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I let out a humorless laugh. “What are you talking about? I was just giving you what you wanted.”

A growl seemed to rumble from somewhere deep in his chest. “You think I wanted you to give our entire school a performance like that?”

“Didn’t you?” I asked. “You put up posters all over school calling me a stripper, then had your girlfriend put on all the right music. Isn’t this what you wanted?”

He didn’t reply, and his silence made me uneasy in a way his words never could. His eyes had turned a shade of blue so dark they looked like the sea in the midst of a wild and tempestuous storm. He was brimming with irritation, and I wanted to push him over the edge. I was so angry with him that I thirsted for the friction that always burned between us in a way I’d never experienced before. My anger needed an outlet, and I wanted him to fight back.

“Or are you just upset that I managed to turn your prank around?” I continued. “That instead of jeering at me, the whole school was cheering for me.”

“You think you impressed them?” he scoffed. “You only embarrassed yourself further.”

My stomach tightened as his words delivered another blow against me, but they also made me confused. He sounded annoyed that I’d embarrassed myself, but I thought that was what he wanted. “If I was so busy embarrassing myself, why did you stop me?”

Chase swallowed and refused to meet my gaze. His eyes darted away so quickly that I knew my question had caught him off guard. It only made me want hear his answer even more though.

“Well?” I prompted.

He opened his mouth to reply, but the words were barely out of his mouth when he was interrupted.

“Ally Lockwood?”

I slowly tore my gaze away from Chase and found Miss Wilkes marching toward us. Her eyes were stern, and her lips formed a thin line of disapproval. Given that she was walking from the cafeteria, it was probably too much to hope she’d missed my performance. I swallowed down a thick lump of apprehension that had lodged in my throat.

“Yes?” I replied, a sense of dread swirling in my gut.

“That was very inappropriate behavior, Ally. You need to report to the principal’s office.”

My heart plummeted, and I struggled to keep my concern from showing on my face. “Like, right now?”

“Yes, right now.”

I nodded. “Okay, I’ll go straight there.”

“Make sure that you do.” She turned and headed back toward the cafeteria, her heels tapping loudly against the hardwood floors.

I waited until she was gone before I let out the breath I’d been holding. I couldn’t believe I had to go see the principal. I’d never been called to his office before, and the thought of getting in trouble with him terrified me.

I couldn’t let Chase witness that fear though, so I squared my shoulders and shot him one last scowl.

“Ally…” He actually had the gall to look sorry for me, but he was the last person I wanted pity from. “Do you want me to come see the principal with you? That wasn’t your fault in there.”

I scoffed and shook my head. “I don’t need your help, Chase. And next time, don’t get your little girlfriend to do your dirty work for you.”

“She’s not my girlfriend,” he grunted back, but I had already turned to walk away. I refused to give him the satisfaction of having the last word.

12

Chase

I staredafter Ally’s retreating figure, barely keeping myself together. My body was vibrating with pent-up energy, and I felt the intense and desperate need to punch something. I couldn’t believe she actually thought I’d taken that picture, let alone put those posters up. It shouldn’t have surprised me though. Ally always leaped to the wrong conclusion, and she couldn’t help but believe the worst in me.

It was like she wanted to drive me crazy, and her performance in the cafeteria hadn’t helped either. I probably shouldn’t have cared, but seeing her dance up there had made my chest grow tight with concern. I didn’t like the way guys were staring at her as she danced, and since Shane wasn’t around, I was the only one who could put a stop to it.

I was still staring after Ally as Jenna walked out of the cafeteria. Her lips curved up in a grin, and she was practically floating as she walked over to me.

“What was that in there?” I barked at her.

The sly smile quickly dropped from her lips, and she wrapped her arms across her chest as her eyes darted back toward the safety of the cafeteria. She seemed surprised by my reaction, and the smug look on her face had mostly disappeared.