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“I…um…” Piper began slowly walking away from me. “I probably need to get home to do my homework and start on decorations.”

“I’ll take you,” Hayley said, realizing that Piper was definitely ready to bolt.

I flashed her a warning look. This isn’t over.

Piper’s tongue dipped out of her mouth as she licked her bottom lip. My blood surged as she turned around and began walking down the hall to reach the stairs.

I had to give it to her—Piper was quick on her feet. Using a kiss as a distraction so Christian wasn’t wondering what we were doing standing outside of our parents’ bedroom was good thinking.

But that kiss was so much more.

That kiss sealed the tear in our connection we’d found a year prior.

The real meaning behind the kiss lay in the depths of secrets, and I was definitely ready to unravel them.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Piper

As I sat at the lunch table, I wondered where my allegiance laid. I kept catching Ollie’s eye, feeling that tug in my chest, and I knew, without a doubt, that I stood on the same side as he did. Yesterday, I covered for him. I lied to Hayley, again, when she’d asked me about the kiss she and Christian walked in on. That meant my allegiance laid with him, right? You were supposed to tell your best friend everything, but here I was, covering up for Ollie and hiding more secrets. The bad part about it? I didn’t even feel bad. I just hoped Hayley would understand in the long run. After all, she knew what it was like to love someone.

My fork fell out of my hand, crashing to the tiled floor as the thought slipped through. I couldn’t even pick it up. I was too stunned to do so. Love? You’re not even in a relationship!

“Pipe,” Hayley said, bending to pick up my fork. “Are you good? Your hand is shaking.”

I clasped my hands together, panicking. “What? Yes! I’m fine. What were you saying?”

Hayley eyed me suspiciously but thankfully dropped it. “I asked if you wanted to go get dresses tomorrow after school?”

I blinked. Dresses. Oh, right. “Um.”

“The answer is yes, she’d love to get a dress with you tomorrow, because Piper is, in fact, going to the winter formal with Eric.”

The urge to shoot Ollie a dirty look had the hair on my arms standing erect, but I wouldn’t dare look at him. I couldn’t look at him. The second I did, my face would flame. He’d know exactly what I was thinking. I swore he could read my mind sometimes. There was no way I was risking that, not after having the thought I just had. And not to mention, this morning, I peeked up from my trig book, skimming my eyes over his forearm that was peeking out from beneath his rolled cuff, and my face instantly flamed. Then, at the last second, he turned in his seat and caught me staring. I almost fell out of my desk.

Trying my best to ignore Ollie, I answered Hayley. “Sure. Can we go around five? I’m gonna work on some more decorations tomorrow after school.”

“Yeah, do you need help?”

I picked at the food on my tray, giving her a nod. “We can use all the help we can get.”

I wasn’t in charge of the winter formal, but somehow, I was the only person taking it seriously. There were a few cheerleaders who were on the committee that said they’d stop by to help after practice today, but it was hard to tell how much help they’d actually be.

“I can help, too.” I could tell that Ollie was smiling just by the way his voice sounded.

I kept my eyes down low and tried to keep my heart from sprinting right out of my body. “No, thanks. We’ve got it.”

“Oh, now, come on.” Even his voice was becoming hard to listen to. I kept thinking about the kiss. It was packed full of heat. Ollie’s kiss came from the center of the universe. It gave life. “I said I was sorry.”

Hayley could sense my agitation, so she spoke up for me. “You banned every guy from taking her to winter formal. Saying sorry was just the tip of the iceberg, Ollie. You’re gonna have to do better.”

“What do you think the kiss was for?”

I couldn’t help it; my eyes instantly flashed to meet his. He did that on purpose. He wanted me to look at him and knew the only way I would was if he pushed my buttons hard enough.

The entire lunch table hushed except for one of the football players. “Wait, you guys hooked up?”

A few cheerleaders that Eric was entertaining gasped.


Tags: S.J. Sylvis English Prep Romance