جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 20

I returned the crutches to the nurse’s office at the beginning of the fourth week of school. The morning I walked into Calculus without them, something happened. “Look at you,” Crew said as I sat at my desk. “Walking all by yourself. Must feel good.”“Sure,” I said indifferently. It did feel good, but I wasn’t going to give him fuel for conversation. Not that it ever stopped him.“And now you don’t have the crutches as an excuse not to hang out with me.”I winced. I had been dreading this moment. I thought Crew would lose interest by this point, but I was wrong. He seemed to love harassing me, and nothing I tried deterred him. He kept asking me out and wouldn’t accept a simple no as an answer. He finally relented when I used the crutches as the reason I couldn’t go out with him. It may have been the reason I kept the crutches longer than I needed them. “That means we’re hanging out soon,” Crew continued. He looked pensive for a moment. “Maybe today. Yeah. Today. Why delay the inevita

"I see you've trained your guard dog," Crew said when we met, his eyes on Bryan walking down the street. He turned his attention to me."He's my friend and a good guy, Crew, which are two things I can't say about you.""Did you forget that we had a study date?" he asked, ignoring my comment."Until you called my name, yes." I had no motivation to spare his feelings."Hmmm. I may have to better impress upon you the honor of being asked to study with me. I'm pretty important," he said."I think I perfectly comprehend the torture—I mean, honor—of hanging out with you." "This is why I like you. You're a challenge." His eyes had a predatory gleam."Boy, do I hate being right all the time," I mumbled to myself.A group of girls walking from the church to the school passed us. "Don't do it! He's a jerk! Just walk away!" one of the girls called out to me."One of your conquests?" I asked. "She seems unsatisfied."Crew chuckled, then reached for my hand. I backed away and gave him a look."J

“So, do you like swimming?” Crew prodded. “I bet you’d look good in a Brazilian bikini.”I looked up at Crew. “I’m not a big swimmer,” I said. That was true. I hadn’t gone swimming since that day. “I hate getting out of the pool and being all cold.” He smiled. “Even better.”I rolled my eyes.“Because then I would get to warm you up,” he said innocently.“No. I’d do it myself.”“That’s no fun.”“For who? Anyone I care about?”“Touché.”“Oh. You speak French?” I asked him something in French, not expecting him to understand, but he responded in French. Good French. Probably, definitely, better than mine. I only got to use it in French class, after all. He had probably lived in a place where they spoke French in one of his father’s military postings. Or maybe he had a private French tutor with his family money. But that didn’t matter. What mattered was that it had the intended effect. The subject was changed.We bantered back and forth until we finished our food. Then Crew slid out

I changed into black exercise shorts and a green, high-necked tank top that matched my green eyes and kept my necklace hidden. I didn’t have to change into a sports bra since I was already wearing one. I only own sports bras. I never knew when I’d have to make a run for it, so I didn’t bother with clothes that could slow me down. I quickly threw my long, blonde hair into a low braid so it would stay out of my face and in place—I hated when a long, free ponytail whipped around and stung my eyes—then made my way downstairs.My current foster mom, Lucy, worked a lot, but she always left notes around the house, usually in the kitchen or on the front door. I hadn’t needed to leave her a note yet, since I hadn’t left the house other than going to school. This was the first time I was leaving the house to go somewhere besides school, so I found the pad, scribbled a note telling her where I’d be, stuck it on the kitchen counter, and went outside. Bryan was waiting on my porch in a white T-sh

“You okay?” Bryan asked. His hands wrapped around my rib cage to steady me, and I tensed. If we weren’t in a gym, this position could only have one purpose, and it was beyond tempting to explore it. If Bryan’s hands just slipped lower—I steeled myself and focused on the present instead of some fantasy where Bryan and I were—no. No. Stop imagining it! I don’t have space in my life for distractions. Okay, good. Back to reality. How did I even get into this position?Hoax Files: Freudian SlipUnconscious mental processes cause an error in speech, memory, physical action, writing, misreading, mishearing, forgetfulness, or losing things. Thought to reveal true desires. The subconscious mind’s way of acting out a repressed desire.“Sera?”“Yeah, I’m fine,” I finally said. I moved to get my arms out from under me. My hands found the mat, and I pushed myself up and slid off him to a kneeling position. I tried to play it off like it wasn’t a big deal. “The mass of muscle that covers your body