Page 83 of Bad For A Weekend

“Yeah, he’s really protective. Doesn’t leave me alone for even a second.” I feel it’s necessary to set the ground rules for this “date.” I’m agreeing to this for Ziggy, not for some dude who thinks he can get lucky.

To my surprise, this doesn’t deter him at all. His cheesy grin is still there. “No worries. Honestly, I’m glad I won’t be the one fighting traffic.”

“Exactly,” Ziggy says.

I pick through my salad as Ziggy and Ian start a conversation that I tune out. My mind is still wondering why Owen isn’t letting me know he’s okay. Maybe I’ll take Ziggy’s advice and ask Hudson. It’ll be awkward since Hudson stepped in without acknowledging what happened.

“You look really pretty today,” Trent says.

I’m wearing the same uniform I wear every day, and my hair and my makeup are the same too.

“Thanks.”

“I love your hair. Wasn’t it purple last year?”

He noticed me enough to remember an old hair color?

“Yeah. When I get bored, I change it up.” I tug on the pink ends of my hair.

“What color will be next?”

“I don’t know. I might strip it all and go to my natural color over the summer. You know, for college.”

“I don’t know. The colors make you stand out. I think you should keep them.”

You’re special. The kind of person who deserves to stand out in a crowd.

Trent saying something so similar to what Owen said fucks me up. I can’t tell if it makes me miss him more or if it’s nice that someone else recognizes something in me that the man I love does.

“Thanks.” I gesture to his curly, almost shoulder-length brown hair. “I like your hair too.”

Immediately, I feel stupid. Is that a weird thing to tell a guy?

“Thanks. My mom is always bugging me to cut it, but if it’s any shorter, it falls into my eyes when I’m playing soccer.” He pulls the hair tie off his wrist. “See? It’s just long enough to fit in a ponytail.”

I can’t deny he’s cute. But he’s no Owen. His muscles are long and lean, not bulky like Owen’s. And he’s too pretty, like he could grace the cover of a fashion magazine. He definitely couldn’t protect me, and there’s no way this perfect boy has experienced the deepest and darkest.

I stand. “I gotta go put some stuff in my locker before my next class.”

His shoulders drop. “Oh, yeah. Sure.”

I hold my phone out. “Send yourself a text so you can give me addresses and stuff for Saturday.”

He perks up as he types out a message, hits send, and hands it back. “There you go.”

“Thanks. See you Saturday?”

“Yeah, I’m looking forward to it.”

I dip down to kiss Ziggy’s cheek and whisper, “You owe me.”

Ziggy ignores my comment. “Love you too. See you after school.”

Owen

“There you go. You’re all set up.” I hand the woman her cell phone. “Everything is controlled through the app.”

“What if there’s an intruder? What will happen?” Her fake concern is obvious. This lady has been following me around and trying to get my attention all day.

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