Page 98 of Blood & Betrayals

“Not here,” I say, taking a bite of my food.

Connor taps his foot. “Okay, where?” I can feel the anxiety radiating off him.

“Somewhere private.”

Connor is about to reply when a pretty blonde girl sits in an empty seat next to Zach. He shifts uncomfortably, keeping his eyes on his food. The girl beams, showing me her perfect white teeth. She’s wearing a cheer uniform with the school’s colors, the silver flashing in the sun streaming through the windows.

“Hi! I’m Ashley!”

I can practically feel Alice’s eye roll, but I give her a faint smile. I’m not really in the mood to speak to a cheerleader, even though there’s a layer of sincerity to her peppiness.

“You’re Summer, right? I saw on the sign-up sheet that you’re trying out?” She beams at me, her attention pinned on me. Trying out? I barely remember adding my name to the list. She’s thinking about tryouts after what happened yesterday and the assembly this morning?

“Oh, I was thinking about it, yeah.”

Connor casually wraps an arm around my back. His touch and show of affection are calming, even with the sliver of awkwardness lingering between us.

“Well, you definitely should. You’d fit right into the squad! Plus, you’re dating the captain. We delayed tryouts because of what happened, but we’ll update you soon.”

“What am I, chopped liver?” Alice grumbles beside me. Ashley glances at her, her smile wavering only slightly. She is definitely aware of Alice’s reputation. Usually, this is the fun part for me, where people wonder if the rumors about Alice are true. Then they bounce to whether they can hold their own againsther, and Alice educates them. But right now, I am finding it hard to find the fun in anything. I keep seeing Gia’s face, so much like mine.

“Ah, Elvira, right?”

I wince. Well, that isn’t a good start. If I know anything about Alice, it’s that her given name is not one she enjoys or appreciates.

“Alice,” she growls.

Ashley nods. “Well, I’m sure you’d be a great… asset to the team.” She looks at Connor and then the other Morningstars, but carefully avoids looking at Zach. “I’ll see you all at practice?”

They all nod, and Connor smiles at her. She walks away but looks back over her shoulder, and I don’t miss the sharp glare she throws at Zach. I glance at Zach, about to ask him about it, but his face is thundery. Woah. That’s new.

Connor leans in, dropping his voice. “Want to cut and go to my place?”

I nod and let Alice know I won’t be in class before we leave the canteen, heading to the Morningstar House. Connor glances at me as we walk, his fingers interlocked with mine.

“What?” I ask, looking at him.

“Just nervous.”

I squeeze his hand, trying to comfort him, but I’m not sure our conversation will go well, given I know that I’m not ready to say what he has. The truth is, I am not sure I will ever be able to say it.

We’ve barely stepped into the house when Connor turns to me. “So privacy.”

I nod and sit on the couch. Connor sits next to me, watching me carefully. He keeps his hands to himself, not touching me as we sit. His fingers lock together on his lap, but his thumbs twitch, betraying his anxiety.

“Why did you run?” I ask. I doubt it would have been better if he had stayed, considering I went completely catatonic and had to be slapped out of it, but he doesn’t need to know that.

An adorable blush creeps up his cheeks. “Because I…” His cheeks redden more. “I didn’t mean to… I–I got flustered and embarrassed.”

I search his eyes, trying to read him, to see what’s really going on in his mind. “So you didn’t mean it?”

He shakes his head immediately. “I meant it. I just didn’t mean to… say it.”

“Con.”

Connor rubs the back of his neck, looking away. “I just… It kind of slipped out, and I don’t expect you to say it back or anything. I don’t want you to feel pressure?—”

I lean in, cutting him off with a kiss. He tenses at the contact before he relaxes into it, deepening it. His fingers tangle in my hair, and he angles my head to fit his mouth better to mine, consuming me with his kiss.

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