a's

look a

retend last night didn't happen. Pretend I didn't let all three of them to

my hair barely covers. Every time I shift in my seat du

let h

ss campus. I can feel Alvaro somewhere to my left-probably in the east wing. Javier's closer, maybe one

is whole mate bond t

sink and staring at my reflection. My eyes look different somehow. Brig

n firmly. "We're not doin

disagreement, an

from my usual spot as possible. Alvaro always sits near the middle. If I can just av

conds later, and the bond fl

hey do. He probably felt me the second he s

and there's something hungry in his expression that makes m

y, focusing hard o

spot. He takes the desk dire

He's doing this on purpose

uietly, turning ha

," I w

ed to

we do

ld for just a sec

ash in my mouth, but I force them ou

ce makes my chest ache, but

around. I spend the next fifty minutes staring at the back of his head, trying not to think abo

I don't hear a w

re Alvaro can intercept me. My heart's pounding as I navigate the

s own speci

I can still feel them-all three of them-somewhere in the cafeteria.

one b

You're av

then shove my phone in m

wimming against a riptide-the harder I struggle, the more tired I get. My w

o Chemistry w

Madison Reynolds. She's pretty-long blonde hair, perfect smile, a

y hits me l

ward, wanting to rip Madison's hand off his ar

. That's the whole po

Alvaro's not pushing her away. He's just standing there, expressio

e-not the good kind from last night,

enly cut to mine a

re, like he's testing me. Seeing if I care. His jaw's tight, and ev

else, touching his ches

aving in, but I keep moving. Through the double doors. Down the science wing. I don't s

tell myself.

tly watching another girl flirt with Alvaro is physically painful. B

ma

nding at the bottom of the stairs, hands in h

Of course h

, but there's no

carefully, like I'm a spooked

othing to

eye level. "You're running from us. You've been runnin

an feel it. They all can fe

ine,"

h mine. "You saw Al

"I don't care w

ma

ut my voice cracks on th

her and rain and him. "He wasn't encourag

, I d

ay. That's

's right. I ha

s?" he asks quietly. "Aft

ff. "The bond makes everything feel more in

what I saw in Alvaro's earl

I ha

se myself completely. I'll become someone who exists just for them, whose whole

one, Javier,

es out, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

ou," he says softly. "No

airs, leaving me alone with my racing he