I take a deep breath, grabbing a pencil pouch from the top shelf of my locker simply to occupy my fidgeting hands.
“There’s something I need to tell you.”
“Okay.” She closes her notebook, giving me her full attention. “What is it?”
I swallow hard, staring into the abyss of my locker, wishing I could curl myself inside and disappear.
“So. It was no big deal, but…”Shit.“This morning, I drove Maddie to school.”
Harper’s expression freezes for several seconds. Then…it shifts. Her eyes lose their shine; her mouth begins to turn down the slightest bit.
Sad.
The noise in the hallway fades as she starts blinking rapidly.
“You drove Maddie to school?” Her voice holds a quiet tension that speaks volumes. “But you don’t have a car.”
“I know,” I say, instantly regretting the admission. I turn to face her fully. “I didn’t plan it; it just happened. She texted me this morning and needed a ride. Like—what was I supposed to do, right? I didn’t think—”
“That’s right. You didn’t think.” She cuts me off.
Harper is not looking at me anymore, her gaze drifting down the hall as if she wants to be anywhere but standing next to me, having this exchange.
“I’m sorry. I just—” I pause, trying to find the right words. “I was trying to be nice.”
“Nice,” she deadpans, unimpressed, because she knows I’m full of shit. We both know the real reason I drove Maddie to school: Curiosity. Allure. The crush.
“Yeah.” I toss the pencil pouch back into my locker. “I thought the ride would end better.”
“Endbetter?” Harper scrunches up her face. “I don’t know what that means.”
“I honestly didn’t think it would turn out like it did.”You’re not making sense, Easton.Make this make sense to her.“It was awful.”
She exhales slowly, lips pressed into a thin line. “And you were expecting it to be magical and amazing?”
The sarcasm stings—but I deserve it. “I don’t know.”
She huffs out a laugh, shaking her head. “Figures.”
That stings more than the sarcasm. I try to come up with a response, but my mind goes blank, leaving me to watch in silence as she turns…
And walks away.
—
The first half of my day has been complete crap, my negative thoughts clinging to me like the sweat on my skin. Gym class was hell. Our teacher had me running drills because I wasn’t paying attention, so my legs feel like lead, and my lungs are burning.
By the time I make it to the lunchroom, I’m starving, exhausted, and in a mood so bad I’m surprised people don’t part the hallway to avoid me.
The cafeteria is loud, a chaotic mess of voices and clattering trays. Normally, I don’t mind it. But today it grates on my nerves, giving me a fucking headache.
The guys are already laughing at something Deshaun said, Gabe is slouched in his usual seat scarfing down a sandwich, and Marcus is predictably glued to Macy’s side, probably sharing food.
Their relationship might make me want to gag—but at least he saved me a seat.
I plop down.
“Dude,” Gabe says, glancing at me as I sit down. “Bro, what happened to you?”
