Tangled. love
SA'S
is fork hovered mid-air, his smile frozen. Then, slowl
nguage changed, from casu
said with a small,
was wrong, but my feet wouldn't move. My mouth had g
friends, voice rising
es me. Bro, tell
st out aroun
Cruel
chair. "Dude, isn't she the weird g
someone else chimed in.
nned, wide,
had this creepy little crush on me
mouth. Nothi
ircles like I was something o
ho confesses and wins the guy." He chuckled. "Except this isn't a
struck lik
ere pathetic and stupid. That's all. You were shaking and dirty a
cut throug
ntasy, every warm dream I'd spun about him, th
t their phone.
her say it again. Le
a scene from a
rd. "Go on, Alessa. Say it again. Say how muc
ria. The sound filled my ears like thunder. Everything bl
speak. Coul
I promised myself I wouldn't cry. My knees buckled. My heart screamed for
I whispered,
chael asked, holdin
n't recognize him. The boy who once saved me from Vane
stranger with a cruel
choked. "For ever th
ed, just for
n I
I used to daydream about walking beside him. Past t
g the door shut, locking the s
br
ent. Helpless. My throat bur
could rip the ache out of m
hated him so much
re tha
r ever thinking I
felt lik
oor, the cold biting into my s
en gasps. Every breath I took felt
dn't breathe without hearing that lau
s voice.
d of the boy
th cruelty I never im
e wors
ow deeply I believed in him. He could've let me down gently...
s to stop the scream cla
d to di
m floor until my phone buzzed inside my bag. I wiped m
ed calls f
mess
Everyone saw what h
ara right now, not when the entire school
hurt lighter. She would have put Michael in his p
chest ached like I'd j
I couldn't stay h
ody woul
ng to find something,
y mind. That warm, reassuring tone he
lessa... you call me, okay
fingers hovered
ably working. He's bus
roat betrayed me. It broke fre
essed the c
e. Then his deep v
prin
one
oke
iolently. I forced myself not to speak
instantly alert. "Sweetheart,
my throat. Tried to so
oice barely steady. "I just.
knew. My father always
What ha
gain. I turned away from the stall door lik
anymore," I whispered. "Plea
n his tone changed
on my
anything els
ust
and wait for me. I'll
ared at the phone sc
this time. Into my palms. Not
having one person left in this