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The simple truth is, he was hers first. He’llalwaysbe hers first. No matter how much I wish that truth was alterable—no matter how much he might wish that—it’snot.
“Ican’t do this. We can’t do this,” I whisper.
He doesn’t move. Neither do I.
“We can’t do this,” I repeat.
“June…”
One word, one syllable, and it cracks my chest open. I need to get out of here. “No.” I step back. “She’s mysister.”
Teddy runs a hand through his hair, disheveling the short strands. “Stepsister.”
“She’s still in love with you,” I tell him. “And you know it.”
He sucks in a breath, then his bottom lip. I look away because focusing on his mouth is a really bad idea right now.
“I’m not in love with her. And do you really think, if the roles were reversed, that Ellie would give a shit about our past?”
We both know the answer to that. Ellie is…selfish. The rules are always changing, shifting to what suits her best. But I know this will never change. She’ll never compromise when it comes to him. Never accept his happiness with someone else, especially me. If the roles were reversed, I wouldn’t be able to watch Teddy date her, so maybe I’m being too harsh.
“I’mnotEllie, Teddy.”
“I know.” He huffs out a sigh that turns into a laugh. “Don’t you think I know that? I never felt—”
“Stop.Please. You’re making it worse.”
“It doesn’t seem like I’m making it anything. Doesn’t seem like you even care!”
“Of course I care. But discussing pointless hypotheticals isn’t going to change anything!”
“What ispointlessabout it? I’m single. You’re single. And I’m in lo—” Teddy cuts himself off before actually uttering the words, but we both know what was about to come out.
My heart pounds with an erratic, reckless rhythm.
Teddy Owens is in love with me.
Teddy Owens loves me.
I’m startled by how badly I want to hear him actually say the words. By the realization I could say them back and mean them.
He visibly swallows. “Look—”
This time, I interrupt. I need to get this out while I still can. Before I consider the logic behind what he’s saying, and rip my second family apart.
“This—nothing will ever happen between us. I’m leaving. I have plans. Dreams. This town isn’t part of them. And even if it were…she’ll make everyone take sides, Teddy.Everyone. Lily will take hers. My dad will have to pick too. He and Lily just got married—they’re happy. I can’t do that to him. Not after everything with my mom…” I lift a shoulder and let it fall helplessly. “I wish things were different, but they’re not.”
“So…that’s it?”
I force myself to hold his gaze. “We can still be frien—”
He’s shaking his head before I even finish the word. “I can’t be friends with you, Sutton. I’m not trying to be bitter or dramatic, I swear. I just…it hurts too much. I’m not that much of a masochist.”
“You’re giving me an ultimatum.”
“I guess so.”
I look away for the first time, glancing at the whiteboard and zeroing in on the streaks that weren’t fully erased on Friday. “I’m sorry.”
