Page 151 of Cruel Steps

I smiled. This I could relate to. “Words are hard.”

The girl nodded, her shoulders sagging in relief. “Yes! And that’s what I mean. You’re so you.”

“Believe me. I still struggle with insecurities. I don’t think being beautiful makes those girls immune to it, either.”

“Maybe not, but judging and evaluating others based on whether they wear a certain size makes them close-minded. I’m not trying to reverse size-shame them, either. There’s plenty of skinny girls who aren’t mean. I’m probably making this a mess. I don’t usually talk to people I don’t know, but you inspired me to take the chance.”

“I’m honored, even if it is overwhelming. I don’t feel like I’m doing anything special.”

“That’s kind of the point, Peanut.” Cody turned to the girl. “Sorry. I’m not trying to interrupt, but I get what you’re trying to say. People are drawn to you, Mer, because you’re real and kind. You have this air about you that draws others in.”

The girl nodded, her cheeks red. “Exactly that. Anyway, I just wanted to say I’m voting for you.”

“Wait. What’s your name?”

She stopped. “You want to know my name?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Oh, it’s Lydia.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Lydia.”

“You too, Mer.” She waved, and Cody and I stood. The rest of the class had already filed out, leaving us as the last ones.

“You got a fan,” Cody teased.

“Feels so strange.”

He wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “Just keep being you, Peanut. That’s what they like.”

I nodded, my mind spinning as we walked out of the building. Cody left me at the newspaper meeting I had on Fridays. Colter and Holden had tasked him with escorting me to classes when they were unavailable. I wanted to say they were being overdramatic, but I was scared. Having him walk with me helped.

The newsroom was a bustle of activity as I entered. I nodded a greeting to the editor, and he motioned for me to approach.

“What’s up, Mark?” I pulled on the straps of my bookbag. The guy hadn’t been my biggest fan after the surprise article had slipped by him.

“Since you’re now on the court, I thought you might want to cover Spirit Week. We could do an insider perspective. There’s a different event every day of the week, including the dinner on Friday and the game on Saturday.”

“Oh. Wow. That’s a lot of events to cover.”

“You’ll already be there.”

I nodded, biting my lip. He had a point. “Yeah. I guess I can do that.”

“Perfect. I’ll assign Sebastian for photography. Get with him to go over your approach.”

Was ‘fish out of water’ one? Because that’s what I currently felt like.

Mark handed me a list of events and when articles were due. I wouldn’t have much time in between to write them. Thankfully, I already had off work for midterms, but doing this on top of studying would be a pain. Why had I agreed to being on the Homecoming court again?

Oh. Right. Take down mean girls. Le sigh.

After coordinating with Sebastian, I finished the piece I’d been working on this week for tomorrow’s paper, showcasing Pawsitive Haven. I hoped it would attract some interest for the dogs. After hitting submit, I gathered my stuff and headed out to meet Holden. English didn’t meet on Fridays, since it was longer during the week, so we typically spent the afternoon in the art studio to work on our projects.

I spotted him outside the building, a group of people trying to get his attention. He ignored the girls and nodded occasionally to the guys. They were probably talking about football, something I’d come to learn from being with him this week. People would come up to him anywhere to talk about the game. His resting asshole face didn’t scare them off, either. Everyone loved him.

His eyes were locked on the door, so when I stepped outside, he broke away and ate the distance between us. He grabbed me around the waist the second he was within reach and hoisted me into his arms. His lips pressed against mine, and I got lost in his kiss.

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