Page 12 of The Boy

I have to knock on his door three times before I hear some scuffling inside, and the door opens. I suck in a sharp breath.

It’s her. The girl. Up close, she’s even more beautiful, with her long lashes, high cheekbones, and heart-shaped lips. Someone whose face should be on magazines or billboards. Someone those girls back in class would never snicker about.

I hate her so much. And I hate that I don’t look anywhere like her.

Jordan appears behind her, his hair damp from the shower as he towels it off. Our gazes lock, but instead of guilt, his face breaks into a smile.

Wait, what?

This throws me off and hurts me more than it should, like he lodged a hot knife into my chest and twisted it.

My vision narrows, and all I see are both of them—two perfect humans who look so good together. I stand there, hollow and aching, and try to breathe through it. Every inhale is heavier, and every exhale is shakier.

It’s like watching a glass break in slow motion, knowing it will shatter into pieces, but I’m powerless to stop it.

It was good while it lasted. He was still worth giving my virginity to, for whatever it’s worth.

7

JORDAN

Itake back everything I ever said about being clingy because, right now, I’m acting like a lovesick teenager.

After dropping Jordyn off at her class, I started to miss her. The only reason I resisted the urge to sit beside her and take a class in my free time was the fact that I didn’t want to scare her off. She wasn’t fond of people in general, and I was the sole exception. I wasn’t going to undo all my hard work by sticking to her side 24/7 like Velcro.

But she’s here. Maybe she misses me as much as I miss her? Maybe we can be clingy together?

“Baby!” I call out even as something nags at me.

Something’s wrong. I can’t pinpoint it, but I know by the subtle expressions on her face and the way she shifts from one foot to the other.

She doesn’t look happy. In fact, she looks far from happy. Her eyes are puffy, her nose red, and her freckles are morepronounced than ever. What the hell? A fierce surge of protectiveness thunders through me.

Forgetting Elena, I rush to Jordyn, only to see the exact moment she darts her eyes from Elena to me. In the space of a breath, I realize what it looks like to her, internally groaning at how stupid I’ve been and waving my hands. “Baby, it’s not what you think!”

“Ah, shit, no,” Elena says from behind me, realizing the same thing. “Jordyn, right? Whatever is on your mind, it’s not true. Come in, come in. Shit.”

She ushers Jordyn inside, and the sight of Jordyn’s tear-streaked face is like a gut punch. I don’t know the full story yet, but I have a sinking feeling I caused her distress.

Goddammit. The last thing I want is to hurt her, and yet, that’s apparently what happened.

After closing the door, I walk toward Jordyn, but she glares at me, stopping me in my tracks. “Explain, Jordan.”

My own girl, who screamed my name last night and clawed my back, scares the hell out of me. Angry Jordyn is my least favorite version of her, and I swear I’d avoid anything like this in the future.

I open my mouth to speak, but Elena beats me to it. “No, let me. This is all my fault.” She groans and scrubs a hand across her face, smearing her dark eyeliner to her temple. “My name’s Elena and I’m Jordan’s childhood friend.”

“You’re making it worse, El,” I say, my eyes never leaving Jordyn.

“Ah, fuck.” Elena, who has no concept of personal space, rests both hands on Jordyn’s shoulders. Jordyn immediately stiffens and holds her breath. Elena, of course, doesn’t notice and just stares at Jordyn a beat too long that I almost swat her hands off my girl. “Jordan is and will never be my type. If we got stranded on an island, just the two of us, I’d choose the chimpanzee or wild pig over him.” Jordyn just blinks, and Elena smiles sheepishly. I have never seen her sheepish ever. “I have a girlfriend back home.”

Jordyn rears her head back, her jaw hanging open, a flush of red creeping on her face and neck. “Oh. Oh.”

“I only came here because she’s on a vacation in Italy with her family, and I was bored to death.” Elena lets out a deep breath. “God, being so good-looking is such a curse. I always forget how hot I look and that everyone mistakes me for his girlfriend, which is eww, by the way.”

I shake my head in disgust. “Too much, El.”

“Okay, I’ll leave now. Please talk.” I have to bite my tongue when Elena takes Jordyn’s hands in hers. They’ve only just met, and she’s already touching my girl like they’re about to be the best of friends. “I’m so sorry, Jordyn. I saw you earlier but didn’t think too much of it. To be honest, we were talking about you—how he kept asking you out for lunch, and you kept saying no.” Elena drops Jordyn’s hands and points a thumb in my direction. “I’ve never seen this asshole this happy, so thank you. And I’m so, so sorry for the misunderstanding.”

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