Oh.
The entire team saw Devlin receive that Valentine’s Day card. They know what it said—or at least they know enough. And they all think I sent it. That I was mocking Devlin, playing some cruel prank.
The reality of the situation finally sinks in
This is so much worse than I thought.
I make it to my room on autopilot, my mood completely shattered. I need to fix this somehow, but that would mean talking to Devlin. Explaining. Trying to convince him I didn’t send it.
And after last night, after the way my body responded to him—
My feelings toward Devlin Bower are complete chaos.
The thought creeps in, insidious and terrifying: what if I’ve been falling for him all along? What if all this confusion, this obsessive attention, this inability to stop thinking about him—what if it’s not intrigue at all?
What if I’ve had a crush on him for months and been too afraid to admit it?
I shove the thought away violently. No. That’s ridiculous. I can’t have feelings for someone who’s almost bullied me, who mocks everything I care about. Ans especially who just threatened to make my life hell.
I collapse onto my bed, fully clothed, and stare at the ceiling.
A knock sounds at the door.
I ignore it. Whoever it is can come back later. Or never. Never would be good.
The knocking continues, more insistent now.
My heart starts to race. What if it’s Devlin again? What if he’s come back to—
I force myself to stand, to cross to the door, to open it.
A freshman stands there—one of the student Cupids, still wearing the ridiculous costume. He looks deeply annoyed.
“Dude.” He shoves a red piece of paper into my hands. “You don’t think I’m going to stand here all evening to give you a sexting message from your nerdy girlfriend.”
He’s gone before I can respond, stomping down the hallway and muttering under his breath.
I close the door slowly. Lock it. Stand there holding the Valentine’s Day card.
I should have a thousand thoughts right now. I should be panicking, or angry, or something.
Instead, there’s just emptiness.
Finally, I unfold the card with shaking hands and read.
The words blur together at first, then sharpen into focus, and my entire world tilts sideways.
“What the hell?” I whisper to the empty room. “Shit, this can’t be true.”
The Valentine’s Day card slips from my fingers, drifting to the floor like a fallen leaf.
And all I can do is stare at it, my heart pounding, as everything I thought I knew rearranges itself into a completely different picture.
4
Chapter 4
Istand in the corridor of the sports center, pacing back and forth like a caged animal.
