AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Shoulders slack and head hung low, I explain, “The night Neo’s mom was hit, Neo found me and Jagger in my treehouse. We used to meet up there occasionally to…talk.” I don’t tell him it was to make out because I’m almost certain Crew knows Jagger was my first kiss and many more after that. “Well, Neo claims his mom ran some errands to kill time while Neo searched for Jagger. Had Neo not had to search for him, his mom wouldn’t have run those errands.” Saying it out loud makes me understand Neo’s feelings so much better. I honestly don’t blame him for thinking that way. I’d probably feel the same. I’m actually really surprised he hasn’t beat the shit out of Jagger over it yet—or worse.
Crew rakes his fingers through his hair. “Damn. Why didn’t I know this sooner?”
“Would it have mattered?”
His eyes lift to mine, wide and sad. “Yeah. For sure. Neo’s kept this shit inside all these years.”
“Please don’t say anything to him. I don’t want him to think I’m butting into his personal life.”
“But he told you.”
“Yeah. I mean, it wasn’t a pleasant conversation. It’s not like we were having a friendly chitchat or anything.”
“Doesn’t matter. Neo doesn’t open up to anyone, Scar.Anyone.” He emphasizes that last word. “But he did to you. Even if it was out of anger. He shared something really fucking big with you that he never even shared with us.”
I shuffle past him with my leggings in hand. “Overthinking again.”
“I don’t think so. And I’m gonna prove it. You make Neo feel shit, babe, and I don’t think it’s just hate that he feels.”
“You’re being ridiculous. What other feeling could possibly go alongside hate?”
“Love. After all, that line is thin.”
And now I laugh out loud because Crew has lost his damn mind. “Okay. Enough of this. We need to go to school.”
I head into my bathroom and get ready, glad that this conversation has ended.
* * *
Regardless of mydisdain for Neo, I’m still forced to sit beside him in American lit. I find it odd that being so superior, he doesn’t request a different seat, considering he hates me so much.
He does hate me, right?
Crew’s words have been playing on repeat in my mind, and I could slap him for putting these thoughts in my head.
Love.
It literally makes me laugh out loud, drawing attention to myself from all three guys in my row—Neo, who’s to my left, Crew, to my right, and Jagger, who’s beside Crew.
“What’s so funny?” Crew asks in a whisper.
“Nothing. Just thinking.” And while I’m thinking so hard, another thought pops in my head. “Hey. Tell Jagger to switch seats with Neo.”
I look over at Neo, who’s looking at his phone that he’s holding under the table. His brows dip low, but he doesn’t lift his eyes.
“Hey.” Crew says, nudging Jagger, “Switch seats with Neo.”
Jagger looks at Crew, then me, and finally Neo. “He won’t. I’ve tried.”
Crew relays the message to me, even though I already heard. “He’s tried.”
“Why won’t you switch seats with Jagger?” I ask Neo, who’s definitely not amused with this conversation.
He twists his head a tad, glowering. “Keep your enemies close. Right?”
“Seems a little backward given our situation. You have nothing to gain from being near me. So why not just switch?”
I’m not sure why I’m pressing the issue so much. As ridiculous as it is, I can’t help but consider what Crew said, along with what Neo said in the tunnels before the party a couple days ago. He said he hates me because he has to. Among many other vile words about how toxic I am. But his only reasoning was,because he has to.
