Read Every Little Secret (Second Chances #2) for Free Online

door, the mask is back in place and she’s a different person than the girl who sat in the car moments ago. She barely smiles. “What? Are you stalking me again?”  
    “Hi to you too. And no, I’m about to head out. Why are you parking down here and not by your dorm?”  
    She reaches into the backseat for her book bag. “It’s too late. I won’t get a spot.” She turns it around on me. “I’m surprised you’re still here. Do you live on campus?”  
    “Um, no I live off campus.” I don’t admit it’s with my parents. I’m waiting for a crack in the veneer. Some sign that her pretense will crumble, but she straightens her back and walks toward the dorms, her steps confident and sure.  
    I don’t follow her. “Are you okay?”
    She stops walking, then turns. “Of course.”  
    The make-up and her forced smile help a little bit but the hurt and pain is written across her features. She’s shut me out. I have a feeling if I press with questions, she’ll never talk to me again.  
    “I was heading out for a caramel apple they sell at the corner store. Want to come?” That’s a lie. But girls can’t refuse caramel, right?  
    She folds her arms across her chest, flashing me a flirty look, raised eyebrows and all. “Are you still trying to get in my pants? Seducing me with sweets.”  
    I stand on shifting sands, no idea which direction to take our conversation. “It works every time.”  
    “Fuck off.” Then she walks away.
    Wrong choice. As soon as I said it, I knew, but I’ve been out of the dating game or even talking-to-girls game so long that I’m rusty. I scramble after her, reaching the edge of the parking lot before her. I touch her arm, but she stiffens and jerks away. “I said no.”
    “I’m sorry. That was my lame attempt at flirting. I just want company. You can sit with me and we can say nothing at all. Just eat if you want. We can be friends.”
    She glances in the direction of the dorms and then back at me. The decision-making process flickers across her face. I don’t know what weighs in my favor but she finally agrees.
    “Fine. Let’s go. I don’t feel like being in my room anyway.”  
    I gesture toward my car and soon we’re heading toward the local bakery. “Sure you don’t want to go to The Salty Dog for a drink?”
    “God no. And remember? No talking.”
    “Right.” I didn’t think she’d take me seriously, but if this is what she needs, some time to herself, then I’ll play along.
    We drive over in silence. Questions lay on the tip of my tongue, wanting to be asked, but I respect her wishes. Instead I spend the time fighting off the vivid memories of Dalia that want to break through. The warning bells going off in my mind remind me that the situation with Carly is too similar. But Dalia was an isolated incident. Had to be. Something like that couldn’t be planned and happen twice.
    I buy two caramel apples then we head to an outside picnic table. Cooler night air moves in, dusk about to settle. With every second that passes, every evening chill, every rustle of squirrel in the branches of the tree, Carly calms down. The tightness around her eyes fades and finally she takes a deep breath then lets it out slowly.
    “Okay,” she says between bites. “We can be friends. Secret friends. I don’t want to answer any questions about us to anyone just yet. Those are my terms.”  
    “Sounds good.”
    We spend the next hour catching up on our lives since high school. I learn about her classes, her desire to transfer, her dreams to travel. I admit my humiliation at not graduating from college and how hard it is to relate to other students. She challenged that maybe it was me, not them. I agree she had a point. Overall, it was amazing how easy it was to talk with her.  
    On the way back to campus, I can’t help but remember Dalia. This time the memory pushes through with vibrant colors and sounds, tripping up my heart.
    ***
    After weeks of seeking Dalia out