Page 27 of Incipient

It seemed that despite my efforts something had definitely changed between us since last night, and while the logical, conservative side of my brain was telling me to just be thankful that things had finally cooled down between us, the other side was way too busy feeling the loss to really appreciate the irony.

Trace and I drove our own cars into school later that morning. He was already leaning against his parked car by the time I rolled into the spot beside him. Locking my doors, I walked around the back of my car and fell into step with him as he started toward the school building. Despite the chilly vibe between us, he’d at least waited for me before going in.

That wassomething. Thoughwhatthat something was, I still had no idea.

“Are you sure everything is okay between us?” I asked as I all but jogged to keep up with his long strides.

“Why wouldn’t it be?” he said without bothering to look back at me.

“Because—” I snagged his arm and stopped him going any further. “You’re being cold and distant.”

Squaring his shoulders, he peered down at me under his dark lashes. “Isn’t that what you wanted?”

My lips parted to say something back, but nothing came out.

“We’re just friends, right? Nothing more? Well, this is how I treat my friends, Jemma,” he said softly, not even trying to be offensive about it. “What more do you want from me?”

Considering he had picked me up breakfast this morning, apologized to me for something that wasn’t his fault,andwaited for me to get to school, he really hadn’t done a damn thing wrong. So, he wasn’t looking at me the same way, or speaking to me the way he usually did. Big deal. I couldn’t have it both ways.

My mind knew that, it did. But my heart was an entirely different story.

“I just…I want things to go back to the way they were before.”

“Before what?”

“Before last night,” I whispered as a group of freshmen walked past us, their voices hushed and their gazes curious. “Before I said those things to you.”

“Why?” he asked, his eyes fixed on me with purpose, as though trying to siphon the truth out of me. “It was just a game, right? It didn’t matter.”

I winced as my ugly words came back to haunt me.

He dipped down to catch my gaze. “Thatiswhat you said, isn’t it?”

“Yes. That’s what I said.”

“So, what’s the problem?” he asked as he took a small step forward, crowding my personal space with his vibrating frequency.

“The problem is…” I rubbed my arms and tried to focus my mind, but I couldn’t think straight when he was standing that close to me. “I don’t know what the problem is.”

“Well, how about you let me know when you figure it out,” he suggested, his face brimming with frustration as he turned away from me and started to walk away.

“Wait!” I grabbed his arm and halted him again, though I had no idea what to say after that.

God, I was such a mess.

“What is it, Jemma?” he asked softly and when I didn’t respond, blew out a breath of frustration and shook his head. “I really don’t get you, you know that? You pull me with one hand and then push me away with the other. You say one thing with your words, but then you think something completely different when I’m touching you. Nothing you say or do makes sense.”

“I know.” I couldn’t even deny it.

“So, what is it? Are you confused? Are you not sure what you want, or are you just too wrapped up in that bloodsucker—”

“That’s not fair,” I interjected, feeling the scorn from his words. “I didn’t tell you about him so you can throw it in my face.”

“I know,” he said, and it sounded sincere enough. “That’s not what I’m trying to do.” He paused for a moment, his eyes darting over my shoulder to catch the sunlight, making them look bluer than the Caribbean ocean. “Look, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought him up.”

Crossing my arms, I nodded, accepting the apology.

“All I know is that I want to be with you, Jemma. But if you’re confused or you’re not sure about me, then I have to let you be. I can’t keep playing these games with you.”

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