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Her gaze slowly moved back to meet mine. “I already told you, I’m just not interested. I thought we could hook up and have a little fun, but I changed my mind.”

“You’re lying.”

“Am I?”

“Yes, that’s bullshit, and you know it.”

She looked away from me, struggling to meet my eyes as she replied. “I don’t feel anything for you, Chase.”

Her words were like daggers cutting into me, reopening the wounds she’d inflicted on me yesterday. I didn’t believe her, but they hurt all the same. “You don’t mean that.”

“Yeah, I do.”

I shook my head, my chest rumbling with pain and anger. I knew she felt the same strong connection between us. I’d seen it in her eyes. Things had changed between us, and there was no way she was as indifferent as she pretended. I just couldn’t understand why she was denying it, why she was acting like we were right back where we started when I’d first came to live with her.

“You’re so damn stubborn,” I growled at her.

She gave a defeated shrug, not even bothering to deny it. There was no reasoning with her when she was like this, so I threw my hands up in the air and went to leave the room. I powered toward the door but paused as I reached it and turned to her.

“I’m not giving up on us,” I said. “You can’t just erase the last few weeks because it suits you. I’m going to get to the bottom of this, and when I do, you better believe I’ll be knocking on your door again.”

Ally sucked her lower lip between her teeth and wrapped her arms across her body as she stared at me. For the first time since I entered her room, her eyes hinted at the sadness I knew she felt inside. She was definitely hiding something from me, and I was going to find out what it was.

26

Chase

I corneredTessa as soon as I got to school the next morning. She was standing by her locker with Miles and talking at a million miles an hour. Her speech came to a shuddering stop the moment she spotted me coming toward her though. There was resignation in her eyes, like she already knew what I wanted.

“Tessa,” I said in greeting.

“Chase,” she replied with a nervous glance in Miles’ direction.

“I need to speak with you.”

“Really?” Her voice was filled with innocent surprise, like she had no idea what had prompted my request.

Tessa and Ally were as thick as thieves, and she knew damn well why I needed to talk to her. I didn’t have time for games, not when Ally could show up at school at any moment.

“It’s about Ally,” I explained.

Her eyes flickered uneasily down the corridor. “I have to get to class, but maybe we can talk later.”

I got the feeling later would never come if I let Tessa have her way. It was clear she wanted to avoid talking to me, but this was too important to wait. I needed her help, so I stood in her way as she tried to get past. “I won’t be long. I promise.”

Tessa hesitated. She looked ready to cast me off again, but then Miles interrupted. “Let him talk.”

Her gaze darted toward him. They seemed to share an unspoken conversation before she finally sighed and turned back to me. “Fine, fine. But you better make it fast.”

I gave Miles a grateful smile, but from the look on his face, it seemed like he too wanted me to say my piece as quickly as possible so I’d leave them alone.

“You’re Ally’s best friend, which means you must know about what’s been happening between the two of us…” I started.

“Yes, I’m aware.”

“So, you know she decided to break things off on Saturday.”

“I heard.”