Page 3 of One Last Chance

“Baby, there you are.”

Sophia.

Sophia, my best friend and also the most popular girl at Vixen High. She’s perfect with her long blonde hair, baby blue eyes, and always looks like she’s just stepped out of a photo shoot. Unlike me, she’s tall, slim, and has everything going for her in the looks department. Me, I’m short with brown eyes, and although I have blonde hair as well, Sophia’s has highlights running through hers, while mine is bland and dull. Sophia dresses in the latest fashions, whereas I tend to stick with comfort. For me, it’s denim shorts and a Pink Floyd T-shirt. I don’t care what anyone thinks, I’m comfortable being me, and that’s all that matters.

Sophia moves in and kisses Dom on the lips. It’s a chaste kiss, and when she moves back, she faces me, looking surprised. “Oh my gosh, Chloe, what happened to you?” She steps closer and runs her fingers over my now more-than-obvious visible bump.

Embarrassed, but not wanting to cause a fuss in front of Dom and Justin, I shoo her hands away. “I’m fine, really, Soph. It was an accident.”

“Miss Mason, aren’t you late for class?”

I look over and see Mr. Silver, my biology teacher, looking out from his classroom door. I swallow hard and look at Dom, who has an expression on his face I can’t quite decipher. It’s as though his green eyes, which are almost black right now, are glancing over my body.

Hungrily?

But surely, I must be imagining things.

Because there’s no way Domenic Reed would ever look at me that way.

Geez, I must have hit my head harder than I thought.

Sophia, who’s wearing her cheerleading outfit, showing off her long, tanned legs, asks, “Are you sure you’re fine, Chlo?” Her face is filled with concern. “Maybe we should get you to the school nurse.”

My eyes leave Dom’s and move to Sophia’s. “I’ll be fine, honestly, Soph,” I reply, planting a fake smile on my face.

“Miss Mason!” I hear Mr. Silver growl.

“Look, I gotta go,” I state, giving Dom a quick glance before I hurry off to class.

Mr. Silver huffs out a breath as I pass him, and then take a seat next to my friend, Sam. His eyes tell me he’s noticed my bump.Damn my clumsiness. “Are you okay?” he mouths, and I nod and smile, then face Mr. Silver, who’s talking about some organ in a rat’s body.

Eventually, my mind drifts back to Domenic and how he looked this morning. He always looks good, though. Today he was wearing light-colored denim jeans and a white fitted T-shirt. His hair was messy as always, and once again, my fingers had itched to run through it. His eyes showed concern as I thanked him for his help, and the smile he gave me literally took my breath away.

I need to stop daydreaming about him—he can never be mine.

This Friday is the last day of school, and as I’m a senior, I’ll be graduating and then starting an internship at Sloan’s Photography, one of the best photography companies in New York, which has an excellent reputation. Jim Sloan, the owner, was so impressed with my work, he offered to pay for my college degree if I worked for him in the interim. I couldn’t believe the opportunity I’d been given. I mean, I love taking photographs and knew I was good at it, but for JimSloanto say my talent is a gift? Well, it’s the best compliment I’ve ever received in my life.

I love taking pictures. It started when I was a child, and my parents would take me for a drive every weekend. I would love stopping along the way to take landscape shots of the beach, or the mountains, depending on where we were. I also liked taking images of people in their everyday lives. I would stand there and take shots as people went about their daily routines.

At home, I have my own darkroom, and I’m also on the school newspaper team, taking photographs when requested.

Just three more days, I think to myself.

Three more days until I graduate and won’t have to see Domenic Reed again. Well, for a while, anyway. My internship is in New York, and from what I’ve heard, Domenic will be staying right here in Vixen Falls, after snagging up a scholarship with the University of Vixen Falls.

This is a good thing, I try to convince myself.

I need to get over him.

It’s not healthy to crave a man I can never have.

Who am I kidding? He doesn’t even notice me because he’s crazy about Sophia. Plus, why would he ever want me, anyway?

I’m brought back to the present when Mr. Silver asks, “Chloe? Did you hear me?”

Feeling my cheeks flush, I sit up straight and twist my pencil in my hand. “Yes, Mr. Silver, I did.”

Luckily for me, he mumbles something to himself, then continues to draw on the board.

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