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You're smart, Jenny. You'll get in.
I look up from my phone, still see him standing there. He has that stupid, trademark smirk permanently plastered across his lips. Oh, his lips. They're really...
Wait!
What am I thinking?
Kyle Thompson is definitely not someone whose lips I need to be daydreaming about. Time to end this conversation.
Now.
I'll see you tomorrow, I send.
He doesn't respond and, when I look up, he's already gone.
—
"Jenny, you're going so slow we're going to get stuck in the snow," Kyle complains for the hundredth time from the passenger seat. He's unusually moody today.
"I'm trying," I tell him as my hands grip the steering wheel tighter. "I just don't want to slide all over the road."
He shifts his body to face me. "If you don't go faster up the hill, we're not going to make it!"
"Stop yelling at me then!" I snap. "I'm trying!"
"You're not trying hard enough!" he shouts back.
I slam on the brakes, the car skids slightly off the road before coming to a stop by a small ditch filled with freshly piled snow, scooped off the road by a snowplow. I fumble with the seatbelt as I try to free myself from his stupid car. When the seatbelt finally comes loose, I fling the door open and hop out.
The cold air hits me as I start the long trek up the hill to our neighborhood, sending a shiver down my spine. I cross my arms over my chest, thankful I opted for a turtleneck and jeans today. Even with the sun shining, the temperature is bitterly cold.
"Jenny!" I hear Kyle holler behind me. "Get your ass back here now!"
I stop walking and twist around to face him. He's standing in front of the car, his fists bunched at his sides.
"Screw you!" I yell before lifting both hands in the air, raising my middle fingers to flip him off.
His whole body ticks with agitation. "Our lesson isn't finished yet."
I shake my head in disbelief. "Why are you helping me, huh? Why are you so hell-bent on being my friend? Is it because you feel sorry for poor little Jenny who can't get into any of the colleges she applied to? Or is it because I can't stop failing my driver's test? No," I swallow the lump in my throat, realization coursing through my bones. "You feel bad for me because I've been in love with your brother for years and he never felt the same way. And I was just too stupid to see it!"
Kyle takes a few steps towards me, but I hold my hand up, silently telling him to stay back.
"I don't feel sorry for you," he says. "I just wanted to do something nice for you."
"Why?" I push, wrapping my arms around myself. Why is Kyle suddenly so interested in being nice to me?
He shoves his hands into his pockets, looks down at the Converses on his feet. "I don't know." The words sound sincere and...honest.
"Just do me a favor," it comes out weaker than I intend it to, "and stop trying to help me."
I turn around and start back up the hill, slipping in a few slick spots. I hear Kyle's car engine cut off, the door slam shut behind me. He's going to follow me. I just know it.
I try moving faster up the hill to get away from him, but the road is slippery, and my boots don't offer much traction. I have to keep putting my hands out to balance myself so I don't fall. As I near the top, I push myself to hurry and lose my footing. I start tumbling forward before two hands wrap around my waist, steadying me.
When I feel stable enough to stand up straight, my back presses flush against Kyle's hard chest. His hands are still snaked tightly around my waist and, even though I shouldn't, I lean back into him, feel his warmth through the thick fabric on my back. I should pull away, rip his hands from my waist, and run.
But I don't want to.
