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Chief looked down at her.
He backed her into the locker, pressed his body to hers.
He really hadn’t had to do that. He knew I was watching.
He started kissing her.
The hallway was loud and crowded with teenagers talking nonsense, but someone’s words floated to me clearly then.
It was a girl’s voice that sounded vaguely familiar. “I’ve never seen him so hot and heavy with anyone. I think he likes that one.”
Ouch. That one hit me with impact to spare.
No. No. No.
She didn’t get to be special to him.
The fact that she was there was bad enough.
More than that was so out of line.
I couldn’t seem to tear my eyes away, and it kept going like a slow-motion train wreck.
You brought me back. You can’t just throw me away. Who told you you could do that?
You brought me back. Take responsibility.
I turned away.
Worth ruining your life over.
Apparently. But I had known that long before Megan came around. Before any of them.
“Hazel,” Sadie said quietly.
“I’m fine.” I spun my lock harder than necessary.
“I didn’t ask. I was going to tell you that I’m bored and I want to go grab a candy bar.”
It had the intended effect. I almost smiled.
Behind us, somebody said, much too loudly, “Piper definitely wants number one.” Laughter followed.
My hand froze on the locker handle.
There it was. Not who I’d slept with. Not Clayton’s very public obsession. Something worse.
Me.
Chief.
The thing I had spent two years pretending nobody could see. I opened my locker.
“People are idiots,” Sadie said.
“I know.” But my face was hot. I hated that more than the comment.
I hated that somewhere behind me Chief might have heard it. I hated even more that I wanted to know if he had.