Page 58 of Lose You Twice

His mouth pulls into a fast smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “Just kidding. Jesus, relax. Tough room.”

No one laughs.

He clears his throat and turns toward the showers. “Anyway. I’m going to go get naked if anyone wants to join.”

He disappears through the doorway before anyone can answer.

Asher watches him go, his expression unreadable.

Grayson rubs the back of his neck. “That was…”

“Yeah,” I say.

I don’t finish it either.

The room slowly starts moving again. Lockers open. Tape gets tossed. Someone mutters about being late to class. But the mood has changed, and I file that away, even though I don’t have room for it.

Weston. Later.

Coleson. Tomorrow.

Wren. Now.

I pull off my other skate.

Grayson stays beside me.

Of course he does.

“I’ll talk to her,” I say.

“When?”

I look toward the door she disappeared through.

“Now.”

His expression says he doesn’t fully trust that.

Fair.

I don’t fully trust myself either.

I strip out of the rest of my gear fast enough that Asher eyes me like he’s considering whether I’m about to sprint through the hallway half-dressed. I’m not. Barely.

I shower in record time, throw on sweats and a hoodie, and leave my hair wet because I cannot stand in front of a mirror and pretend this is a normal morning. My phone is still in my bag. The text is still unread.

That feels worse now.

I pull it out before I leave the locker room, finally opening her text.

The thread loads, and the old messages appear above the new one before I can stop them.

Sometimes things hold too much history to be deleted. At least, that’s what I’ve told myself over the years.

Wrenley Mae: I’ll probably be asleep but try anyway.

Kai: you say that like you won’t answer half-conscious and insult me.