Page 145 of Promise Me Not

She shrugs. “That you seem to enjoy pumping others up well enough, but when it comes to yourself, you’re set to deflate.” He glares, and she laughs, lifting her shoulders again. She looks at me. “Sorry again for cancelling today’s plans so last minute, but I’ll still see you in the morning?”

I nod, watching her walk away, and then the two of us continue toward the day care center.

“Why’d she cancel?” Chase asks the minute she’s out of earshot.

“Something about a meeting of some sort. I didn’t really ask for the details.” I look his way, noting the tug between his brows. “What?”

“Nothing,” Chase mumbles, watching her go. “She just gets on my nerves.”

A laugh leaves me, and I face forward “Yeah, her never-ending sweetness is a real brain irker.”

He says nothing, just continues to glare in the direction she disappeared, so we walk in silence.

Ari texted me this morning, asking what time I would be off so we could all get together for an early dinner, something the others do every week. Now, I get to be a part of it, and that’s pretty damn cool.

We get about four feet from the child development center when Chase grabs my arm, halting my movement. I follow his glare to the blond man hanging outside the building, his phone to his ear.

I smile instantly, pushing forward.

“Payton, wait,” Chase begins, right as I say, “Alister, hey.”

Chase glares harder. This time, though, it’s pointed at me. I widen my eyes as if to saywhat the heckand glance back to Alister.

“Thanks for meeting me.” I dig into my bag, pull out the form I need signed, and hand over a pen.

Alister smiles wide, maybe a little too wide as he glances from Chase to me. “No problem at all. In fact, I was already headed this way. You know, you should let me take you to dinner sometime so we can talk. I’ve got some secrets you’ll want to hear.”

I don’t have time to respond before a looming figure is pressing close to my back.

“I warned you.” Mason’s voice is clipped and full of anger.

Alister visibly stiffens, yet somehow, his smirk grows. “Chill, Johnson. Just helping the girl out so she can finish up and get back home.”

What does that mean?

Also…what the hell?

I look up over my shoulder, that familiar ache forming in my chest, but this time, a swift hit of annoyance follows. “Warned him about what?”

Mason doesn’t look down, his expression hard and locked on the man before me.

But it’s Chase who yanks the paper from the guy and shoves him in the shoulder. “There. You signed. Now bye.”

I glance at him, too, tearing the paper from his hands and smiling apologetically at Alister. “I’ll text you later.”

“What the fuck?” and “Oh shit” are spoken at the same time, and then I’m crowded by both Chase and Mason, but Alister seems to want the escape. Between their shoulders, I watch as his head lifts and he starts running somewhere to the left.

Both boys open their mouths, but I lift my hands. “I was asked to do a full profile on four players, one from each year. Alister is my freshman.”

“He is trying to fuck with me.” Mason frowns, taking a step forward. “Please, just?—”

“Mase.” I cut him off, begging him with my eyes not to make a scene. When I cut a quick glance at Chase, he rubs the back of his head and takes off.

Refocusing on Mason, I find his brown eyes are downcast, a wrecked expression carved across his face, and the last two minutes wash away. Instinctively, I step forward, my palm pressing to his chest.

“What’s wrong?” I whisper, forgetting what I was originally going to say.

He swallows, bending slightly so his forehead meets mine, but only long enough to whisper, “Everything. Everything is wrong, Pretty Little.”

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