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She flinches but touches her mother’s arm before they enter the office. She says something to her mom. Angela glances over her shoulder toward me. Her lips tighten, and she says something to Sidney, but Sidney takes a breath and touches her mom’s arm again.

Angela shakes her head but goes into the office. Sidney straightens and walks like she owns the place, but it doesn’t have the same effect it used to have. And she’s not as confident as she was.

It could be an act.

We watch her head my way. Neither Eli nor Nico leave my side. And I don’t want them to. Someone must have told Ashley because she steps out of a classroom and stands across the hall from us, leaning against the lockers with her arms crossed.

Giving us space to deal with Sidney on our own, but willing to step in if she needs to.

Sidney stops three feet in front of me. “Luke.”

Her tone isn’t as confident as it once was.

Honestly, I have nothing to say to her she shouldn’t already know, but I need to make sure she knows her place if she plans on returning here.

“We’re not friends. You’re nothing to me. Not an acquaintance. We don’t talk, but you have one chance now to say your peace.” I narrow my eyes at her. “If you even try to talk to Harper, I will end you. We all will.”

Sidney swallows and nods. “I wanted to apologize.”

I’m not buying it, but I’ll let her talk.

She wets her lips and glances at Ashley. She winces again before turning back to me.

“I never should have started with Zach Gray. He got me involved in a lot of drugs, which they think contributed to my mental breakdown.” Sidney takes a breath. “I’m sorry for what I did to you and Harper. When I come back to school after break, I won’t talk to any of you. I’m not going to be returning to cheerleading either. That’s part of my punishment.”

She looks down at the ground and then lifts her gaze to mine. She’s prepping herself to say something.

“Whatever you have to say, say it.” Eli steps forward. “We don’t have time for you.”

Sidney straightens, and her eyes meet mine almost defiantly, like her old self. “I’m pregnant. It’s obviously not yours, but we’re going to have a paternity test done soon. I just want you to know that it could be your father’s.”

I laugh. Because what the fuck am I supposed to do with that? Maybe I should care. Maybe I should warn her about my father and what an abusive asshole he is, but she’s the one who sought him out. Maybe it was for revenge, but she has to live with the consequences.

“I don’t live with my father anymore.”

She looks fucking contrite, but I don’t buy it. For a second, she waits like I’ll give her more. But when she realizes that’s it, she turns and walks to the office and out of my life.

“We’ll deal with that when she comes back.” Eli claps his hand on my shoulder.

“She’s not my problem anymore.” I want nothing more to do with her. And she knows it. She’s not anything to us.

Harper

I moan softly, waking up to Luke moving above me, in me. It’s too early for the sun to be up. It’s Christmas morning, and I’m already flushed with arousal, halfway to an orgasm. I wrap my arms and legs around Luke as his mouth claims mine.

We don’t usually sleep together. We don’t even fuck every night, but last night after Mom went to bed, Luke snuck into my room and held me through the night. It’s our first Christmas together.

“Merry Christmas, princess,” he says as my release tears through me. He groans as he thrusts hard a couple more times before he fills me.

As he collapses on me, I run my fingers through his hair. “Merry Christmas.”

I don’t want to get up. I want to stay in this bed forever with him. The only thing that would make it better would be if Nico, Eli, Jack, and Caden were here with us. Everyone is at their own houses for Christmas morning to be with their families.

But we have plans to get together this afternoon.

Luke nuzzles my neck, and I sigh. I never would have imagined any of this happening last year. I had one more year to hide away and then run off to college alone. But now I can’t imagine a future without them in it.

He slides off me and pulls me with him into the bathroom. We shower, washing each other until it’s too much, until neither of us can hold back any longer. He lifts me against the wall and thrusts back in deep. We kiss to keep the noise to a minimum, but Mom’s not a fool.