Page 31 of All Your Pucking Secrets

“Thanks, but I’ll be fine.”

She purses her lips. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah.” I force myself to smile. “Thank you for the offer though. It’s very sweet of you.”

“Anytime.” She hesitantly backs away, visibly torn as to whether to accept me at my word.

I go to the bathroom, where I splash cold water on my face and recite a pep talk to myself in the mirror. I’ve done this dozens of times before. When I’m overwhelmed, sometimes, all I need is to see my own face tell me I can achieve anything—whether it’s actually true or not.

It’s going to be difficult to maintain a clear head with Tyler around, simultaneously tempting me and terrifying me, but if I want a good score on this group project, then I’ll have to make it work.

I close the toilet lid, sit on it, and bury my face in my hands. I growl my frustration, but the sound is muffled by my palms.

I wish I knew what Tyler’s end game is. He says he wants me back, and honestly, the longer I’m around him, the more I wonder if, at least on some level, that isn’t true. After all, surely, he wouldn’t have bothered to chase away that guy who wanted to buy me a coffee if he wasn’t jealous.

The trouble is, he’s three years too late.

But isn’t it sexy that he wants to stake his territory?

“Shut up,” I mutter to the traitorous voice in the back of my mind, even though it’s right, in a way. Back in high school, I longed for Tyler to announce to everyone that we were together, but he never did.

“Now it’s too little, too late.”

I stand, wash my hands, dry my face, and return to the table, where Tyler has somehow maneuvered the seating arrangement so he’s beside the seat I left my laptop at. Elle and Jin are opposite. Jin’s eyes twinkle mischievously, but Elle doesn’t look the slightest bit amused.

I sit and open a new document.

“Our assigned topic is the use of operant conditioning in elementary schools,” I say. “We need to address methods, pros, cons, and ethics. Who wants what?”

“Why don’t you take ethics?” Jin suggests. “Since you and Tyler have such strong feelings on the subject.”

There isn’t much I can do to argue, and honestly, I don’t have a preference, so I nod. “Okay, unless anyone objects?”

“I’ll take the cons,” Tyler says unexpectedly.

“You will?” Elle sounds surprised he’s doing more than sitting back and riding the wave. I’m not though. Tyler is smart and hardworking…when he wants to be.

“Yeah.”

“Then I’ll do pros.” She smirks. “Perhaps we can bounce ideas off each other.”

Jin rests his elbow on the table. “Sounds like I’ve got the methods. Should we go around and each say what our vision is for the project?”

Tyler rolls his eyes, but we agree.

Twenty minutes later, our roles have been fully assigned and we’re in a good position to get started. I’ve logged into the library’s online search function to begin sourcing research papers we can use as references. Both Jin and Elle have also got their laptops out. Tyler is using his phone.

He’s also touching me at every opportunity.

Any time he leans forward, his body brushes mine, sending sparks skittering along my nerves. When he stretches, his knee nudges mine, and heat races to my core. He leans closer to murmur something about positive reinforcement and his breath stirs the fine hairs near my ear, making me shiver.

I want to scream. But the worst part is, while I know it’s all intentional, none of it is blatant enough for me to call him out. Elle must have noticed because she keeps sending me death glares, but Jin seems completely oblivious.

“What’s with the stars?” Jin asks.

I frown, confused, and he gestures toward my notepad. Horrified, I realize I’ve been doodling shooting stars in the margin. I stop immediately and keep my head low, refusing to acknowledge Tyler even though I can feel him burning a hole through me with his stare.

“It’s nothing,” I mumble.

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