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been easy. I’d let myself care about Leif Montgomery way too much.
    “Hey girly, what’s up? I miss you.” Miranda slipped her arm around my waist and laid her head on my shoulder. I missed her too. Last year when she and Wyatt had been dating I’d been with Jay. It hadn’t made me feel isolated from my friends when they’d become an item. With me being single and the other two in my trio being a couple, I couldn’t help but feel like the third wheel.
    “I miss you too. We need to go out together one night.
    Maybe a girls’ night out,” I suggested while searching through the crowd of students clogging up the hallway for Leif.
    “That sounds wonderful! Let’s plan on doing it one night this weekend.” She paused and frowned. “Or maybe next weekend.” The uncharacteristic frown was proof enough she hated telling me she was busy.
    I shrugged and forced a smile. “No worries. Whenever you have time.” I glanced back down the hall and this time managed to get a glimpse of Leif at his locker. His back faced the crowded hallway. I turned back to Miranda. “I need to get this to Leif. I’ll catch up with you at lunch.” The crowd seemed to thin out as I reached his end of the lockers. Once I broke through the last group of students 36

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    standing between us, I noticed Kendra leaning against his locker, smiling up at him. I thought about turning around, not wanting to hand this to him in front of her when I remembered he went to Speech first period. I slowed down and stopped behind him. As I reached to tap him on the shoulder, Kendra reached up and ran her fingers through Leif’s hair. It was sickening to watch. He was such a good guy and she was pure evil.
    “You sure coming over last night wasn’t a big deal? I would hate to mess things up with you and your girlfriend,” she cooed.
    “You know she isn’t my girlfriend, Kendra. Stop calling her that. You’ll start talk.” His voice sounded annoyed. Was the idea that someone might think he liked me so repulsive to him? A sick knot formed in my stomach and I started to turn and leave before he noticed me.
    “You spend a lot of time at her house and she is always looking at you.”
    “She’s my tutor and no, she isn’t looking at me. You’re just being paranoid when you have no reason to be.” I clinched my empty hand into a fist thinking about all the times he had fooled me into thinking he was a nice guy.
    He was just as mean and calculating as Kendra. Was he even adopted or had that been a big elaborate lie to get me to feel sorry for him? I’d actually convinced my stupid self that Leif might be potential relationship material. The next time he came to my lunch table and asked if I was going to go to his game, I had intended to say yes and see if it led to where Wyatt had seemed to think it was leading.
    “You sure she knows she isn’t your girlfriend because it looks like she is stalking you?” Kendra purred. I turned back around hating the heat I felt in my cheeks. My face was probably bright red.
    “Oh, uh, Pagan. I was going to come find you and explain about last night.” I nodded, not wanting to discuss this after all I’d heard, and handed him the paper. “Thought you might 37

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    need this.”
    He stared down at the paper in my hand before reaching out and taking it. I turned to walk away. “Wait, I was going to call you last night. I just got tied up. Thanks,” he said holding up the paper.
    Kendra slipped an arm inside his and smiled sweetly up at him. “That’s not true, Leif, I never tied you up.” She then directed her gaze at me and gave me a smile of triumph.
    While I’d sat up late finishing his speech, he’d been with Kendra. How stupid could I be? I’d wasted my time writing a speech for someone who I’d thought needed my help, all this time thinking he was a good guy I could, possibly, really like.
    Maybe I hadn’t judged him so unfairly before. Maybe Leif Montgomery fit the description