I push him away, immediately slapping him across the face so hard that the sound echoes throughout the hallway. He stretches out his jaw, but before he has a chance to say anything, I slip by and leave him standing there—hurt and rejected, just like I was. Welcome to the club, motherfucker.
DELANEY CHUCKLES AS SHE pops a piece of bagel into her mouth. We’re sitting in the library, skipping first period to have some much-needed girl time. One of the perks of her being the principal’s favorite is that she can get out of class for just about anything. As long as there’s record of her staying on school property, she’s set.
“I can’t believe you slapped him.”
I quirk a brow. “Are you saying he didn’t deserve it?”
Shaking her head, she takes a sip of her water. “No, he definitely did. I’m just surprised. I didn’t think you had it in you.”
“Laney, I told him I’m in love with him, and he proceeded to kick me out of his house and date my worst enemy. As far as I’m concerned, he’s lucky slapping him is all I did.”
“Okay, touché,” she concedes. “But is that it, though? You two are just done?”
It’s a loaded question, one with so many answers it makes my head spin. In theory, I want nothing to do with him. He tormented me for weeks before giving me false hope that there may be a happy ending for us after all. That small taste of what used to be—better than what used to be, even—felt like heaven. It gave me hope for the future and made all the shit I’ve dealt with worth it, only for him to rip it away again the same night I lost everything else. And then slapped me in the face when he showed up with Kinsley on his arm.
I should hate him for everything he’s done, but that’s where I hit a roadblock. Because he’s still Grayson. He still has the ability to make me come alive with something as simple as a look. The feeling of his lips on mine is still like finding water in the desert. And he’s still the only guy to ever own my heart—something I honestly believe may never change.
“I don’t know,” I tell her truthfully. “But, if wants any chance at winning me back, he’s going to have to grovel.”
She snickers. “I’d expect nothing less.” The mood in the room changes, and her expression becomes serious. “Now, because I wouldn’t be your best friend if I didn’t bring it up, are you okay?”
I’m about to ask her what she’s referring to, but the look in her eyes says everything. I throw my head back, groaning. “He told you.”
“The bigger question is why you didn’t.”
I take a deep breath and give her an apologetic smile. “I didn’t tell anyone. Not Grayson. Not you. Not even Brady,” I explain. “I thought it was something I could handle, and I didn’t want everyone worrying about me. It’s humiliating.”
She sighs, moving to wrap her arms around me. “We’re your friends, Sav. We’re supposed to worry.”
My head rests against hers, and for the first time in a while, I feel like things might turn out okay. There are no more secrets. My reality isn’t looming over my head, threatening to pop up at the most unexpected moments. And the best part? I’m not alone. Yeah, things definitely aren’t so bad right now.
I’M SITTING AT MY desk, waiting for second period to start, when Grayson walks through the door. His eyes search the classroom before they land on me. I prepare myself for his wrath as he makes his way over, but instead the anger I expected, he’s completely calm. He places his hands on my desk and leans in, dropping the level of his voice so only I can hear him.
“If you don’t want to forgive me yet, that’s fine, but one day you will. I won’t stop until you do.” He moves his lips to my ear and whispers, “We were always meant to be together. You may not believe that anymore, but that’s all right. I’ll believe in it enough for the both of us.”
With that, he backs away and goes to his seat—leaving me speechless.
THE NEXT DAY, I arrive at school to find flowers in my locker. Twelve long stemmed pink roses that, given any other situation, would take my breath away. Unfortunately, this isn’t one of those situations, and keeping the roses would send him the wrong message. So, I pass them out to girls who look like they might need just a little cheering up.
ON WEDNESDAY, HE LEAVES the necklace he took from me on my desk during second period. It’s in a black box, and I can see he got the chain fixed from when he broke it. I run my finger over the engraved plate before closing the box and putting it in my purse. Despite how badly I want to put it on, I won’t give him the satisfaction of seeing it hanging back around my neck.
THURSDAY BRINGS A DIFFERENT surprise. In the morning, I find a drawing taped to my locker. A picture of two little kids holding hands, with “Savi and Gray” written at the top, separated by a heart. I must have been in third grade when I drew this.
“He drew you a picture?” Delaney asks, confused.
I shake my head. “I drew it for him when we were like eight. I can’t believe he kept it.”
She watches me fold it up carefully and put it in my bag. “Think he’s done enough groveling yet?”
“Not quite.”
ONE OF THE BENEFITS to Grayson working tirelessly to win back my affection is that Kinsley has yet to say a word to me since Monday morning. I don’t know what he threatened her with, but having been on the wrong side of his madness before, I can only assume it scared her into silence.
I’m sitting at the lunch table, doing some homework I missed last week, when someone places a bottle in front of me. I put my pen down and take it in my hands. When I realize what it is, there isn’t anything I can do to hold in my laughter.
Blackberry Snapple.
“What’s that?” Jace questions. I slide the bottle toward him, and he grabs it to read the label. “Isn’t this the drink you sent Kinsley on that wild goose chase for?”
I nod, and out of the corner of my eye, I can see Grayson trying to conceal his smile. No, not happening. While the gesture is sweet, he doesn’t get to win me back with a drink. He’ll have to try harder than that.
Standing up, I keep my attention on Jace. “You can have it. I don’t even like the stuff.”
It takes everything in me to ignore the feeling of Grayson’s stare as I exit the cafeteria.
BY THE END OF the day, I can see his patience is starting to weaken. With every attempt being thrown back in his face, it’s obvious he wasn’t expecting it to be this difficult.
I’m standing at my locker when I can sense him behind me. His hand grazes down my back as his voice meets my ears.
“When are you going to forgive me?”
I turn around, using every muscle in my body to resist falling right back into his arms. “I told you, I’m not.”
Our friends, and everyone around for that matter, watch us curiously. Grayson doesn’t seem to mind, though, as he moves just a little bit closer.
“But I miss you, and I know you miss me, too.”