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“No,” Ace says. “Come on, let’s go.” He slides his hand into mine and starts moving.
“You know, Remi, I thought you were better than this. I thought you were better than him. But I guess, if you hang around with trash long enough, eventually you start to stink too.”
I turn slowly as the entire cafeteria takes a collective breath. “What did you just say to me?” I’m shaking at his words, anger licking my insides.
“You heard me.” His lip curls in disgust.
“Hey, Bexley?”
“Yeah?” He glances at his friends with a smug expression.
“Go fuck yourself.” I storm out of there and don’t look back.
“Whoa.” Ace catches my wrist and pulls me into him. “Where you going, Princess?”
“I hate him. I hate him so much.”
Ace pulls me down the hall and into an empty classroom. Tears burn the backs of my eyes, but it only frustrates me all the more.
“He did that on purpose,” I cry. “He tried to use me to get to you.“
“Let him try.” Ace leans back on the edge of a desk, fitting me between his legs.
“Why are you so calm about this?”
“Because I already won. I have the one thing he wants and can never have. You.”
“I stupidly let myself believe that maybe things would be easier now. But Bexley... Michaela... they’ll never stop, will they? No matter what we do, what we say, they’ll never stop.” My eyes drop to the floor. I’m so fucking tired of being held to these unattainable standards.
“Look at me, Remi.” Ace curves his hand around the back of my neck and guides my face to his. “Fuck. Them. You think I don’t want to go out there and make him bleed? You think I don’t want to ruin Michaela for what she did? I do. I want it so fucking badly. But we have to be smart, baby. We have to play this a little differently. I have too much to lose now.”
“Ace...” I lean in, touching my head to his. “I wish I didn’t care...”
“Caring makes you human. It makes you who you are. And I’m so fucking gone for you, Remi, I can’t see straight.”
“Yeah?” A smile tugs at my lips. When he says things like this, it’s as if everything else—Bexley, Michaela, and my dad—it all just melts away.
“Michaela and Bexley will get what’s coming to them, I promise.” He kisses my forehead. “Now, are we going to fool around in here, or are we going to go out there and show everyone that no one messes with Remi Tanner and her very sexy, very whipped boyfriend.”
“Whipped, huh?”
“I’m pretty sure if you asked me to burn down this school, I’d do it.”
My eyes flare. “Is that a promise?”
He chuckles, pulling me closer. “My little monster. Oh, how I can’t wait to be inside you again.”
“Hurry up and get over yourself then, because I need you, Ace, and I’m not sure I can wait much longer.”
“Patience, Princess.” He stands, taking my hand and tugging me toward the door. “But I promise, it’ll be worth the wait.”
When I finally leave school, I’m expecting to ride with Conner, but there’s no sign of his car. Ace, however, is there, leaning against his bike, my helmet in his hand.
“I thought you had to work?” I ask.
“I do, but I wanted to give you a ride home.”
“You mean, you wanted to check up on me.” Warmth spreads through me. Ace is so different lately. He’s still the same tough guy from the Heights on the outside, but his walls are slowly coming down and he’s finally letting me in.
