when I realized the person I’d nearly flattened was Mason!
“I’m...I’m so sorry.”
I tried to shake off the nerves that had flared at the sight of him. Sure, he was the very person I’d come here to talk to, but I hadn’t been prepared for this sudden meeting. I needed more time.
Mason’s frown deepened. “Yeah, you’ve been saying that a lot lately.”
I winced. Not a great start. What was I coming here to say? That I was happy for him and Polly? Oh, yeah. Too bad my vocal chords had suddenly snapped.
He looked good. Really good. It seemed that he’d abandoned his new look for a comfortable pair of jeans and a vintage yellow Abercrombie tee. It suited him far more than the fancy outfits we’d found at the mall.
Now that I was no longer in any danger of flattening him like a steamroller, he slowly released my arms. The friction of his skin against mine sent thrills rolling over my skin. It caused a cascade of emotions that I’d suppressed after our kiss, to come bubbling back up to the surface. My breath left my body as he dropped his hands to his sides and shifted his gaze to the doorframe, as if to look at anything except my face.
“Don’t forget, presentations are on Friday,” he said, flexing his jaw. “Mr. Arnold assigned you to the first slot.”
I nodded. “Yeah...that’s cool.”
He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “And I’m going to finish up the rest of the semester of Research Methods in Coach Ben’s science lab. He said I could have a desk in the back of his class.”
The floor dropped out from below me. Not only had I lost Mason as a friend, but now he was leaving the only class we had together? I’d never get a chance to make things right between us.
As my shocked silence followed his announcement, his dark gaze flicked to mine. The hard expression he’d been wearing immediately softened.
“It’ll be better this way, Trina.”
I didn’t argue with him, even though every part of me ached to speak up. After what I’d just pulled this weekend at the party, I couldn’t blame Mason if that’s what he really wanted. The rumor mills still hadn’t died down about his illness. Someone had even tried to start a GoFundMe to pay for his medical expenses. Things were getting slightly out of hand.
And speaking of his illness, I had yet to hear an update on his latest scan. The wait was killing me. Shifting my feet, I glanced down at the floor and furrowed my forehead. If Mason was determined to never see me again after this week, then this was one of my last chances to ask.
