matter how much I needed to.
The walk to the store was in the opposite direction from campus. It wasn ’ t downtown or anything, but it was on the way there. I could have taken the bus, but it wasn ’ t that long of a walk, and I wanted the cool air around me. It made it easier to think, I figured, especially if I was going to be thinking of Logan.
Which I was, despite my best efforts.
Why was he still trying to get ahold of me? After what I told him last night? After overhearing what I ’ d said to Miranda the first day she popped up on my doorstep? Surely he wouldn ’ t want anything to do with me after that, right?
But no, he ’ s still convinced that he loves me, I realize. And he thinks that his love is enough to win me back.
“ How can you win someone back when you never had them in the first place? ” I asked myself aloud. A guy passed me just as I said it, giving me a funny look as he did.
I pulled my coat tighter around me, feeling my cheeks blush slightly in embarrassment. Now I was sharing my problems with random strangers, albeit inadvertently.
I walked the rest of the way to the store as quickly as possible. I stopped at the corner, waiting for the light to turn. When it did, I glanced both ways to make sure that it was okay to go. When I ’ d deemed it was safe enough, I went across the street to the opposite corner where the store was located.
There were several cars in the parking lot, but it wasn ’ t packed. I ’ d gotten here early enough — or late enough — that most people had already picked up their groceries and gone home. I went inside, the automatic doors opening as I stepped up to them. I didn ’ t bother with a cart, but picked up a hand basket.
I didn ’ t have a list or anything, because I ’ d run out of there so fast to avoid any questions I might get from Kass. As a result, I was going to have to wing it. I headed to the dry foods first. Pick the things up that didn ’ t need to be refrigerated and that weren ’ t liable to get bruised or broken if they were on the bottom.
Mostly, it was pastas, crackers, and peanut butter. Just the essentials. Then I picked up a few sodas — no packs, because I wasn ’ t interested in carrying that home with me — then headed to the fresh foods section. I wasn ’ t going to worry about the frozen stuff. I was fairly certain that we still had enough stuff in the freezer, that we were fine.
I looked at the apples, trying to find the good ones. I hated getting the prepackaged ones, because they always tasted too waxy. Fresh, hand picked ones were always better. As I was examining apples for the best ones, I heard Lexie ’ s voice.
Instinct was to move on and get the hell away from her, but I didn ’ t really want to do that, because it meant that I was going to draw attention to myself. I didn ’ t want her to know I was there, so I held my ground.
“ Can you believe her? ” I heard Lexie ’ s voice say in a deliberately bitchy, judgmental tone. “ I mean, talk about no class. ”
I frowned. I wasn ’ t interested in overhearing her conversation. Eavesdropping was not my thing and neither was gossip. I ’ d listened to gossip when it came to Logan and discovered pretty quickly that it was all wrong. But I couldn ’ t help hearing her if I didn ’ t move, and I still didn ’ t want to draw any attention to myself, so I tried my best to just tune her out instead.
Green or red ? I thought, trying to distract myself by examining my apples.
It didn ’ t work, because the next voice I heard made my heart plummet down into my stomach.
“ No surprise there. ” It was Miranda, sounding just as condescending as Lexie did. “ I knew her a while back, and she was a total tramp then, too. ”
I frowned as I began to realize who it was they were talking about …
“ Guess you can ’ t teach an old bitch new tricks, ” Lexie commented viciously.
Anger began to swell inside me. How dare she talk about me like that? I