Page 98 of Did They Break You

“You never sent me that picture,” he says softly, cocking his head. He rakes in my hoodie, my jeans, my white Chucks.

My face flushes hot, thinking of what I had been wearing.What I’d wanted him to see.

I throw up my hands, only to slap them back down by my sides. “As you can see, there’s not much to look at.”

For a second, he just stares at me, and I start to shrink under his gaze.

Then he steps closer, and I back up, against the wall.

He cups my face in his hands and leans down close to me, his eyes locked on mine. “You’re fucking beautiful,” he says softly, like he actually means it. “I don’t give a fuck if you send me a picture of yourself in a goddamn trash bag.” He tilts his head, his lips hovering over mine.“You’re beautiful.Beauty doesn’t change because we try to hide it.”

Slowly, he lowers his hands, then glances at my arm.

“Have you?” he asks, his words low.

I jam my hands in the pockets of my hoodie and think of Sloane. My lie to her. I shake my head. “No,” I whisper.

He grabs my wrist and I flinch. “You’re lying to me.”

My heart slams around in my ribcage, way too fast. “Cortland?—”

His grip tightens, and it’s painful against my cuts. “Stop hurting yourself, Remi.Fucking stop.”

The door to Dr. Ravi’s office opens and he lets go, backing up so fast, I know she didn’t see us.

But rather than face that—the fact that I’ll always be nothing but a dirty fucking secret—I turn my back on both of them and walk away.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-SEVEN

CORTLAND

Chase

Staying away from her?

Brinklin

Seriously, Cort, Maya already knows you were with her once.

Storm

Don’t you two have a circle jerk to attend?

I glanceat Storm across from me in the living room, watch his eyes drift up from his phone to me. A smirk plays around the corners of his mouth.

“It’s his dad,” he says quietly, one knee bent, leg crossed over the other. He doesn’t have a shirt on, and his sweats are low on his hips, his tattoos on display.

I glance back down at my phone and Maya is calling.

I ignore it, thinking of seeing Remi outside of therapy last week. We’ve texted a few times, but she’s trying to distance herself from me.

I know why.

I know she hates it.

What she feels for me. What I feel for her. I don’t even know what it is, exactly, but whatever it is…I hate it too, baby.It’s like shooting up poison. Maybe it’ll kill you. But maybe one more hit will be the antidote.

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