ss

, and my shoulders jump up around my ear

in hasn't caught up to yet. The cafeteria at lunch is loud enough to hurt. Grease and wet coats

the Golden Wolves. Rule

wood under my jeans, and I've got maybe four bites of past

eight, and somebody drops down right ne

e carb-loaded mus

cutting straight through the grease and radiator heat. Jonah Kline. Something

ship, Kline. I

off my tray before I can swat him. Eats it

n long-sleeve shirt in November, and I hate that

o buy y

ning to face me fully, hair a mess like he's been dragging his hands through it all mor

ck with t

the hair on my arms lifts on

tly, just further away, like somebody

taste it at the back of my throat, and my lu

r side and sets his coffee down hard enough to

ne.

es out low. N

ut further, deliberately taking up more of the

can see it twitch. His eyes are usually flat pale blue, but

ps too, and the playful edge

able without my permission. My blood feels wrong under my skin. Too warm. Too fast.

s me a wink. Lazy. Easy. Like he knows something I don't.

The cup jumps, ice skittering

is tray, unhurried on purpose. "You

hes mine. Half a second. Heat shoots down

ight ahead at his coffee he isn't drinking, jaw wor

he says finally. His knuckles h

nybody. He sat down.

for half a second, then snap back up like he d

here untouched. "Finish eating, Marlow

, like there's a whole other sentence buried i

ugh the crowd like the cafeteria

I press them flat on the table an

r, Lila Beaumont

just sat. She's stirring her coffee too fast, spoon clinking against the mug. Her face is comp

s her ph

he bin and leave, not stopping to find Tinsley or Brooke, beca

the inside of your nose in about two breaths. I let i

s buzzing around me, everybody heading to class with no idea what I'm carrying, be

est actually aches, a hollow thr

nd let myself into 314, leaning b

awled on her bed, scrollin

a mess." I ki

h you again? I swear I will literally key their

. Just lou

der a cracking green clay mask, and squints

xcuse before I've even decided if it holds up.

econd where Jonah's shoulder caught mine. It followed me the who

and to my forehead. Her skin feels cold against mine, and she goes quiet for

mascot thing. Jumpy. Sweaty

ogy midterm str

even a little, but before she can push

ification from No

st. A sc

ra got her. Her face is tight, controlled the way it always is, but her eyes give her aw

had K

d a f

er, warm and ordinary, and somehow that makes it worse, because wh