Page 46 of As You Walk On

Aleah flicks an eyebrow up.

I sigh. “Walking away from things isn’t always that simple.”

“Oh yeah?” she challenges. “Hello, kettle, welcome to the chat!”

Luca clears his throat. “Is this still about me and Devya?”

“I don’t think so,” River whisper-shouts.

I’m still talking about Luca, aren’t I? Or relationships, in general. I’ve never had a boyfriend, so I’m working with limited data, but—this isn’t about me... is it?

“It’s nothing, right, Theo?” Aleah asks through clenched teeth.

It’s a bullet—the way she says my name. Not TJ.Theo. The sharp reminder of where we stand in each other’s lives. A puncture to my ribs, digging in, refusing to come out clean.

I snatch up my phone and stand.

“Theo,” Luca starts, but I’m already stomping toward the door.

Fuck this. I’m going back to the party. Staying here with Aleah and all our unresolved bullshit is a choice I’m opting out of.

It’s too bad I’m so in my head, so intent on running from my issues—again—that I don’t see the bedroom door fling open before it nearly clocks me in the face. My reflexes kick in just in time to send me falling to the floor.

“Holy shit!” I gasp, breathing hard as another familiar face looms over me.

10

LET’S GO TO THE BACK OF YOUR CAR

“Theo, why areyou on the floor?”

Makayla stands over me, eyebrows lifted curiously.

I want to tell her it’s because she almost ended my life—a mild concussion at the very minimum—by carelessly tossing open the door without checking to see if maybe someone else was on the other side. Instead, I reply, “Stargazing?”

She steps over me like everyone did in the quad yesterday.

“And where the hell have you been?” Makayla asks, arms crossed, annoyed glare directed at Luca. “What kind of date are you? MIA for God knows how long.”

“No worries, I’m okay down here,” I grumble after no one volunteers to help me up. I roll onto my stomach, then easily push up to a seated position. Thanks, Coach Devers, for your gauntlet plank workout during the off-season.

“We had an agreement,” Makayla says to Luca, continuing to ignore me.

“My bad.” Luca guiltily rubs the back of his head.

Makayla’s hazel eyes are narrowed, but something cracks in the hardness of her expression. She leans toward him. “I agreed to be your—you know.” Her voice is slightly louder than a whisper. “And you’d stay by my side, all night. We’d look out for each other.”

Luca remorsefully lowers his chin.

“Ditching me wasn’t cool, Luca.”

“Aja spilled a whole cup of beer on me and...” He hesitantly waves a hand at his pants. The damp patch seems to have shrunk. Not that I look long enough to gauge.

Makayla throws a hand over her mouth. “It kinda looks like you... jizzed your pants?”

“I know, I know.” Luca’s face scrunches. Someone snorts. Without looking, I know it’s Aleah. Luca turns pleading eyes on Makayla. “It won’t happen again.”

“Whatever.” She fluffs her wavy blond hair. Her loose-fit cotton hoodie hangs off one shoulder. It’s unzipped, exposing a black crop top. Makayla really is one of those girls who looks drop-dead gorgeous in ill-fitting sweats and old-school Chucks. It’s almost like she put zero effort into her attire and yet.

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