Page 65 of Wicked Scandal

She squeals in excitement. “Of course. Just one.”

We walk out to the dance floor together and I make it a point to join the group so it doesn’t look like Sam and I are here together. It’s not that I care what any student here thinks, but I do care what Cat thinks. I don’t want her thinking I’ve moved on or that I no longer care. Truth is, I’m only here because I knew she was chaperoning and it was a way to be able to see her, even if we can’t talk.

Sam uses every opportunity to grind against me to the beat of “Hide” by Creed. My body moves, and my eyes do the same as I scour the room in search of Cat. She was standing outside the gym when I first saw her, but she could be in here by now. I wonder if she’s got someone to talk to. I’d hate for her to be standing all alone.

The song ends and I’m about to walk off the dance floor without a word to Sam when she grabs my arm. “One more?” she begs. “It’s a slow one and I love this song.”

Exhaling profoundly, I turn back around and put an arm around her waist, keeping an inch of space between us while “Hanging by a Moment” by Lifehouse plays. Little good that space does because Sam just eats it right up with her body.

If any guy did this shit to a girl, he would get so much hate, but no one says anything to Sam as she keeps trying to take advantage and sell the lies she’s been spewing.

With one hand on my side and the other hanging loosely around her, I move in slow circles. When we’ve done a complete one-eighty, my eyes find Cat as if they knew exactly where to look. Unconsciously aware that I do it, I stop guiding the movements of the dance and follow Sam’s lead.

Cat looks lost as she stands there with her hands folded in front of her, eyes moving unhurriedly around the room. Then, she sees me. Our eyes meet and I watch her body tense, literally crushing my soul. I miss the smile I’d get when we’d catch each other’s gazes in a crowded room. Her head tilts slightly to the left, her chest rising as she draws in a deep breath. She gives me a hint of a fractured smile, but I see behind the facade of what it’s supposed to be.

I want to go to her. Take her hand and pull her away from the noise. Not just here, but everywhere. It’s all static and nonsense. This world is full of dream crushers and nonbelievers of things like love and heartbreak.

As people bustle around us, my eyes lock onto hers and everything else fades away—she’s all I see. All I want to see. The lyrics of the song speak to us because I’m literally falling even more in love with her as each second passes by.

It will always be her.

I go to pull away from Sam because I’m done fighting this. I surrender to the universe. They can speak what they want; I can’t go another minute without her.

But, I’m pulled back in and the next thing I know, Sam is crushing her mouth against mine. I try to break free from her hold but the girl is relentless as she tries to probe my mouth with her tongue. I’m forced to put my hands between us, literally peeling her off me.

“What the fuck, Sam!” I snap as I shake my head and walk off the dance floor.

I don’t even give the girl a second look because my focus is on Cat, who is no longer standing where my eyes left her. I have no idea how Sam, or my friends, respond. All I know is that I can’t be here for a second longer. This was a horrible idea.

I move frantically through crowded bodies trying to find her, but she’s nowhere to be found. I feel like I’m suffocating beneath water and when I step out of the gym, I suck a deep breath of air in my lungs. My eyes move up and down the hall, and I spot her purple dress turning the corner at the end toward the lockers.

Walking steadfastly, I go after her. Once I turn into the hall, I see her go around another corner. “Cat,” I call out faintly. I move faster, finally gaining on her. “Hey,” I holler again, and this time she stops.

Spinning around, she faces me and I see her tear-soaked eyes. “Just go back to the dance, Wilder.”

“No,” I tell her point-blankly as I close the space between us. “I wanna be with you.”

“You think that’s what you want, and maybe you do right now.” Tears fall down her cheeks even as she swipes at them angrily. It breaks my heart to see her like this. I never wanted to be the one to cause her pain. “But what about tomorrow, or next week, or next year, Wilder?”

I shake my head, adamant with my words because she has no idea what she does to me. “I’ll still want to be with you, Cat. That's all I’ll ever want.”

She shakes her head, tears continuing to roll down her soft cheeks, bringing streaks of black mascara with them. "Go back to Sam. You deserve to enjoy your senior prom.”

“Fuck Sam,” I spit out. “I don’t care about her. I care about you.” My hands go toward her and this time, she doesn’t push away.

“This is so hard,” she cries as I wrap my arms around her. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Then do nothing, baby.” I stroke her hair, trying to push all of the comfort I can into her body because I need her to know I’m here to stay. “Stop overthinking everything so much. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

“You don’t understand. No one does.”

I pull back just enough to see her eyes. “Then make me understand. Tell me what it is that I don’t know so I can help you. Let me help you.”

She draws in a shaky breath. “He’ll never let me leave.” The terror in her eyes is soul-crushing.

“Why?” I ask. That one word holds so much weight.

“Something happened in my past that involved some very bad people. Troy saved me from them, but he’s made it a point to hand me over the minute I step out of line or try to leave him.”

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