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“Hope,” I groaned, hearing footsteps come closer. I glanced over my shoulder and spotted Reagan catching us up so I halted. “Don’t say anything. Reagan doesn’t know.”
“Got it.” Hope saluted me as I bent down, stretching out my muscles. “Hey, Reagan,” I heard her say, and when I dipped my head to look up, I saw her holding her hand out to her. “I’m Hope, the best friend.”
“I know,” Reagan said, shaking her hand but frowning down at it as she did. She was baffled as most people were when they met Hope. “I’m the track partner.”
“Cool, cool.” Hope nodded several times and stared at nothing as we got down onto the grass to keep stretching.
“You just gonna watch us stretch, Hope?”
She shrugged. “Ain’t got anything better to do. My sister can’t pick me up for another twenty minutes. She’s got to get her vag pierced.”
I choked on my own saliva and heard Reagan cough beside me. “What?”
“Her vag, Aria.” Hope signaled between her legs. “She’s gone to get it pierced.”
“But…” I blinked several times, turned to look at Reagan to see if she was as confused as me—she was—and then looked back at Hope. “Why?”
“Beats me.” She spun around on the spot and held her arms out. “Probably thinks it’ll help her keep her boyfriend or something.”
“That’s—”
“Stupid,” Hope interrupted. She stopped suddenly and darted toward me. “Does…you-know-who have anything pierced.”
“Hope!” I let my head drop back and groaned. “Whether he does or doesn’t is none of your business.”
“But—”
“Nope.” I stood and wiped the grass off the back of my legs. “I’m not telling you anything about him, end of—”
“Anything about who?” Cade’s deep voice asked.
I turned slowly, wondering where the hell he’d appeared from, then opened my mouth to answer but Hope beat me to it, “Her boyfriend.”
“Her…what?” Cade asked, his voice dangerously low.
Hope may have thought she was being clever, but she really wasn’t. I didn’t want to make him think I was dating anyone else. I didn’t want to play games. It wasn’t who I was, and Cade knew that—at least, I hoped he did.
“Ignore her,” I said, pushing on Hope’s shoulder. “Stop it,” I whispered to her.
Cade’s brows furrowed, but I couldn’t think about why. Too many things were happening all at once, and I could only concentrate on one thing at a time, and right now that was getting Hope away from Cade, and me away from the both of them.
A car horn honked from the lot and Hope announced, “My ride is here! Catch you later. Have fun this weekend!” She wagged her brows up and down. I was so close to pushing her over, but she escaped from my reach before I could get to her.
We all watched her skip across the field, and when she was through the gate, I heaved a breath. “Sorry about her, she’s a little—”
“Weird?” Reagan answered. “It’s all good. Weird is my chi.”
“I…” Had no idea how to answer that. “Right.”
Reagan pulled her arms over her head and let out a breath to finish her stretching. “I won’t be here next Wednesday, Coach,” she directed at Cade. “I’ve got a doctor’s appointment.”
My stomach dropped at her words, and I tried to keep my features schooled. I couldn’t be alone with Cade. There was no way I could do that and come out the other end okay. When Reagan was here, she was the buffer we both needed, but without her…
Without her, things wouldn’t go well, not for either of us.
* * *
ARIA
