Page 110 of Damaged Boys Don't Fall For Bubbly Girls

“What?” Gael asks.

“Nothing. Just my aunt being my aunt.”

He shrugs. “Okay. Are we done?”

“I think so. Unless you want to torture the characters some more.”

“I’m good.”

“Cool.”

He takes out a comic and I take out my paperback and we spend the rest of the period reading. I can’t help noticing the way Lexi and Finn laugh and talk and everything, but I’m trying to ignore it. I have to or I’ll never move on.

Class ends and Aunt Ally collects the assignments. As she reaches for ours, I lift a brow at her. “Sneaky, Aunt Ally.”

“What?”

I give her a cheeky smile. “How was your book?”

Laughing, she ruffles my hair. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She moves on to the next group.

Classes pass like they normally do and it’s time for lunch. We all wait in line, except for Lexi and Finn. Hmm. I wonder where they are. Did they go somewhere alone and…?

No. I’mnotgoing to think about it.

“Dude, where are Lexi and Finn?” Nate asks as he scans the cafeteria.

The others say they haven’t seen them.

“That’s weird. I hope nothing’s wrong,” Dean says.

We get our food and settle down at our table. Lexi and Finn still haven’t shown up. Cooper tells us he texted them, but hasn’t gotten a response.

“Maybe they left school?” Theo suggests. “But why would they do that?”

They’d need permission to leave school. Did Finn organize for them to go on a romantic date or something?

“Weird,” Gael says.

We eat our food, talking about new movies that are coming out. A short while later, Nate points. “There they are.”

All our heads turn to the entrance of the cafeteria, where Finn and Lexi walk in together. They’re not holding hands, buttheir fingers are only inches from each other. They get in line behind the other kids.

“Have you guys noticed they seem a little…snuggly lately?” Theo asks.

“So it’s not just me?” Cooper says. “Thought I was losing my mind.”

“Wait,” Gael says. “You think they’re, like, dating?”

Nate holds up his hands. “Looks like it.” He turns to me. “What do you think, man?”

I poke at my potatoes. “I think it’s not our business and they’ll tell us if they want to.”

I can feel Dean watching me. If anyone would notice how much this bothers me, it’s him.

“I guess,” Theo says. “But Lexi and Finn? They have no chemistry.”

Cooper scoffs. “So Finn managed to get himself a girl. Nice.”