Page 127 of The Deception You Weave

"What happened to you two this morning?" I say, swerving his overexcitement.

"Ugh, Coach would not stop talking about Saturday's game. Literally think my ears are still bleeding."

So Ella was right then.

"Come on, you've still got a day of lectures to listen to," I joke, threading my arms through theirs and dragging them into the room.

"What about your boy?" West asks.

"What about him? I'm sure he's big enough to get himself to class," I say with a smile as if the words don't make my chest ache.

The three of us find a seat together and as much as I fight it, I can't help but look to the back of the room where Kane and I sat the last time.

The other students file in behind us, quickly filling up the seats before Professor Richman appears and kicks off the lecture.

"Kane was at practice?" I ask West.

"Yeah, looked like fucking shit though. Maybe he's sick and went back to bed."

I discreetly pull my cell from my purse to see if he's replied yet. Still nothing.

Dread sits heavy in my stomach and it only gets worse with each passing minute. I'm desperate to get out of class and call him, to find out what's going on.

But the second I do, the call once again goes to voicemail.

Motherfucker.

The day drags, and it only gets worse when I run into Devin on my way out of the library where I was hiding from the world.

"Shit, I'm so sorry," I say as he all but tips coffee over himself.

A surefire way to get him to like me, well done, Scarlett.

"No problem," he mutters, clearly pissed with me.

"Um… Dev?" I ask when he takes a step around me, obviously not wanting to stand and have a chat.

"Yeah?"

"W-where's Kane? He missed class and—"

"He's with Reid."

Well, I can only assume that he's alive.

"Why?"

"Fuck knows." He shrugs. "Trying to sort his shitshow of a life out, I think." His tone as he says this makes it very obvious that all of this is my fault.

"I never asked him to change, Devin."No, you just told him to choose a side, is that any better?"Trust me when I tell you that I'm as shocked by all of this as you."

"I'm not shocked, Letty. Kane has wanted you for a long time. I was on your side, told him to stay away from you and let you lead your own life, but then you went behind our backs."

"Not out of choice. Victor threatened my family."

"It's fine, I get it. Just watch your back because you've made it more than clear that we need to watch ours."

I blow out a frustrated breath and he uses the opportunity to turn away from me and disappear inside the library.