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Ruckus pushed off the wall and came with me.

“You’re not going to congratulate me?” he asked.

“For fourth place?”

His face fell.

“You lost to three of your brothers,” I reminded him.

“Rook’s entry is hearsay.”

“I’m sure he’ll be devastated.”

Ruckus looked at me then. Really looked. His humor faded. “You good?”

There it was. Not quite the look. A check.

“I don’t care about the list.”

“Didn’t ask about the list,” he said.

I met his eyes. For once, Ruckus didn’t fill the silence.

Then somebody behind us called, “Hey, manslut.”

His grin came back instantly. “See?” he said. “Already losing the potential.”

I laughed.

He peeled off toward class.

By lunch, the list had mutated.

Someone printed copies.

That seemed excessive.

One had been taped inside a bathroom stall and covered in handwritten additions.

Chief had acquired three tally marks beside his name and the words:

ABSOLUTELY WOULD.

Someone had written a phone number next to Rook.

Potential had been crossed out beside Ruckus and replaced with:

CONFIRMED.

Micah had a heart around his entire entry.

Clayton’s was worse.

Too obsessed with Piper. Gross. Get married already.

Underneath it, someone had written:

SHE DOESN’T WANT HIM.