“Yes,” Riley agrees, nodding emphatically. “So…”
Amy sighs. “Okay, fine. One second.”
“Leave the time blank,” I cut in.
Amy glances at me, rolling her eyes. She hands us the slips, and Riley hugs her.
We sneak out a side door and crouch-run to her car. It’s probably more suspicious that way, but this is the first real time we’ve skipped a class. As soon as we’re on the road, we burst into giggles.
“Tell me about Claire,” Riley orders.
I smile. “She’s sixteen. Smarter than me, for sure. Her sister, Hanna, is twelve. They both came to my foster family a few months after I got there. We became thick as thieves.”
She glances at me. “Sounds nice.”
“Claire’s a wild child,” I say. “Always coming up with harebrained ideas. Hanna and I were more similar. Quiet… grounded.”
Riley snorts. “Shy.”
“Yeah, that.”
We get to the mall in record time. At the food court, I look around eagerly for Claire while Riley breaks away to get lunch. I finally spot her on the escalator.
I wave frantically, catching her attention, and rush toward her. We crash into each other, hugging and laughing.
I pull away first. “It’s been, what, a month? You’re grown up.”
Her blonde hair, long when I first saw it, is short and curled. She has cat-eye sunglasses perched on her head, light eye makeup, and dark-red lipstick.
She manages to seem more adult than I feel.
“I missed you, Wolfe.” She hugs me again. She’s small enough that she can tuck her head under my chin. “We have so much to catch up on!”
“How’s Hanna?” I ask.
“Brilliant,” Claire says. “Foster family loves her, of course. There’s a brother in this one. I’m thinking they might be keepers.”
My eyes widen. “That’s amazing.”
She shrugs. “If they keep me is a whole other issue. They’re infatuated with Hanna—not her adventurous older sister.”
“You two are a package deal.”
“I’d rather her secure a home that loves her. I’ll be fine.”
Riley approaches with a tray of food, and Claire’s head shoots up.
“Who’s this?”
“Claire, this is my friend, Riley. Riley, Claire.”
They shake hands, and we lapse into silence. Riley passes me a carton of food.
“So, how’s things been back at Emery-Rose?” Claire asks. “Run into Caleb?”
I blush. I’ve managed to keep our sex a secret from everyone—Riley, even. But it’s no secret that we’re… different. I don’t even know how to classify us. Are we dating? His possessiveness has ramped up ten degrees. He literally growls at anyone who so much as glances in my direction. Yet, I haven’t seen him outside of school since Monday afternoon.
A stolen kiss or two before class, his hand on my thigh at lunch… other than that, nothing.
“Ooh, Riley, she’s turning red. What is happening?” Claire leans forward.
“They’re dating,” Riley tells her. “After a tumultuous start.”
Claire grabs my wrist. “Really? Margo, that’s great!” She squeezes hard enough to bruise. “After all, you never shut up about him. It’s like you willed this to happen against the odds.”
I smile, pulling my wrist away. I put my hands under the table. She knows about my history with him, but her reaction isn’t quite what I thought.
“What about you?” I ask. “Any new boys at your new school?”
“Where do you go?” Riley asks.
“Lion’s Head.” She grins. “There’s some cute guys there, Wolfe. They’re deliciously rich.”
“Is that all you care about?” I laugh.
“No, the size of their—”
“Claire!” I squeal.
Riley snorts. “I suppose that’s an important factor.”
“Our girl wouldn’t know,” Claire confides, leaning across the table toward Riley. “She’s never had sex.”
Riley shrugs. “That’s not a bad thing.”
“It is if the guy you want is the hottest piece of ass in school…” Claire raises her eyebrows. “Isn’t that right, Margo?”
I tilt my head. “What do you mean?”
“Just that… you know, I’d expect to be his girlfriend, he’d be quite demanding in bed and all. And I know you aren’t really comfortable…” Claire pops a piece of gum in her mouth.
“We should go.” Riley flashes me the time on her phone.
“Ah, shoot.” We both stand, and Claire rises a beat later. “It was good to see you, Claire.” I shake off the last bit of our conversation. “They mentioned I would be ungrounded soon. Hopefully that means we can get together on a weekend with Hanna.”
Claire grimaces. “My weekends are pretty packed. But Hanna would love to meet up! I’m sure you two can arrange something.” She darts around the table and wraps her arms around my waist. “Good to see you, sis.”
Riley and I walk back to the car, and she elbows me.
She says, “You didn’t tell her about any of the bad stuff.”
I shrug. “Why worry her?”
“The girl didn’t seem worried about you.”
“Because I didn’t tell her that Caleb was an epic bully and got everyone to call me Sheep…” I roll my eyes. “Some stuff is better left unsaid.”
“Sure.”
We park and hurry back to the side door that we had left propped open, slipping back into the women’s locker room. It was a weird way out, I’ll admit. But it’s one of the only doors that isn’t monitored, since the gym classes usually go in and out through the gymnasium entrance.
I grab our bags from my gym locker and pass Riley’s back to her. We walk out, and I grind to a halt when I register who’s waiting for us.
Caleb.
“Skipping class, love?” He pouts. It’s dangerous. “Without me?”
Riley edges around us, shooting me an apologetic look. “Talk to you later.”
Leaving me alone with the devil.
“I had somewhere to be.” I dig my pass out of my pocket. “It’s fine anyway.”
“Ooh, a pass. Riley’s librarian cousin, no doubt.”
I blink at him. He appears relaxed, but I feel the tension between us.
He’s pissed, but he’s hiding it well.
“How do you know Amy is her—”
“Cousin?” He lifts one shoulder. “It’s no secret.”
We walk down the hall.
“Where’d you go?”
I shake my head. “You really want to know?”
“Well, I’m not asking just to hear my own voice.”
At the door to the academic wing, he holds me back. “Are you still getting picked on?”
“Are you asking because you’re concerned?”
He slides his hand through my hair. “I’ve decided that the only person who can be cruel to you is me.”
“It’s better,” I manage.
I am absolutely livid that he can be callous and turn me on at the same time. My body reacts to him like a tightly wound wire. One touch and I come alive.