Always You (Love Hurts 1)

Kassia glanced at me. The urge to ask her that had come out of nowhere, and surprised us both.

“They’re not as bad as they used to be.” She shrugged. “Besides, Tennerson’s is the best prep school in the state. If I want to retain my acceptance at Harvard, then I have to stick it out. I don’t give a shit about those girls. I couldn’t care less what they think of me. They are going to get a harsh reality check next year when they go to the university where daddy bought them their place, and they realize they’re not the top shit anymore.”

Wow. I wish I were that confident in myself.

I hated that I let what othe

rs thought get to me. I never used to be like that. It was like the accident had killed all my self-esteem.

I couldn’t wait to get to college. I felt as though, right then, I was in limbo—waiting for my life to begin. Everything I thought I knew about life and love was gone, yet I couldn’t move forward just yet. Or maybe I didn’t want to move forward?

Moving on meant accepting that the past was never going to change. I wouldn’t be having any more late night chats with Mom about the boys I was crushing on. Or having her comfort me when my heart got broken. I wouldn’t have another argument with Jordan, or see him graduate from high school. And Dad wouldn’t be there to walk me down the aisle on my wedding day. None of my family would be there to see me marry the man of my dreams. Moving forward was terrifying, and at the same time exciting. I was so scared of forgetting, yet desperate for closure. No wonder I felt so damn confused.

“Don’t let her get to you, Wrenn. You’re so much better than her. Remember that.” Kassia gave me a smile as she turned the car into the parking lot. Of course she thought this was all about Paige. She didn’t know about my past.

“Am I that obvious?” I asked, making a face.

She laughed and nodded.

“I know, you’re right. I’ll work on it,” I promised, wishing it were that easy.

***

We met Trina in Starbucks. I stood in line to get our orders while the other two found a booth—and each othe,r it seemed. They certainly weren’t shy about displaying their affection in public. They’d caught the attention of every guy in the place—two pretty schoolgirls making out? Who’d have thought?

Smirking, I turned back around to face the counter. The guy standing ahead of me turned.

It was Mr. Reid. Dalton.

“Hey,” I said, tapping him on the arm. “Fancy meeting you here.”

“Wrenn.” His face lit up. He rolled his eyes at the line in front of us. “There’s nothing I hate more than waiting. It’s almost enough to make me walk out, but unfortunately my caffeine addiction wont let me.”

I giggled. “Yeah, the things we do for our addictions.”

He raised his eyebrows at me and I blushed. I hadn’t meant for that to sound so dirty. “So let me guess . . . you’re a straight-up espresso kind of guy.”

He looked offended. “You think I’m that boring? I’ll have you know it’s a mocha double-strength latte, all the way.”

I love the way his eyes twinkle when he jokes with me.

“Hey, me too!” I smiled.

He chuckled at my enthusiasm. “So, you’re here alone?” he asked.

I shook my head, and pointed to Kass and Trina, who were still making out in the booth. I cringed, but he just laughed.

“Good to see you relaxing.”

“You don’t think I relax? I relax too much. I’m the queen of procrastination,” I proclaimed.

He smiled and raised his eyebrows. Great, he doesn’t believe me.

“You seriously think I need to relax?”

“You always look so serious in class. I know, I’ve only been there a little over a week, but it’s just the vibe I got from you. You work hard.”

“At school, yes, I’m focused, because I know where I want to be and what I need to do to get there. Not only that, but school doesn’t exactly fill me with feelings of happiness.” I paused, realizing I was teetering on the edge of being too forthcoming. “I get bullied a lot, so I don’t enjoy school. It’s simply a means to an end for me. Nothing about that place fills me with warm fuzzy feelings.”