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“Me, too. You’d be an easy man to fall in love with, Justin. I’m just sorry you might not be theonlyone I fall in love with.”
My gaze drifted to the floor as my self-deprecating thoughts took over.
Justin stood and moved behind me as people entered the gym. He lowered enough to speak in my ear. “Don’t do that, Temperance. Don’t hate yourself for something that’s out of your control. You are perfect just how you are. We’ll figure all this out. Try to let it go for now and have fun. Look who just walked in.”
I looked over to find Damian and Asher glaring daggers at Justin. I tried to say something back to him, but when I turned, he was already turning the corner out of the gym.
I stood and made my way over to the girls sitting in alphabetical order on the bleachers. The boys did the same in the row behind us. Lucky me, Damian and I were on the end.
“What was that all about?” he asked behind me. “Looked tense.”
“Nothing.”
“It wasn’t nothing. What? Planning your next excursion out to the parking lot to do more damage to his car?”
I turned, scowling. “That is none of your fucking business.”
“Youmade itmy business when you did it right in front of my face. Tell me you didn’t know we were right there.”
I groaned. “So what if I did? It isn’t like you didn’t return the favor. Kira ring a bell? I don’t for an instant believe you two justhappenedto wander over to the opposite side of the school from where you were supposed to be and justaccidentallyended up in the one bathroom I use every day between classes.”
“Maybe. So what were the two of you talking about? Did you tell him about spending the weekend with Asher and me getting your insides bruised?”
An exasperated sigh escaped me as my eyes closed. I pinched the bridge of my nose before turning to face him as best as I could on the bleachers.
“I told him at lunch. Yes. Not that it’s any of your business what I say to my friend.”
A knowing grin split his face. “Oooh, sothat’swhat that little spat was about! You fought over me? How cute.”
I rolled my eyes. “We did not fightover you. We argued because he said something he shouldn’t have, and he apologized in here. That’s what we were talking about. Now shut the hell up. I don’t want to deal with your crap today.” I faced forward and waited for Alice to come in.
He leaned forward. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did you not get the memo?”
It was impossible not to sigh, groan, or just flat out want to scream around him. “What, Damian?”
“Well, the ceasefire is over.”
“Yes. I’m aware.”
“You had a nice little break, but I decided I haven’t been hard enough on you. Last chance to leave willingly.”
The tone of his voice was enough to make my heart ache, but his words stabbed into it while twisting the ever-present anxiety in my belly.
“I’m not leaving. Not yet. I can’t.” What I wouldn’t give to go back to Indiana. I’d miss the hell out of Luna and Justin, but I had enough money now to fly back and forth whenever I wanted.
“Well, just remember, I gave you the option. From what I’ve been told, you’rereallygoing to wish you had.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I asked, turning to face him again.
He shrugged. “I can’t tell. It’s a secret. I’m working on somethingsuperfun. You’re going to love it. I don’t have it all together yet, but I will soon enough. Then I just need to figure outwhento pull it off. Asher said you had anxiety relating back to the accident, right? Worrying about that should be fun, then.”
He winked at me as a wicked smile split his face.
“Fuck you, Damian. You know, for someone who hates his father so fucking much, you actexactlylike how you describe him.”
“Didn’t seem to bother you this weekend when my face was buried between your legs and you were splitting yourself in two on my dick.”
My eyes widened as he all but shouted that. Everyone around us immediately turned to look at us, laughing, snickering, and whispering amongst each other.