Page 122 of Always: A Legacy Novel

Suddenly it was there, and she didn’t know how.

She could have blamed her distraction on a lot of things, given the time of the year. End of year functions were starting to be planned for school, and the threat of exams loomed, which meant teachers being even worse than they already were on a regular day.

She could have blamed her distraction on the fact she spent two hours a day with a driving instructor, earning her hours on the off-chance she could take her road test a single month earlier than was usually required.

She could have blamed it on the fact her brother would be moving to Detroit the first week of June so that he could start school in Ann Arbor. Her family was already starting to feel those effects of him being gone, before he actually was.

There were lots of things for her to blame.

None of them were the real cause.

Catherine had mistakenly—or maybe stupidly—assumed that sex, and having sex, would change very little about her life, or her relationship with Cross. She thought it wouldn’t make a difference because she already loved him. They had already been involved in other ways, and it was just sex.

She was dumb.

She didn’t know anything.

Sex did change things.

It changed it a lot.

Her. Him. Them.

It made things intense because that option was there, and then sometimes, more often than not, she wanted it to be there when it couldn’t be.

She found she liked the very unique kind of rush that came with it all, and that made her stupid, because she chased it with Cross even when she knew she shouldn’t. He let her, too, teasing and toying, but never, ever denying.

It made them stupid.

She just hadn’t realized how much.

Catherine came up behind Cross in the hallway, ignoring the fact he was talking to one of his friends at the row of lockers. Her hand skimmed under the back of his shirt, and she felt his muscles jump at her touch. Teasing, she dragged her nails gently against his lower back, making him stiffen, even as he kept talking.

“Just shoot me a text when you get it,” she heard Cross said.

“Got it, man.”

That was that.

The conversation was over, and the other boy was gone.

Catherine grinned when Cross turned around to face her. “You’re wicked, Catty. You know that, right?”

She shrugged, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed his mouth quickly before pulling away. He could tease, sure, but so could she.

Catherine had found that it was a great deal easier for her to tease Cross, than it was for him to tease her. She could work him up, wind him around her pinky, and get him to act just as stupid as she did when she wanted him to.

Maybe he didn’t even realize it.

“That kiss was cheap,” Cross muttered, slamming his locker closed.

Catherine winked. “You know, last classes are optional today since it’s Senior Skip Day.”

“We’re not seniors.”

“Nope, but we do have my Lexus. Which means we can just leave, go wherever, do whatever.”

Cross’s tongue peeked out to wet the corner of his lip as he grinned. “Catty—”