Read Never Let Go for Free Online Page B

straight in her chair. “He’s getting to us.”
    Andrew’s forefinger bobs up and down as he continues his count. He gets to me and Katy. Our eyes meet. A look of complete and utter shock flashes across his face.
    “Oooh, he likes you,” Katy whispers once he has moved on. “Did you see the way he choked up when he saw you?” She clicks her tongue. “Too bad it’s against the rules to get involved with your peer leader.”
    I turn on her. “ What ?”
    She looks at me funny. “Yeah, like, duh . The RAs don’t want peer leaders having favorites. They’re supposed to be, um, ‘impartial advisors,’ as the student council calls them. Being romantically involved? Total no-no.” She winks. “Otherwise, half the girls in here would have jumped him already.”
    Andrew starts saying something in the middle of the room. I don’t hear a word. Katy’s words ring hollow in my ears. Total no-no.
    Andrew makes us go around the room and say our names, one by one. Katy has to nudge me when it’s my turn. “Paige,” I offer, lifeless. I feel numb inside.
    Andrew doesn’t look at me once during the meeting. There’s only one reason for that: He knows . He knows we cannot be together. All because of some stupid rule. It’s not fair. Just when I come across the first good thing in my life, it gets snatched away.
    The orientation meeting wraps up. People start filing out of the room. I get up and try to blend in with them.
    “Paige.”
    I freeze. Other students rustle by me. A few give me odd looks for holding up the line.
    I turn in the direction of Andrew’s voice. He’s leaning against the wall, both hands in his pockets. He doesn’t look very happy. “Can I speak with you for a minute?”
    Katy catches the exchange. She nudges me with her shoulder as she passes. “Go get ‘em, tiger.”
    I walk stiffly to Andrew, keeping my eyes on the ground. I want to look anywhere but at him.
    He waits until the final student leaves before walking over and closing the door. When it’s just the two of us, he exhales loudly.
    “You know.”
    “My roommate told me.” I still don’t look at him. “And your reaction confirmed it.”
    He walks up to me, stopping about a foot away. Even like that, it feels like he’s too close. “I can’t change the rules, Paige.”
    “I don’t expect you to.” I shuffle my feet. “Can I go now?”
    “What? No, Paige. Look at me!”
    He startles me into looking up. I’m surprised to find turmoil boiling in his eyes. I didn’t think it’d be there.
    “Listen, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed.” He runs a hand through his hair. “I nearly lost it when I saw you sitting there. I just never would have though… I mean, thirty-three hundred freshman matriculated this year. What are the odds you’d end up assigned to my group?”
    He looks at me as if expecting an answer. I don’t have any.
    “I need this job, Paige,” he continues after the pause. “And the administration is tough when it comes to things like this. They make it very clear what will happen if they catch you in a relationship.” He exhales heavily. “I need the employment more than you can believe. The hours are flexible. I get subsidized on-campus housing. If it wasn’t for that—”
    “I get it,” I say, cutting him off. “You don’t need to defend yourself to me. Your responsibilities obviously come first.”
    He gives an uneasy chuckle. “If I had any other choice, Paige… I wasn’t lying when I said I wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about you. I still haven’t.”
    “Looks like you’re going to have to figure out some way to do that,” I grumble. I hate how sour I sound. The tension between us is palpable.
    Andrew looks around the room. “Well, at least we found out early,” he says. “Before things progressed too far. Right?”
    “Right,” I agree. I’ve faced tougher obstacles in the past. I can recover.
    I just didn’t think I’d need to do it this early.
    Andrew