Page 44 of If You Stayed

“Both of you,” Kierra said, turning her stare to me.

What?I silently remarked.

“Oh, come on. Those guys deserved…” Ava started, but the stern look Kierra gave her made her words stop. “Fine,” shegrumbled, then looked over at me. “Thanks anyway, Gabriel. I know you were just trying to look out for me.”

“There are better ways than using fists, kid. Your mom made sure to remind me of that.”

Kierra smiled slightly before wrapping her arm around Ava’s shoulders. “Let’s get home.”

“Okay. Bye, Gabriel! See you later,” Ava said.

“Bye, you two,” I said with a small wave.

“Mom?” Ava whispered as she and Kierra walked out of my office.

“Yes?”

“I know you’re probably pissed about what happened, and I get it, but you should’ve seen how he backed me up. It was just like in those books. I think he was written by a woman.”

A small chuckle escaped me as Kierra glanced over her shoulder to look my way. A tiny grin flashed over her face before she turned back forward and continued walking. “Me too, Ava. Me too.”

10

Kierra

Sixteen Years Old

“A party?” I asked with a cocked brow as Rosie set down her lunch tray across from me. “At Brett’s house?”

Rosie swirled her straw around before sipping her chocolate milk. We had been friends for a while, even though we were quite different people. She was more of a partyer than I was. Gabriel was, too, but he never tried his hardest to get me to go to parties with him. If anything, he told me time and time again to avoid said parties.

“Some things are for good people, and some things are for not-so-good people. House parties aren’t for you, Penguin,” he’d swear.

“Is that because I’m a good person or a not-so-good person?” I replied.

He’d smile and roll his eyes. “Don’t play dumb. You’re a good one.”

Rosie, however, didn’t think like Gabriel. Her thoughts were the complete opposite of his, if I was honest. She was sodetermined to get me to a house party that one would think her life depended on it. She stood on the firm foundation that everyone deserved to go to parties.

“Yes, Kierra. A party at Brett’s house. Just imagine how great it would be. Booze. Boys. Boys and booze.” She clapped her hands together as if that combination was the highest level of life’s success. “We have to go.”

“Or,” I offered, “we couldnotgo.”

Rosie pouted as she sipped her chocolate milk and gave me puppy-dog eyes. “Kierra. Please.”

“Don’t you normally go to these things with Monica?”

“She’s in Florida visiting her grandparents. Besides, I want to go with you.”

“Why?”

“So you can stop being antisocial and actually talk to Brett Stevens.”

My cheeks flushed. “Why would I want to talk to Brett Stevens?”

“Because you’ve been in love with the guy for years, and he doesn’t even know you exist.”

“Exactly. Crushes should never know that a person exists. It ruins the mystery of it all.” Gabriel thought I was crazy for having a crush on Brett. Then again, Gabriel hated every guy that I ended up having a crush on. To be fair, I hated every girl he’d ever fallen for, too.

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