Why the hell was Rae on my mind so much lately? I mean, she was a pain in the ass. Nothing more than that, either. She came from a shitty family. From a shitty part of town. She was nothing more than mere entertainment during these boring-ass school days. And her snark made me want to spit in her general direction. Her snarky remarks every time I said something to her got underneath my skin.Who the hell did she think she was anyway?While she might be the only chick in this school who didn’t turn red in the cheeks and get all tongue-tied around me, that didn’t make her special. It only made me work harder to make sure she understood she really wasn’t all that different after all. She wasn’t as strong as she thought she was. She wasn’t as ‘neat-o’ as her mother probably told her she was. In the end, she was exactly like us. Exactly like the rich bitches she snubbed her nose at every time she walked into the damn school.I mean, we even let her walk into this school. With her ratty clo

“You aren’t taking that from me again.”Dad charged from around the kitchen table and I puffed out my chest. Cecilia stood up, hollering for him to stop as he barreled directly into me. I winced as the pain in my neck grew. He shoved me against the wall, then pinned me with his hands wrapped up in my shirt. Apparently, all he heard was I’d been in a fight. He didn’t give a shit about the injuries I’d suffered during the event.Typical, for my father.Cecilia slammed her hand on the table. “You know that nurse said he’s only a few steps away from a concussion. Let him go.”Dad growled. “You’re so full of shit. Thinking you can walk around here like you own the place. Don't forget who bought you that bike.”I grinned. “You bought my first bike. I dipped into my trust fund with your permission to buy the second one.”“And don’t you dare forget who can take that away from you.”I snickered. “If you did, you’d be stuck with me. Which is something I know you don’t want.”“Not when you’re a

“So we’re at your house? Where your father is right now?”“Nah. Dad goes to the casino to blow off steam after we fight. He won’t be back until tomorrow night at the earliest.”“And your stepmom?”He scoffed. “She’s always at his side. If he’s not here, she’s not either.”He helped me off the bike, catching me as I stumbled. I felt myself blushing underneath the strength of his arms, but I tried not to show it. I tried not to give in to it. This was madness. This was Clint Clarke, for fuck’s sake. The boy that had swung on Michael this morning! There was no way the butterflies in my gut were for him. There was no way on God’s green earth I felt the way I did because of him.And yet, when he took my hand to lead me inside, I felt my stomach jump.Turn around. Go home while you still can.I watched Clint type in a password on a keypad that opened the garage. And with the bag of pastries in one hand, he led me straight through a door and into his kitchen. I gawked as I walked inside, too

She giggled. “I know one thing we have to figure out, though. And that’s what to do about Clinton come Monday.”“I… I don’t know, Allison.”“Well, let’s start with what you want to do. What do you hope happens Monday?”I shrugged. “I don’t know that either.”“We should figure it out, then. Because something tells me he’s not going to leave you alone. Nothing is ever that easy with him.”“I didn’t fuck him so he’d leave me alone.”She paused. “Then why did you?”I closed my eyes. “Because it felt like he understood me. And I liked that.”Allison took my hand as the two of us stared at the ceiling. The smell of nail polish remover slowly faded away, but the memories of last night didn’t. I squeezed her hand, trying not to think about it. Trying not to root myself in last night. But I couldn't help it. The way I’d fallen asleep against Clint. The way his muscles felt cradling me last night. How I woke up at four in the morning only to realize I’d fallen asleep right beside him. Wrapped u

I swallowed. “Just some privacy would be nice.”“I mean, you did hit the wall pretty hard. You okay?”“I’m not bleeding, if that’s what you’re asking.”I drowned out his voice with the sound of the toilet flushing. I splashed some water on my face, trying to remove the sleep from my eyes. I took the liberty of using what I had around me. Hand soap on my face. Toothpaste on my finger. I used a generous amount of mouthwash, gargling before spitting it out. I picked up the hair-filled brush and said a small prayer, then ran it underneath the water. And as Clint knocked softly on the door again, I groaned.“Can you give a girl a second?”“You aren’t the only one that has to pee, sweet cheeks.”I murmured, “Call me that again and see what happens.”“You know, you could just skip class.”I ran the wet hairbrush through my hair. “Not a chance.”“You could spend some more time with me.”“Yeah, like that’s a smart decision.”He snickered. “Your words would hurt if I thought for even a second y