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“And you’re hot, so that helps,” Jace quips as I lean against him.
Using my sleeve, I wipe away the few tears that have managed to escape. “I really do love you guys.”
“We love you, too,” Carter responds. “Now if only we could figure out what the hell is going through Grayson’s mind. Kinsley? Seriously?”
I shake my head. “I don’t want to talk about him.”
He frowns. “Not yet?”
“Not ever.”
I JOG DOWN THE street, running to escape from all my demons. My
father. Kinsley. Grayson. The faster my feet move, the further away they feel.
The music flows through the earbuds and into my ears. It’s therapeutic, really, how a song has the ability to make you feel that much better. The lyrics are like an outlet, not only for the songwriter, but for the listener—kind of like my dancing. It’s always been a way for me to tell a story—to deal with the pain and heartache, and just let it out.
I come to a halt as an idea clicks in my mind. Then I turn around and race back to the studio. I get there in record time and burst into the room. Brady eyes me carefully.
“I want to change our duet.”
He seems unsure. “Okay? What part?”
I shake my head. “All of it. I want to change the dance, the song, everything.”
“Have you gone completely insane? The recital is in four days!”
Standing my ground, I can already picture the dance in my head. “I don’t care. I need to do this.”
23
Grayson
Kinsley sits across from me, ranting about everything under the sun. Can’t she see that I don’t care what color nail polish Becca had on today? She’s making it hard to enjoy my milkshake—which is really something, because this diner has unbeatable shakes. Still, I pretend to listen and nod my head at all the parts I think are important.
Dating her isn’t something I want, but I have to. It’s a necessary move, albeit one that creates more problems for me than it solves. She’s the kind of person I normally can’t stand to be around, but she’s the only one who can accomplish what I need. Making her my girlfriend isn’t to keep me away from Savannah, it’s to keep Savannah away from me.
I know that if she’s standing in front of me, begging for me to talk to her, I won’t stand a chance. I’ll cave in five seconds flat and hand her my heart on a silver fucking platter. No, I can’t let that happen. Keeping her at a distance is what’s best for both of us.
“You should have seen it,” Kinsley smirks. “She looked so stupid standing there all alone as we all walked away.” Giving her a confused look, she can tell I wasn’t paying attention. “Savannah. Focus, Grayson.”
I shake my head. “Don’t. Don’t talk to me about her.”
“Uh, okay,” she says hesitantly, taking a sip of her water. “You know, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you two had something going on.”
“What the fuck did I just say?” I snap. “Do you just not know how to listen? I said don’t talk to me about her.”
She scoffs and rolls her eyes, picking up her phone and scrolling through it. Suddenly, the door swings open, and a livid Delaney comes storming toward me, followed by Tessa, who gives me a warning look.
“Grayson Matthew.”
Wow, I’m in middle-name-level trouble. “Who told you that?”
“It doesn’t matter. I need to speak to you.” With a look at Kinsley, she clarifies. “Alone.”
“Uh, excuse me,” Kinsley sasses. “Rude, much? Can’t you see we’re busy here?”
Laney glares at her. “Do I look like fucking care?”
