Page 42 of Tristan & Isabel: Apartment 11F

I stiffen to find Trey Mettler staring me down like the day I took his starting spot sophomore year.

“Hi, Trey.”

I return to pulling yogurt containers off the shelf, hoping he’ll get the hint and leave.

“Six years, wasn’t it? And it looks like you didn’t even dothat. Must be nice to kill someone and only get a slap on the wrist, but I guess that’s what happens when rich boys do naughty things.”

I close my eyes and suck in a soothing breath.

“Let’s not do this,” I say, studying the shelves of cheese.

“Did you know I hooked up with Candace the second you went away?”

Do not engage. Do not engage.

I ignore him and start walking.

“Hey, I’m talking to you!”

He grabs my arm, and I spin back, adrenaline rushing through me as I instinctively brace for a fight. Trey’s eyes widen before he drops his hold.

“Whoa. Jumpy, huh?” he says with a sneer.

I try to breathe through the pressure in my chest, hardening my gaze through the fear like I’ve learned to do so well.

“Don’t touch me,” I say.

“Or what? You gonna run me down in the parking lot?”

I glare at him and grip the handle of my basket to prevent my fists from doing something that will get me in trouble. He can’t know he got to me. Pain is power. Either I hold it or they do.

Shaking my head, I move in the opposite direction.

“Everyone was relieved when you got sent away,” he calls after me.

I hesitate for a step but don’t respond. What is there to say? He’s not wrong.

“Trust me, asshole. No one wants you back.”

I clench my jaw and force myself forward.

He’s right about that too. Time and again it’s been proven that the parole board did me no favors when they granted my request. Nobody wants me here.

Nobody wants me period.

“How’d it go?” Kim asks.

I look up from the fridge as she enters the kitchen. “Good. I got the job.”

“You did? Hell, yeah! When do you start?”

“Tomorrow. Can you drop me off a little before four?”

“At Shelton’s?” She scrunches her nose. “Shit. I have to be a half hour in the other direction.”

“Oh.” I force a tight smile. “Okay, no problem.”

“Wait. Let me make some calls and see if I can shuffle things around.”

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