Chapter 7

The dreaded day arrived.

Melissa picked me up first thing in the morning. She was smiling and looked excited.

“Hey, girlie,” she said as soon as I hopped into the car.

“Hey,” I replied, buckling my seat belt. “You look chirpy today. Any special reason?”

Melissa hated Mondays. Today, she decided to smile and put a loud song on. It was vibrant, like her mood.

“No more ‘We’re nothing, Hazel. We’re just friends’?” I teased her. Despite my light tone, I was a bundle of nerves.

It didn’t matter how much I attempted to convince myself everything was going to turn out okay, I couldn’t calm down.

“Technically, we’re still friends.”

“Really? You make out with all your friends? I feel robbed.” I placed a hand on my chest. “Are we even real friends?”

She laughed and steered the car into the main road.

We joked on the way there. With each mile, the school loomed closer and the more tense I got. Melissa noticed my clenched jaw and stiff position.

“I have your back, Hazel.” She gave me a soft smile, misunderstanding the reason behind my tension. She thought it was because of Jacob and the heartbreak.

It felt weird not confiding in her about Graham. Though I couldn’t force myself to say it out loud. Whenever you voiced something, it turned worse.

“Thanks,” I whispered, flickering my gaze back to the road.

I wasn’t prepared to face St. Claire. It was going to be weird to lock gazes and know he had seen me naked. He had touched and kissed every inch of my skin. He had made me come on his fingers.

~Ugh.~

When we entered the hallway, I did so carefully. The corridor was full of seniors and other students. Everything was decorated with the school colors, white and blue. There were balloons on the floor and large fliers about Seniors ’24 being the best.

Seniors liked to make a huge entrance, celebrating their first week of school. I didn’t participate in such events. Melissa didn’t either, but I knew deep down she longed to. It was the popular kids who did it. Cheerleaders liked to holler around school, celebrating. Jocks liked to throw balls around and smiled and joked. They decorated the hallways, bringing a small celebration to the school and classrooms.

The school was brimming with celebratory paraphernalia. You’d think they were celebrating winning the championship like last year.

I made my way to my locker to grab my books and head for my first class. I was lucky not to have classes with either St. Claire or Jacob. Imagine the disaster if the three of us were stuck together in the same room.

I dodged a bullet right there.

I grabbed my books and fled to the classroom. It was empty but I didn’t mind. I grabbed my headphones and closed my eyes as I waited for the other students to arrive and for the class to start.

The entire day went without a problem. During lunch, I ditched the park, hiding in the library. Melissa tried to persuade me to hang out with her in the cafeteria, but I told her I needed some time to study. She was reluctant but gave in and left me alone.

During classes, I saw a few guys from the football team but all of them ignored me. I was back to being invisible, just as I hoped.

I didn’t see Jacob either during the day. I was thankful since I knew guilt would be painted on my face.

I was glad the rumors about the party didn’t involve St. Claire and me. I was able to breathe.

At the end of the day, I packed my books and got ready to take the bus home. Swimming practice started next week, so I was able to leave earlier than usual. I waited for the hallway to empty before venturing to my locker. I began to stow my books in the locker when I heard footsteps approaching.

“Miller,” a familiar, low voice said. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. A small shiver ran from my heart to my stomach to the tips of my feet.

~Oh, no.~

I tensed, my heart palpitating like a firing gunshot. What did he want?

I peered to the side and spotted Graham leaning against the locker beside mine. His massive forearms bulged from being crossed over his chest. His staggering height engulfed me. I went breathless, thinking about him on top of me on Friday night.

He smiled down at me, and my heart shuddered. “Good to see you again.” He looked pleased.

I was confused. I thought he was ignoring me. Wasn’t that the protocol after hooking up at a party?

“Can’t say the same thing,” I answered before slamming the door of my locker shut. My legs moved me fast to the exit. I expected St. Claire would leave me alone. He seemed to read me well during the party. He had to pick up on my unwillingness to talk to him.

He blocked my way out, unperturbed by my silence. “Where are you going?”

“Far away from you.” I tried to dodge him. I was unsuccessful. Instead, my eyes were on his chest. His very hard chest. I remembered how it pinned me down against the mattress. I gulped.

~Block it. He’s the enemy.~

He misunderstood my honest reply to a joke and laughed. “Seriously, where are you going? Home? I can give you a ride.”

“No, thank you.” My tone was curt. I tried to sidestep him again, but he blocked me. Damn him and his infuriating quick reflexes. Couldn’t he be slow?

He frowned down at me, noticing my dismissal. “Hey, is something wrong?”

It was impossible to get rid of him. The guy was restless. I exhaled, frustrated.

“Yes,” I snapped, looking up at him. “I don’t know what was wrong with me on Friday that convinced it was a good idea to hook up with you. It was clearly a mistake and now I just want to forget everything about it.”

He chuckled, but it was bitter. I realized my suggestion had hurt him. Maybe it was his ego deflating.

“It wasn’t a mistake. For me, at least,” he confessed in a low voice. I shuddered at his words. “And I don’t think it was a mistake for you either, seeing how you rode my fingers like your life depended on it and then snuggled into my chest. Admit it, Miller, you loved it.”

I blushed. “Just drop it, St. Claire.”

“I’m not forgetting about that night. I don’t want to. I can’t. Your little moans keep replaying in my mind all the damn time. I keep remembering your taste. And I don’t think I have seen anything as beautiful as watching you come for me.”

I was flabbergasted by his words. I couldn’t have left such a memorable impression. I meant, for me it was noteworthy—he was my first sexual encounter with a guy. But St. Claire had strings of hookups. An inexperienced girl couldn’t have been that great for him.

“I’m not pretending to forget a damn thing, Hazel. Forget about it. What I don’t get is why you’re suddenly so angry at me. I thought we were on good terms.”

A snort escaped from my lips. “We’ve never been on good terms. I don’t even like you.”

My admission took him by surprise since he shut down.

“Don’t act surprised, St. Claire. Not everyone is a fan of yours. Not everyone sees the Golden Boy with the wide smile.”

~He’s not worth your anger.~

Jacob’s gentle words in my mind were drowned out by my pulse hammering against my ears. Anger was the reminder that one good act didn’t erase my perception of him. He wasn’t a nice guy.

“It’s disgusting how you treat people. How you push them around, destroy their stuff, and get them in detention merely for your entertainment. So yeah, I don’t like you, and Friday night was a mistake.”

He was silent, blinking back at me in disbelief. Then he frowned. He looked regretful. I wasn’t sure what was going on through his mind and shouldn’t care.

I swallowed and stepped to the side.

“Wait,” he said. “You’re right. I wasn’t nice. It was stupid.” He was behaving the same way he had at the party when he pleaded with me to stay. There was an anxious energy around him. “What if I told you I changed?”

“I don’t believe you.” Finally, I was able to sidestep him. I didn’t walk far before he was speaking again.

“New year, new slate.”

“Goodbye, St. Claire,” I said without turning back. I was acting as though nothing could change my idea of him. However, I knew how persuasive he could be.

“It’s not goodbye,” he called behind me.

I held my breath all the way home.