Page 72 of The First Play

I endure it for as long as I can, until my nerves are strung out so tight that I want to scream at her to read her magazine more quietly.

Yep, I have to get out of here.

“I’m gonna go,” I say, grabbing my bag and flinging it over my shoulder.

She doesn’t fight me or beg me to stay. If anything, she looks bored as I mumble my goodbyes and run out of her house.

Ugh. The next school year is going to suck!

This town is too small and narrow.

I want to go with Zander. I want to follow him to a new adventure!

But I’m not invited. I still have to graduate from high school. And it’s so obvious that he wants to go and pursue this football thing on his own. He hasn’t outright said it, but I just get this sense that he’s way more excited about this upcoming year than I am.

Kicking stones, I watch them scuttle down the street as I amble back home. I want to swing past Zander’s place and see him, but he’s in the throes of studying for all his finals right now, and I’m not allowed anywhere near him.

He’ll get his phone back at the end of the day, and we can text for a while, but it won’t be enough to heal this ache inside me.

I miss my boyfriend.

I’m dreading next year.

And no one seems to get it.

CHAPTER 29

ZANDER

I spend the afternoon studying. It sucks, and I’m so over the books by the time I’m finally allowed my phone back.

My first thought is to call Sienna. I miss her voice and that sweet laugh of hers. I want to make up stupid stories with her and watch her face on the screen.

But the second I turn it on, my screen lights up with a stream of notifications from the Kelsey U Titans. With a grin, I take a few minutes to react to them all, commenting back and sending stupid GIFs, then getting even funnier GIFs in reply.

It cracks me up, and I’m lying on my bed laughing when my phone starts to vibrate with a call from Sienna.

“Oh shit.” I wince, feeling bad for forgetting about her. “Hey, Sparky,” I answer with a grin, drinking in her pretty face.

Her blue eyes are so open and beautiful. And that smile. Shit, I can’t get enough of that smile.

“Hey.” Her dimple pops into place. “How was studying?”

“Yeah, good. My brain has officially melted, but I’m still breathing.”

She giggles and I bunch the pillow under my chin, lying on my stomach and watching her as she eats a cookie, licking crumbs off her lips.

I wish I could lick those lips too.

“I miss you,” I murmur. “I miss your lips.”

Her smile is sunshine. “I miss your lips too. And your hands and your body and your voice and…” Her eyes suddenly glass over. “I miss all of you.”

That pout of hers, normally so cute, is like a knife blade through the chest.

“Sen, don’t cry. Please.”

“I’m sorry,” she snivels, slashing tears off her cheeks. “Everything’s just so different now. You’re so busy and I never get to see you, and you’ll be going away soon and… it’s gonna be hard.”

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