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I laughed. “Sorry. I heard a few girls call him that in the bathroom the other day.”

“Stop talking,” she said.

RJ waved at us as he hurried to his locker.

“Wait, what time is it?” I asked.

“Time for us to get to class,” Scarlett said.

I pulled out my phone. Class started in two minutes. Where the heck was Adonis? “Um...go ahead,” I said. “I’m going to wait for Adonis.”

“We’ll wait with you,” Scarlett said.

I glanced toward the front doors. And waited. And waited. Panic started lacing around my heart. What if Adonis had...left?

“If I don’t get you to class Uncle James will have my head,” Axel said.

Scarlett looked at me.

“Yeah, it’s fine, go ahead,” I said. “I’ll be right behind you.”

“The weather is a mess,” she said. “He probably got stuck in traffic or something.”

“Mhm.” My voice came out weird and high-pitched. Traffic. That made sense. But I was having trouble catching my breath. What if he’d had sex with me and run away just like Mr. Halifax? What if he’d fled the state?

“Soph, whatever you’re thinking...”

“I knew I was a bad lay.” I put my hand on my forehead. “He left. Oh, God, he left just like Mr. Halifax.”

“He’s probably just late because of the snow,” Scarlett said.

I shook my head. Everyone else was here on time. It wasn’t like the weather was bad enough for a delay or anything.

The bell rang.

Shit. Shit, shit, shit! He’s gone!

Uncle James poked his head out of the classroom. “The bell rang.”

I know! I heard it! I turned back toward the front doors.

Uncle James snapped his fingers at us. “Class. Now.”

“Soph...” Scarlett said.

“Go,” I said. “I’ll wait outside for him.”

Scarlett didn’t look like she wanted to go.

“Baby, your dad looks like he wants to kill me,” Axel said.

“Right. Sorry, Soph. I...”

“Go,” I said. “It’s fine.” I didn’t wait for her to respond. I hurried toward the doors. And I was relieved when she didn’t follow me.

The cold air seeped through Adonis’ varsity jacket as soon as I stepped outside. I looked around for his car in the parking lot, but it wasn’t there. Because of course it wasn’t.

I felt exactly the same way I had when Mr. Halifax had left.