Page 165 of Lessons in Cruelty

“You’re smart, Melissa. You knew there was a high probability that⁠—“

“God, fine! I messed up.” She glances back at me, rolls her eyes. “But so did you.”

“That was a wild stab in the dark!” I point at her. “I had no idea⁠—”

“You’re smart, Haven,” she says dryly. “You knew there was a high probability that it was true.”

I don’t cut her off because I don’t really have a defense.

She flinches when I storm over to her and hold out my hand. “Truce.”

Her skin is cool and soft, and I kind of hate her for being so perfect all the time. But I shake her hand anyway, and she rewards me with a micro smile before standing to brush off her matching knee-length hounds tooth skirt.

“Thank you, by the way,” I say.

“For what?”

“Standing up for me back there.”

She crosses her arms again, leaning back on one foot to study me. “What is it with you two, anyway? I’ve seen the way you check each other out in Rooke’s class.”

I glance away, pinch the bridge of my nose, and let out a long sigh. “We used to be friends way back. Like way, way back.”

“Let me guess. You tried dating. Then you broke up. Now it’s only sour grapes on the menu.”

I purse my lips. “That’s…inaccurate.”

“Uh-huh,” she says dryly.

Blowing out a breath, I head for the door. “I gotta get the rest of my stuff.”

“He’s just pulling your hair.”

“Oh no!” I turn back to her, scowling. “He fucking hates me, Melissa.” The fingertips on each of my hands press together as I raise my arms and stalk back to her. “If he could kill me and get away with it, I’d be taking a dirt nap right now.”

“Drama queen.” Her sleek red hair shifts around her ears as she shakes her head. “Hate and love are two sides of the same coin. One day he’s going to flip it, and it’ll come up heads.”

I glare at her. “Both sides of this coin are tails. It’s a special coin.”

“Be glad it’s Kai.” She goes to her closet, pulling out a fluffy robe and a pair of slippers with bunny ears on them. “I drew the short straw with Ezra.”

I stare at her for a moment, jaw slack. She studies me with an eyebrow quirked, like she’s wondering if I’m having a stroke.

So am I.

I have to work moisture back into my mouth before I can speak.

“Ezra is your ex?”

“God, don’t sound so horrified,” she says sourly. “At least we pretended to like each other.”

“No, it’s just…” I frown at her. “Isn’t he gay?”

She stops rooting through her closet, arms raised as she glances at me over her shoulder. “Why would you say that?”

Alarm bells are clanging in my head. I lick my lips, shrug. “Those polo shirts?” I gesture at my neck. “The popped collars? And his hair is always so neat.”

Melissa snorts. “You know sexuality is a spectrum, right? He got hard for me. That’s what counts.” She turns to me, frowning. “Do I look mannish to you?”