Page 106 of I Don't Need Your Protection

Chapter Thirty-Two

Addie

“I mean, it could be worse,” Carly says to Raven during lunch a few days later. “She could have paired you up with Witch Clarissa.”

“Jemma might as well be a mini-Clarissa,” Raven grumbles, then shoves some food into her mouth. “She and Luna follow what their master says like freakin’ sheep.”

“Calling them sheep is an insult to the sheep,” Sophie says as she turns another page of her book.

“Agreed,” Carly says with a giggle.

Raven glances at me. “You okay, Addie? You’re so quiet today.”

“She’s been quiet the last few days,” Sophie observes. “What’s wrong?”

I sigh as I bang my head on the table. “I have a broken heart.”

“What?” Carly gasps. “You’re in love with someone?”

I turn my head to the side so I can face them. “Okay, I was just exaggerating. But it kind of feels like a broken heart.”

“Caleb?” Raven asks.

I groan and nod.

“Wait, are you saying…?” Sophie gapes at me. “You and Caleb have had a thing all this time?”

“I don’t know if you can call it athing…”

“I knew I sensed a vibe between you two!” Carly says. “I mean, it was kind of a weird situation because you were sick, but the way he looked at you…”

I raise my head. “He looked at me how?”

“Like he would die if something happened to you.”

I groan again and bury my face in the table.

“What’s wrong?” Raven asks. “You know you can talk to us. We’ll never judge you.”

“I know,” I assure her. “I’m not embarrassed. I just don’t want to say it out loud because I don’t want it to be true.”

“What don’t you want to be true?” Sophie asks.

“That no matter what he feels, he won’t act on it. Because he cares more about my safety than his own heart. Which makes me want to both strangle him and kiss him senseless.”

“Kisshim?’ Sophie asks.

“Yeah, um…” I lift my head again, my cheeks warming up. “We kind of kissed a few days ago.”

“Hold on, hold on, hold on!” Carly cries. “Back up and tell us everything,right now. You’re the first one of us to have a kiss and you didn’ttellus?”

“I’ve been dealing with a broken heart,” I whine.

Sophie lays her hand over mine. “Sorry. We don’t mean to make light of your pain. We’re just shocked.”

“It’s okay. I can’t have a broken heart if I was never really in love. I’m just being dramatic. It still hurts, though. Like heck.”

I turn to look at Caleb. He’s sitting a few tables away with his gaze fastened on me. Every time I look at him, I feel a small stab in my heart. Maybe that’s me being overdramatic again, but it sucks so much. He’s right there, but he also isn’t. He might as well be behind a locked door.