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There’s a long bout of silence that has me grasping for any chance they’ll give me. Begging, rather. “Please.” I drop to my knees in the snow, face in my hands. “I’m so sorry.”
The weight of someone’s arm wrapping around me has me looking to my left. When I see that it’s Jagger, I throw myself at him and turn into a blubbering mess. “Don’t let me lose you,” I whisper in his ear.
He cranes his neck, looking at me, and tucks my hair behind my ear. “You won't lose me. But I don’t want you to see Neo again.”
“Come on, man,” Crew cuts in. “That’s not possible.”
Confident with his decision, Jagger’s brow arches. “It’s very possible. I want you to stay away from him, unless it’s absolutely necessary to be around him.”
My posture slumps, right along with my heart that’s settling in my stomach. “For how long?”
Jagger licks his lips, an expression of surety on his face. “Forever.”
That’s impossible. It’s Neo. Maddie’s brother. Their best friend. My…Neo.
“Fucking Melody and Hannah are going at it in the cafeteria,” Neo says, appearing out of nowhere. “I was gonna break it up then I figured, what the hell, let’s give the students a show. With any luck, they’ll kill…” His words trail off when he looks down at me and the guys. Crew has since joined my other side, and we’re all slouched on the ground. “Who fell?”
“No one,” Jagger says as he gets up. “Scar was just filling us in on what happened with you two.”
“About that,” Neo starts, but he’s cut off when Jagger holds up his hand, stopping him.
“We don’t need another replay. We need you to stay away from our girl, got it?”
Neo looks at me and his expression slices through my chest, parting it in two. “Is that what you want, Scar?”
My head drops and I pinch my eyes closed.Please don’t make me answer. Please don’t make me choose.
Neo presses for a response. “Well, is it?”
Jagger reaches for my hand and I accept his offer. He pulls me up and drapes an arm around my shoulder. “Tell him, baby. Tell him you never wanna see him again.”
“I…” I go to speak, but the words get lodged in my throat. “I’m sorry, Neo.”
I’ve seen many different shades of Neo. Mostly black, maybe a little gray, but blue is a new one and it’s my least favorite color on him.
Jagger smirks at Neo before walking me around him, Crew following.
“Hey,” Crew says, “I’ll catch up with you guys in a minute.” He kisses my cheek, then pats Jagger on the back before jogging back over to Neo.
One glance over my shoulder is all it takes for my heart to break in three different pieces. One for Crew. One for Jagger. And one for Neo.
* * *
“Head up, girl,”Riley says. “You got your boys back.”
Forcing a smile on my face, I lift my chin. “I know. And I’m happy. I just don’t know why I feel so much dread inside me.”
She looks at me, while pushing a branch out of our way. “Neo?”
“Why do I even care? I mean. Look at all the nasty shit that guy has done to me. I shouldn't care, right?”
“No one can tell your heart how to feel. Not even you. Neo’s the worst, but the worst are usually the most broken.”
I nod in agreement. “He is broken and it’s his stupid dad’s fault. I hate that son of a bitch for turning his son into a robot.”
We make it to The Ruins, in what feels like no time. There’s a pretty thick layer of snow on the ground, so we trek our way through it in our knee-high Muck boots.
“So, what are you gonna do?” Riley asks.
