Page 23 of My Vows Are Sealed

I shook my head. “We’ve literally known each other for our whole lives. I’m like a sister to him.”

“Yeah, keep telling yourself that,” Kate snickered. “Come on, let’s get out of here before we’re late. See you in Algebra, Ash.”

“See you,” Ashton said as they started to walk away.

Kate and I started to head toward our biology class, and as soon as we couldn’t see Ashton anymore, she turned to me.

“So, um, Ash asked me out over the phone last night,” she told me.

I grinned. Yep, I’d called it.

“You said yes, right?” I pressed.

“Yeah, but…I don’t know. It’s weird, isn’t it? Like, it’s kind of out of the blue. We’re just friends.”

Out of the blue? Was she kidding? Ashton might as well have been wearing a neon sign sayingI Have a Crush on Katewith how obvious it was that they liked her as more than a friend. I might have been sheltered, but evenIcould see that.

“Um, they’ve literally said they’re waiting for you to come to your senses and realize you’re madly in love with them,” I reminded her. “And whenever we’re not in class, they’re pretty much glued to your side. Does that sound to you like someone who likes you as just a friend?”

“But they’ve been saying stuff like that to me for the past couple of years,” she countered.

“And they can’t have had a crush on you for the past couple of years?” I pressed.

“Maybe,” she mumbled, flushing bright pink.

“So, you’re going out with them, right?” I said as we walked into our classroom.

“Yeah, I am,” she muttered, sliding into her desk. “But if we’re going to talk about people with crushes, how long haveyouhad a crush on Brendan?”

I groaned and buried my head in my hands again, resting my elbows on the desk. She and Ashton weren’t going to let this go, were they?

“It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it,” she chuckled. “But you twowouldmake an adorable couple. Just saying.”

“Even if he saw me that way, which he doesn’t, it’s pointless to even think about it. My dad’s made it very clear that as long as I’m living under his roof, I’m not allowed to have a boyfriend,” I sighed, lifting my head to look at her. “And I’m honestly scared of what he’d do if he found out I was sneaking around with anyone behind his back.”

She gave me a sad smile. “He’s pretty strict, huh?”

“Yeah,” I admitted. “I mean, it’s fine. He thinks he knows what’s best for me, but I just wish he’d realize that things aren’t always black and white. Like with you and Ash. He’d probably pull me out of school altogether or send me to a military school or something if he found out we’re still friends.”

“Well, if I see Ethan, I’ll act like I can’t stand the sight of you,” she teased.

The second bell rang, and I smiled as I turned toward the front of the classroom.

* * *

Okay, this was officially ridiculous.Howon Earth was I supposed to get through the entire school day without talking to anyone? If teachers called on me for an answer to a question, I had to answer them. Plus, if someone talked to me, it wasn’t like I could just ignore them. My dad’s punishment just wasn’t practical or logical. I couldn’t help but disobey him, even if I was terrified of the result if he found out.

Yes, I knew I’d already blown it by talking to Brendan, Kate, and Ashton this morning, but I just…I had to at least attempt to obey my father. Even though this was an unreasonable punishment, it was still handed down to me because of something I’d done. I’d kept a secret from my father, and he’d found out about it. I knew there would be consequences. I just hadn’t realized they’d be so severe. So I had to try to obey him, because I had to do my penance for my sins. I’d only broken his rule this morning because I needed to make sure I’d still have friends when it was over.

I was already exhausted and ready to just be done with this day as I walked into the cafeteria for lunch. With how shy and introverted I was, I honestly hadn’t even thought this punishment would be a huge deal, but as it turned out, it actually tookmoreeffort to avoid speaking to people than it did to speak to them.

“Hey, Darla,” I heard someone say.

I turned to find Naomi standing there.

Darn it.Anotherperson I couldn’t talk to. And this time, it was someone I considered to be a close friend. How was it right that my punishment was hurting the people around me too? This wasn’t fair to my friends.

I offered Naomi a small smile and tried to keep walking toward the food line – where I’d have to try to figure out how to get my lunch without talking to the lunch lady – but she just followed me.

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