I’m starting to get sick of pep rallies.
“I take it you and Aiden didn’t make up,” Riley says.
“No. We’re done.”
“You look like shit.”
“I feel like shit.”
“He looks like shit too. I feel bad.”
“What promise did he break, Riley?”
Riley shakes his head. “It doesn’t really matter now.”
“It does matter. Please tell me.”
“He promised me that he’d never hurt you.”
My hand goes to my stomach, like Riley just punched me. Because that’s sort of what it felt like. A punch to the gut.
I stare at him for a minute before I cover my face with my hands and cry silently.
Riley drops me off outside my English class.
I’m never early for class, but today I’m the first one in my seat.
The teacher walks in, looks at me funny, and then says, “We’re going to do something fun today. Would you mind putting one of these handouts on each desk?”
“Sure,” I reply, glad for something to keep me busy.
I’m just finishing when Dallas and Katie walk in and sit down. Katie’s face looks flushed and happy.
“Bryce walk you to class?” I ask her.
She smiles a huge grin as Dallas says, “They were making out in the hallway.”
“I heard you were making out—well, more than that—with someone yesterday,” she teases him back.
“Revenge sex is sweet, especially when it’s with her best friend,” Dallas says, sitting up straighter. But then he looks at me. “Um, except you shouldn’t do that, Kiki. I mean, you know. I just . . .”
“I’m not having revenge sex, Dallas. I’m not having any sex. I may move to France to join a nunnery.”
He hits my shoulder. “I don’t think they’ll let girls with stripper names into the nunnery.”
His comment makes me smile and even laugh a little.
I love Dallas.
“Do you remember that first day?” I ask him. “When you were trying to think up a nickname for me? It was right before . . .”
The smile fades from my face and I drop my chin to my chest.
“It’ll be okay,” Dallas says. “Are you really going on break by yourself? You can come home with me.”
“You could come home with me too,” Katie says. “You’re more than welcome.”
“I appreciate that, guys. But the house that I’m staying at has really good memories for me. It’s a place that I hope will help . . .”
“Help what?”
“Heal me, maybe. I’m not sure. And it’s not like I’ll be completely alone. There’s a full staff. I’ll be waited on hand and foot. Mabel will make me her famous pecan pie. We’ll cook a turkey.”
“And you’ll eat it alone?”
“Probably, yes.”
They both look at me with pity.
“Don’t worry about me. My mom goes to the spa by herself all the time. That’s what it’s going to be like for me. A spa retreat. And I’m looking forward to getting my tan back.”
“You don’t have to be alone, Keatyn,” Dallas says. “What if I came with you? Maybe Riley could come too. We’d have fun.”
“I appreciate the offers more than you know, but I really need to go alone.”
Can’t deal.
Math
In math class, Logan tries to reason with me.
“Will you just talk to him?”
“We already talked.”
“He’s miserable. You’re miserable.”
“He’ll get over it.”
“I’m not sure that he will.”
“I’m not sure that I will either.”
“See, that makes no sense. He’s the good prince, Keatyn.”
“I know he is.”
I close my eyes and shake my head, just as I get called to the office over the loud speaker.
I grab my bag and head to the office.
But the closer I get, the weirder I feel.
The hairs on the back of my neck are standing on end. My stomach feels tied up in knots.
No, I don’t feel weird. I feel worried.
Make that scared.
Is Vincent here? Did Annie not listen?
I don’t go to the office. Instead, I text Cooper.
Me: Are you in class?
Cooper: Yes.
Me: I just got called to the office. I’m afraid to go. What if someone contacted him?
Cooper: Go somewhere (not your dorm) and hide. I’ll go find out.
I immediately turn around and run as fast as I can to the chapel.
When I get there, I find Aiden sitting in a pew. Our pew.
The door slams behind me, causing him to turn around.
“What are you doing here?” I ask him.
“Just thinking.”
“You looked like you were praying. Is your mom okay?”
“She’s fine. Thanks for asking.”
I sit down next to him. I know the place is full of empty pews. I could choose any one of them, but I don’t. I’ll always be drawn to his side.
“You haven’t answered any of my phone calls or texts. Have you read them?”
“No. Net yet.”
“So you might?”
“Maybe.”
“When?”
“On break. I just can’t deal with them right now.”
“I’m sorry you got hurt.”
I reach up and gently touch the bruise under his eye. “I’m sorry you got hurt too.”
He takes my hand in his and kisses it.
But I can’t let it affect me.
I swallow and tell myself to move.
Because I know that I can’t stay here.
Because I don’t trust myself to do what’s best for me.
If I stay, I’ll beg him to come with me.
I’ll tell him I need him.
But I can’t.
I can’t.
Because what I need is to get over him.
My phone buzzes.
Cooper: Where are you?
Me: Chapel.
Cooper: Come to my office.
“I have to go,” I say, trying to keep the regret out of my voice.
He doesn’t say anything. Just nods.
I go the back way to the field house. Running through the tree line instead of down the sidewalk. I forgot to ask Cooper what he found out. Although I’m sure if Vincent were here, he would have told me.
I’m being ridiculous.
But just in case, I walk behind the buildings.
When I get to his office, he says, “Sit down.”
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s not Vincent. Peyton had some lame excuse for why she had you called to the office. Something about French weekend. When I pressed her about it, she said that she needed to talk to you about Thanksgiving break and you keep ignoring her. I thought she was going with you?”
“Aiden and I are over. There was some drama this weekend.”
“Is that the real reason Riley punched him?”
“Yeah. A girl told me that she and Aiden hooked up. I was upset. Went to Riley and bawled. He got pissed and punched Aiden.”
“And almost got suspended.”
“Yeah. Needless to say, they aren’t going with me anymore.”
“You’re going by yourself?”
“Why is that such a big deal? I want to go by myself. I’m glad I’m going by myself! I can’t freaking wait!”
“I’ll go with you. I like the beach.”
“You’re going home to be with your family.”
“I don’t like it.”
“Nothing has changed, Cooper. Same mode of transportation. Same destination. Same people going to be on staff. Everything that you already got approved by Garrett. The only thing that’s changed is the guest list.”
“That’s true. Maybe it’s just because you seem like a bit of a wreck. I’m worried about you. Worried you’ll do something rash. Maybe I could arrange for you to see your . . .”
“Cooper, I haven’t had a second by myself since all this happened. I need to go by myself. Now, more than ever.”
“Alright. We still on for tonight?”
“Definitely. And I’d like to spar,” I say as I open his door. “Do you think I’m ready?”
Cooper grins at me. “I’ll bring the protection.”
“See you tonight.”
As I round the corner, I see Whitney, scurrying—almost running—around the next corner. Which is kinda odd because I don’t think I’ve ever seen her run.
I skip lunch, opting to go to the library.