Page 9 of Little Lies

His walk froze and he flinched as she slid to a stop a foot away.

“Follow me,” she said, then without waiting for a response turned and walked down the hallway into an empty classroom.

She spun and stood, watching the door and wondering if this was a terrible idea. Ten seconds later, he entered and she shut the door behind him. She couldn’t risk someone overhearing.

“Uh,” he looked from her—panting and red in the face—to the door. “What is happening right now?”

“Okay. I know yesterday that I told you to pretend nothing happened and to just ignore me, and I meant that. But that was yesterday, and now I need to take that back, okay?” she said and paused long enough to take a breath. “I really,reallyneed you to do me a huge, gigantic favor. My sister is going to ask you if we . . . slept together and instead of pretending nothing happened I need you to say yes. Can you do that? I know you owe me nothing, but my life will be over if you say no.” She clenched her hands together, cutting the blood off from how tight she squeezed.

They were locked in a stare-off. She gulped quietly and her eyes flicked down at the healing bruise on his neck, then back to his face. He smirked.

“You told your sister we slept together?”

Her hopeful expression dropped. Was that all he took away from that entire begging request? What about the part where she said her life would be over?

“Yes. I did, okay? She overheard our conversation, and believe it or not, she makes my life a living hell on the daily so I was upset and . . .” Tully’s head dropped and she ran a frustrated hand over her face. “My point is, I need your help.”

He tilted his head, studying her.

She raised her hands, pressed her palms together, and did something she never thought she would do in her life. She begged. She didn’t have doe eyes like Joliet, but she could certainly try to. “Please,pleasehelp me. I’ll do anything.”

seven

nathan

Honestly, Nathan hadn’t been sure he knew this girl’s name before Friday.

For the past ten years, he always thought of her as “Joliet’s sister” and nothing else.

Until she showed up at that party and caused a lot of trouble, and he decided knowing another name wasn’t too bad. Unfortunately, he couldn’t get that damn name and that damn night out of his head since.

His hand raised habitually and prodded gently at the pink bruise on the side of his neck.

This was all very bizarre.Shewas very bizarre.

One minute she’s all over him, the next she’s leaving a mark on his neck, the next she’s telling him to leave her alone, and now . . .

Now she looked adorable.

Who actually does that? Who holds their hands together and pouts their bottom lip and makes puppy dog eyes to get what they want? And dimples. It was those dimples that got him on Friday too.

He laughed and shook his head, running a hand through the soft strands of his tousled hair that he’d pointlessly taken time to style that morning. He had a quiz in the next class, one that he was sorely unprepared for—again. The last thing he wanted to think about was whatever the hell was going on here.

Even if she was batting her lashes and giving him a look thatalmostmade him give in.

Maybe he shouldn’t have called to check on her. It started this whole mess.

He couldn’t deal with this right now. Not when his grades were hanging by a thread and he needed to focus.

“Now’s not a good time. I’ve got to go.” Nathan turned and left the room, ignoring the way her hands and shoulders dropped in disappointment.

He didn’t stick around to see if she was going to follow him from the room either and walked towards his class while trying to memorize every single word on his note page in the next ten minutes.

God, he was doomed.

If the year was starting like this, how would he ever be able to convince his dad that he was serious about college?

He was screwed.

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