Page 68 of Hate Game

“Except you forgot one thing.”

I did? “What?”

“There’s this saying. ‘Distance makes the heart grow fonder.’” The lunch bell rings. Lunch break is over, and it’s time to get to our fourth period. “Be careful, Rue. There is no love without hate and no hate without love.”

We stand. Trace extends his hand to me. The lunch crowd holds back. All eyes are on us. Is our breakup amicable? Yes, it is.

I give Trace my hand. Except he surprises me. He reaches out, trenches his fingers in my hair, and pulls me forward. His mouth crashes over mine.

Shocked, I can’t move or protest. His mouth is soft. He tastes like minty gum. Had he planned this? The nerve of this guy. I go to shove him away. He ends the kiss and holds me in place with his large hands on the sides of my face.

“What have you done?”

“I’ve woken up the green-eyed monster for the both of us, Rue. Shortest relationship of my life.” He drops a chaste kiss on my forehead. “Malice is moody as fuck, but inside, he’s like the rest of us. He wants to be seen and heard. Look and listen, Rue. It’s how you’ll win over his heart.”

27

MALICE

“What the fuck did I witness?” I pin Trace against his locker with my palm on his chest. His hands are up like he’s under arrest.

“Hey, man, she has a sweet mouth, and I wanted one last kiss goodbye.” He smacks aside my hand. “Better bounce, bruh. You’re suspended, remember?”

Yeah, I do. Except I came by to surprise Rue.

I was sitting in the parking lot waiting for her to return my text about going out for lunch. Instead, I watched one of my best friends take my girl to the bench reserved for breakups. Except he doesn’t end things. Trace started something hot withmy girl.

Fuck, with every beat of my heart, I see his fingers in her thick hair and his mouth moving over hers in this urgent manner that gets my blood boiling.

“You had no right, Trace. We follow a code.”

“Youput us together.”

“With the understanding you not start anything with Rue,” I say under my breath. The entire student body is milling around, eavesdropping.

“You want to end our friendship?” he says loudly.

Fuck’s sake, did the kiss scramble his brain? Is my best friend choosing my girl over our friendship? What the fuckery?

“No, I don’t,” I say through clenched teeth.

“Yeah, I get that,” Trace says near my ear. “Just play along, fool. End the friendship publicly. We’ll hang out in secret. A bromance.” He waggles his brows.Jesus.

Is he conspiring to get Rue and me together?

“Yes, I am,” he says, reading my freaking mind. “Think about it, bro. If we’re enemies, you can poach on Rue all you want just to get the fuck back at me.”

“A relationship isn’t in the cards for me. For us boys.”

“Why the hell not?” he says to me.

We are not having this conversation in the hallway. “You’re a lousy friend, Trace. Get your crap out of my GT-R and leave me the fuck alone. I don’t want anything to do with you and your sorry ass.”

I grab Trace by the collar and yank him down the hallway and out to the parking lot. In the GT-R, we fist bump, keeping it on the down low in case anyone is watching.

“Great acting, bruh. Had I not known better, I would have believed you.” Trace smirks. “Go over why we shouldn’t have girlfriends during our last year of high school?”

“Relationships end when school does. We’ll move on, move out, move away. There will be a lot of moving around next year,” I say.

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