“Yes,” she says. “He is, but I’ll deal with HC TITLE-AUTHOR

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that.”

My lips curve and when Allison catches it in the mirror she smiles too. We’ve had an uneasy truce since I came home from the hospital and sometimes I’m scared I’m going to say the wrong thing and send her over the edge. “Why are you being nice to me?”

Allison lifts the curling iron again and

shoots me a glare when I fidget. She twists a few strands that refuse to be a part of her plan.

“Because Scott loves you.”

He loved me before, but that didn’t keep her from hating every cell in my body. Not like I helped. “I’m sorry I accused you of trapping him.”

The curling rod pulls at the roots of my hair and I bite my lip. She releases the hair and little ringlets dance on the back of my neck.

Okay, I deserve the pulling—and the ringlets.

Maybe now we’ll be even.

Allison sets the iron back on her vanity. “I’m sorry…well, I’m sorry. I didn’t want you here.”

I blink. That was blunt, yet honest.

“Scott told me about his past, but it was easy to pretend it was a story until you came into the picture. I prefer life clean and simple. You HC TITLE-AUTHOR

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made Scott complicated.”

“Scott was always complicated.”

Allison spritzes hair spray on me. “I know that now.”

Scott clears his throat and both Allison and I turn to see him entering the room. I stand and Scott grins when he sees me in the black

strapless dress with a skirt that ends at the knees. He frowns again when he sees my hair.

“I did it,” says Allison without a hint of guilt.

Scott’s eyes widen. “You did that?”

“You told her last weekend she could wear those God-awful shoes with her dress and I told you that you’d regret it.”

I fidget in my official Chuck Taylors. “I’m wearing panty hose.” That was a major

concession on my part.

“You should put on a sweater,” Scott says.

“She’s not wearing a sweater.” Allison swats at him. “That would look wretched.”

“I don’t care how she looks. I care how

much skin is showing.”

Allison leans forward and Scott kisses her lips. I glance away. They do this more since I came home from the hospital. Not just kissing, HC TITLE-AUTHOR

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but kissing like they mean it. Kissing

because they truly love each other. She steps out of the room and Scott shoves his hands in his pockets.

I resist the urge to scratch my healing

temple. “She covered the cut with the

makeup.”

“I noticed.” He gestures to my left hand.

“How’s it feeling?”

I shrug. “Fine.” The black cast is temporary.

Trent shattered lots of the bones in my hand, wrist, and arm. I’ll have to have another surgery in two weeks. My nondamaged fingers drum against my leg. I thought I could go without asking, but I can’t. “How did Mom’s court appearance go?”

Mom and Trent had preliminary hearings

yesterday. I told Scott that I didn’t want to know what happened, but the curiosity is

eating me alive.

“It’s okay to want to know.” He meets my

eyes while I wrestle with the millions of emotions tugging me in different directions.

I nod and he continues, “She accepted the plea bargain and will be serving six years.

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recommendation. The D.A. thinks they can

get him to serve fifteen years.”

A ball of dread forms in my stomach and I sink back into the chair. “Then there will be a trial.”

Scott lowers his head. All of us had hoped to avoid this. “Yes.”

Ryan and I will have to face Trent again

when we testify. I take a deep breath to calm myself.

“Did you talk to Mom?” I ask.

He shakes his head and I’m not sure how I feel about that. I’m not sure how I feel about my mom at all. Six years. My mom is going to prison for six years and I’m the one who put her there.

“You did the right thing, kid.”

“I know,” I say softly. I do know, but it doesn’t mean that it sucks any less. The

doorbell rings and the dread starts to fade.

Ryan’s here.

A good-natured smile settles on Scott’s face.

“And Prince Charming awaits.”

“Hey, Scott?”

He motions for me to continue.

“How could you keep the heroin to yourself?

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I mean, that’s a pretty big secret. I know that you wanted something to blackmail me with, but it was heroin.”

Scott scratches behind his ear. “I was in the process of hiring private detectives to find you when your aunt called. When I got to the

police station, there was no way you were going home with anyone but me. One look at your mom and I knew things were bad.”

He sighs. “She was so jumpy around the

cops that I figured she was hiding something. I would have said anything I had to in order to keep you. But I never used the word heroin with you or your mom and I never went into your mom’s apartment. I guessed that she had a secret and I bluffed.”

And I sort of feel like an idiot. A happy idiot, but an idiot nonetheless. “Well played.”

He smirks. “I think so.”

AT THE TWO-MINUTE WARNING, my hands

begin to sweat, including the one in the cast.

Indian summer in Kentucky has a strange way of making November feel like July. As we

walk to the open field behind the scoreboard, Ryan holds my hand and he doesn’t seem to care it’s cold and wet. People yell and scream HC TITLE-AUTHOR

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from the bleachers and the announcer

informs the crowd that our team is at the first and ten—whatever the hell that means.

The other couples nominated for

homecoming court stand closer to the

lamppost, but I hesitate farther back and Ryan plays along.

“Gwen won’t bother you,” he says.

“I know.” He’s right. She won’t. Since Ryan and I returned to school, she’s been less than her normal stuck-up self, quiet and withdrawn.

She apologized to both me and Ryan. I

accepted it, but it doesn’t mean I have to like her or be near her. Perfectly groomed, Gwen stands off to the side of the group. I sort of feel bad for her. Guilt is a horrible emotion. I should know.

“We could go talk to Carly and Brent,” Ryan teases. “She’s a big fan of yours.”

I roll my eyes. “Carly and I were paired as lab partners today.”

“See, best friends already. Lacy will be

pissed someone is encroaching on her

territory.”

“That’s exactly what’s going to happen,” I say sarcastically.

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“Carly’s nice.”

“She’s chipper.”

“Same thing.”

“Nice is nice. Chipper is annoying.”

“We should double-date with them.”

My eyes almost pop out of my head. “Are

you kidding me? I’m about to walk out onto that football field and make a fool out of myself and you want me to consider double-dating with Mr. and Mrs. Chipper? Have you lost your mind?”

Ryan chuckles, then winks. “I just wanted to see you get aggravated.”

I wrinkle my nose. “You’re annoying.”

He lets go of my hand, slips his arms around my waist, and pulls me close to his strong body. “You’re beautiful.”

The corners of my lips turn up and I slide my right arm around his neck. “I miss touching you with both hands.”

“It’s weird seeing the ribbon on your other wrist,” he says.

I shiver when Ryan caresses the sensitive skin above my cast and rubs the small of my back. Joyous and devious warmth spreads

throughout my body. “I never take it off.”

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“I miss you in my bed,” he murmurs so

only I can hear.

My smile grows and Ryan’s face reddens.

“That’s not what I meant. I meant I miss

sleeping with you.”

I know what he means. “It’s a little hard to slip out with a broken hand.”