Page 25 of Beautiful Scars

"Skip?" My stomach does a nervous flip. "I don't know..."

"Come on, Angel." He bumps my shoulder with his. "Live a little."

I bite my lip, considering. Third period is waiting—the class I share with Zack.

Usually, I can handle it, the way he stares at me, how he whispers things barely loud enough for me to hear. But after what happened in the parking lot...

"You're thinking too hard again," Levi says as he reaches up and smooths the wrinkle between my eyebrows with his thumb. "I can practically hear the gears turning."

"I have a test in English," I lie weakly.

"No, you don't." He grins. "You had that test yesterday. You told me about it."

"Right." I forgot I'd mentioned that.

"Look." His voice gets serious. "If you really want to go to class, we'll go. But I saw how you tensed up when Zack walked past earlier. And honestly?" He runs a hand through his dark hair. "We could both use a day away from here."

He's right. It would be nice to get out of here for a day. "Okay," I say before I can talk myself out of it.

"Okay?" His eyebrows shoot up like he can't believe I agreed so easily.

"Yeah." I shrug, trying to seem more casual than I feel. "But if we get caught—"

"We won't." He's already pulling me toward his truck, practically bouncing with excitement. "Trust me. I got this."

"That's what worries me," I mutter, but I'm smiling as I say it.

"I heard that." He opens the passenger door for me, and I climb in. "And I'll have you know I'm extremely trustworthy."

I slide into the seat, breathing in the familiar leather smell of his truck. "Says the guy kidnapping me."

"Kidnapping?" He clutches his chest in mock offense as he gets in the driver's side. "I prefer to think of it as a strategic extraction for birthday planning purposes."

"You're ridiculous." But I'm laughing now, really laughing, and it feels good.

He starts the engine, and the truck rumbles to life. "Maybe. But you like it."

I can't deny it. Instead, I watch as he navigates out of the parking lot, taking the back exit where fewer teachers park. His profile is sharp against the morning light—strong jaw, impossibly long eyelashes, an adorable dimple in his cheek when he smiles.

"You're staring," he says without looking at me.

"Am not." I turn to look out the window, feeling my cheeks heat up.

"Are too." His hand finds mine across the center console. "It's okay though. I like it."

"Where are we going anyway?" I ask, desperate to change the subject.

"That would ruin the surprise." He squeezes my hand. "But I promise you'll enjoy it."

We drive in comfortable silence for a while, leaving the school and its drama behind us. I should feel guilty about skipping, but I don't. Instead, I feel light. Free.

"You know what else I was thinking?" Levi breaks the silence, his thumb tracing circles on the back of my hand.

"Hmm?"

"About what you said earlier. About things being normal." He glances at me quickly before focusing back on the road. "Maybe normal is overrated for us. Maybe we should decide what normal looks like for us."

"What do you mean?"

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