Page 25 of Scandal

He laughs at my words. “Well, Dillan and I made a pact not to hit on the new guy, so I was trying to play it cool.”

“Hit on me?” I snort at the idea. “Don’t pull my leg.”

Leo’s face screws up. “Not sure whether you’re fishing for a compliment, or if you’re really that sweet and innocent, babe.”

I tap my nose and Leo laughs. “All right. Cute and innocent it is.”

Pretty sure this is that flirting thing I have yet to figure out. Does kissing a boy open some magical door into flirting?Xan. I wish I was here with him.

Following Leo to the counter where a student worker sits swiping their phone screen, he clears his throat and they look up. “Size ten, please. What are you, hun?”

“Nine,” I tell the guy behind the counter, who sets his phone down without a glance in our direction.

He’s back a few minutes later with climbing shoes and harnesses. When we finish signing waivers, the guy gives us a ten-minute tutorial on how to wear the harness and use the belay device. Then we’re unleashed into the wild. Here goes nothing.

Chapter Five

Debugging

It’s not a bug; it’s an undocumented feature.

Xander

Thwack. Thwack. Thwack.My knuckles sting from the hits that I’m landing on this punching bag. The extra hard hits have absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Cameron is smiling and laughing with some blond guy at the rock-climbing wall. A guy who keeps checking him out. Who keeps touching his arm.

Thwack. Thwack.Who just patted his ass.

Thwack. Thwack. Thwack.There might be actual steam shooting from my nostrils.

Guess I’m territorial when it comes to Cam. A fucking caveman. Suits me though. Another stripe for my asshole blackbelt.

Cameron spots me. I try not to notice. No eye contact. Don’t come over here. I won’t be nice. Can’t be right now. Should just turn and head for the locker room. Worked out long enough today anyway. My shirt is drenched with sweat.

The locker room is mostly empty on a Saturday night.

Why is Cam here on a Saturday night. Is it a date? He’s given up on me. As he should. Got nothing to offer him.

Manage to grab my shit and almost break free out the back, but there he is. Little lamb. Doesn’t know what danger he’s in.

“Hey,” he says in his sweet voice. Too sweet.

“Yo,” I grunt, and keep walking.

“You mad at me?”

The words slice me from my throat to my belly. “Nope. Have fun tonight. You deserve it.”

His footsteps quicken, hand reaching out to grab mine. “Wait a second. I know why you’re avoiding me.”

“Cam, just fuck off, will you?” I snap. Don’t mean to. Don’t want to say those words. Not to him. But it’s the only way. He needs to move on. Get away from me. Take up with a pretty boy like the blond he’s with.

“What the hell, dude?” He’s trying to sound confident, but I can hear the tremble in his voice. Eyes trained down at my sneakers. If I look up into his blue eyes, my resolve will crumble. Might just carry him away to my cave. Keep him captive. Say fuck-all to the so-called good advice Joy and Nayla gave me. Have my way with Cam. Consequences be damned.

The silence is heavy. Deafening. My feet are glued to the floor, but I need to run. Need to get far away from Cam, fast as possible. Can’t let him in. Won’t end well for us.

He sighs. Defeated. “Nayla’s wrong about us.” His voice is tiny. A shred of a whisper. Might be imagining it. Cause that’s what I want to hear. My heart clenches in my chest.

“You were just a distraction,” I croak, finding the strength to turn on my heel and walk away. Shoulders somehow held high.

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