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Emma looks like she’s about to cry, but still, I’m met with silence. I sigh, heading toward first period when a sight worse than the most painful nightmares appears in front of me. Grayson and Kinsley.
They walk toward us, and no matter how much of me screams to look away, I can’t. As he stands there, with her pressed firmly against his side, gone is the hatred that burned in his eyes. There’s no trace of the angry glares that have sent chills down my spine, or the stares of pure want and need that awakened my soul. All that’s left is pure indifference, and somehow, that’s worse.
“Let’s go, Sav.” Delaney whispers, pulling me away, but I can’t. I won’t. Our love story doesn’t end like this.
I turn around and head back down the hallway, ignoring the calls of my name. When I reach Grayson, I go to grab his arm.
“Grayson, I need to talk to—”
“Ew!” Kinsley shrieks as she turns around. “Keep your dirty hands off my boyfriend, you lying bitch.”
I recoil, narrowing in on the one word that makes it hard to breath. “B-boyfriend?”
Grayson won’t look at me, while Kinsley smirks. She turns to him, taking his face in her hands, and pulling him down for a kiss. It’s forced, not at all the way he’s kissed me, but hurts all the same. Just like that, the last part of me, something I didn’t even know was still whole, shatters into a million tiny pieces.
“Run along now. No one wants you here,” she sneers, wrapping an arm around Grayson’s waist.
I can’t get my feet to move until Delaney pulls me away.
Boyfriend. He’s her boyfriend. I told him I’m in love with him, and his response was to become Kinsley’s boyfriend.
Did I imagine the last six weeks, when we spent the days laughing about the stupidest things, and the nights lost in each other under the sheets? Was I crazy to think we stood a fighting chance? All I know for sure is that I can’t stay here.
Delaney follows me as I push through the front door. “Where are you going?”
“Don’t know, don’t care.”
She grabs my wrist and gives me a concerned look. “Do you want me to come with you?”
I shake my head. “You’re in the running for valedictorian. Don’t let me ruin that. I’ll be okay. You go.”
Sighing, she wraps her arms around me and gives me a tight hug. “Text me if you need me.”
“I will.”
SITTING IN THE COLD in only my school uniform, I should be uncomfortable, but I can’t feel anything besides the pain of my heart breaking. I swing back and forth as I ignore the world around me. How could I have been so stupid? From the second he came back here, he made it clear that he wanted to hurt me. The anger that radiated from him was paralyzing, but his smile was infectious.
Maybe this was his plan all along. To get me to fall for him then rip it away. Perhaps ruining my social status wasn’t enough for him, so he left it to someone else while he focused on what would hurt more. He took everything—my virginity, my heart, my hope. Claiming it all for himself, he took from me until the only thing I had left was the blood in my veins. If he could, I’m sure he’d take that too.
“There you are.” Brady says, coming up and wrapping his coat around me. “I’ve been looking for you for hours. You must be freezing.”
“I’m fine.” My voice is like stone, completely void of any emotion.
He sighs. “Well, you can’t get sick. We need you this weekend.” Gently prying my hand from the swing, he takes it in his. “Come on.”
“It hurts, Brady. It hurts so bad.”
“I know. We’re going to go make it better.”
I GIGGLE, APPLAUDING AS he throws a cheeseball up in the air and catches it in his mouth. The thirty-six that he missed lie scattered across the studio floor. After finding me at the park, Brady brought me back here and called for reinforcements. Twenty minutes later, we had all the junk food Jacob could grab in a quick trip to the grocery store, and the most comfortable sweats I’ve ever worn in my life.
“All right, turn the music up,” I tell him, watching as he grabs the remote and raises the volume.
The sounds of “Haunted” by Taylor Swift fill the room, the perfect melody for what I’m feeling right now. It’s loud and irate, exactly the feelings I need. I start a pirouette and spin until I’m dizzy. The moves are messy but firm as I take out my anger, and by the time I’m done, my labored breathing feels like healing.
Brady switches the song to Shake It Off, and the two of us dance around the room like idiots, laughing hysterically and not giving a shit if people are watching through the window. Sometimes, what you need is just to let go for a bit, and a friend to let go with.
WE’RE JUST FINISHING OUR duet to Señorita when Brady shuts off the music and turns to me. The look in his eyes shows he’s in “big brother knows best” mode instead of the supportive friend mode he just spent half the day in.
