Page 128 of Dare To Live

I carefully place the books I’m holding back inside my locker, then turn fully to face her. Dropping her hand, I lift both of mine to cup her face between my palms. “Have I ever told you how special you are, Arabella Gray?”

Her lips part, and I press one finger over them. “It doesn’t matter how much I pushed you away, hurt you, or made you cry, the size of your heart is incredible. Don’t ever let anyone destroy your ability to care. It makes you unique. You understand that’s why Lacy and Tina and the others all hated you, don’t you? It’s why you scrambled my mind so much back then. I couldn’t believe that someone like you could exist. So, fucking perfect.” I dip my head and cover her lips with mine. “So beautiful. Inside and out,” I whisper. “I could spend the rest of my life apologizing for what I did to you, and I will still never be able to make up for it.”

“Eli—”

I kiss her lips, her cheeks and then the tip of her nose before I straighten and drop my hands.

Lacy and Linda are glaring at us. I toss them a smile.

“Problem, ladies?”

They spin away without speaking. I press my forehead to Arabella’s. “Maybe we should open your locker next. Let’s see what disturbing ‘I hate Eli Travers’ trinkets you have hidden in there.”

Chapter 71

Arabella

My laugh comes out shaky, while a dozen butterflies do loops-de-loops in my stomach. “I’m pretty sure I don’t have any of those.”

“I wouldn’t blame you if you did. I wasn’t very nice.”

I silence him by pressing my lips against his, and it feels right, warm, and perfect. “I’m sure there’s going to be nothing more exciting than an old English textbook.”

He keeps one of his hands on my waist. “Then let’s see.”

He walks with me along the hallway. The rest of the group is busy going through their old belongings. When we reach mine, I curl my fingers tightly around the key in my hand.

How many times had I opened it looking for dares? How many times had there been something unpleasant waiting for me?

“Do you want me to do it for you?” El’s voice is soft.

I shake my head. “No, I’ll be okay.”

I take a deep breath, unlock the metal door, and pull it open. There’s a pile of books inside. The top one is the sketchbook for my clothing designs. But on top of that is something else. A white chess piece.

I pick it up. “I don’t remember this.”

He takes it from me. “The pawn is the weakest piece in a game of chess.”

“Do you think he put it in here? Before he…” I can’t bring myself to say Evan’s name or what he did to Kellan.

Jaw tightening, Eli closes his fingers around the chess piece. “Maybe.” He slips it into his pocket.

I don’t comment on the fact that he wants to keep it. If he’d given it back to me, I would have dumped it in the nearest trash can knowing Evan Ridley had his hands on it.

A strange sense of déjà vu hits me, but I’m not sure why. I push it aside, and rummage through the books until I find the sketchbook I’m after. There isn’t anything else worth taking, so I close the door and lock it back up.

“We have one more locker to go.” I keep my voice light. “Want to do it together?”

“Yeah.”

A few people stop to watch us as we move back to Kellan’s locker. Eli ignores them. I glare at them, which sends most of them back to their own business. All except Lacy, Linda, and Jace. They continue to watch us from the other end of the hallway.

Eli halts in front of the locker.

“Do you want me to do it?”

“No,” His lips curl in a faint smile. “It has to be me.”

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