Page 28 of Pretty Little Lies

Levi shrugs. “Do what you have to do. I’m not going to change you.”

My heart sparks with warmth. It’s not surprising that Levi wouldn’t want to.

I’d want the same. There isn’t anything major I would like to change about my best friend.

Best friend.

My palms shove at his shoulder because, really, he’s heavy as hell. “Alright, Hercules, fuck off me.”

Levi presses a simple kiss to my forehead before helping me to sit back up and getting us into the same positions we were before I half-ass tackled him.

Then he opens his mouth like a baby bird. “Feed me.”

My eyes narrow then, reaching for an untouched piece of pizza, I throw it at his face and watch it fall to his chest and lap.

And, before I can even begin to laugh at that feat, Levi seizes my ankle and tickles my feet.

Kicking and screaming for mercy, this is where I want to be.

Where I belong.

And Levi is it.

TEN

bay

“Dude, she jumped the light.”

I sigh as some dude in a Green Mohawk points at the two-lane street behind him and continues with his streams of bitching and whining.

Let’s start with the fact that I, in fact, didnotjump the line. I’ve never seen this dude before, but this race has brought more out-of-town people here than ever before because there’s fifty grand at stake and everyone wants their chance at winning it.

Levi and I, obviously, want it for Dad’s bills and to play catch up but we’re also waiting for the right moment tobreak uppublicly. Our two weeks of pretend bliss has come to an end and I’m not sure if that was enough time.

I haven’t heard from Emilio. Reeve stopped texting me. And I’ve heard shit all from Pretty Boy as well.

The plan may have workedtoowell for what Levi and I had planned, but he’s adamant that it’s going to work.

But, the thought of having to play this dramatic scene out and the words we have to say to each other has been something I’ve been shoving back and not wanting to deal with since Levi brought it up. We both don’t know when it’s going to happen, but there’s a signal for when it is.

And I don’t feel as though I’m going to need to fake cry about it either.

“She didn’t jump the light,” Levi grumbles with his inked arms crossed along his chest, sounding bored as hell. “But, we’ll check the tape.”

“Shedid,” my competitor retorts confidently, steering his dark blues at me. “You did.”

I roll my eyes, but that’s all I do. I don’t have time for all this silly shit.

“I’m gonna go check on the car,” I tell Levi. “Come get me when you’re done.”

“No need,” Mohawk answers for him, really pressing his luck here with my patience. “You might as well just pack it up, darlin’.”

Flicking my irritation over to Levi, he just shakes his head at me and alludes that he has this.

It’s all I need.

Pivoting, I stride up to Dad’s Nova that’s parked car along the side of the cracked road, and pop the hood.

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