Page 62 of Paper Hearts

Kamila tries to follow me, and I let her for a day but delete her when she sends me a snap of Ender at school. The words on it: Date with this guy later.

And it’s a picture of Ender with his hood is up, in class, looking bored, scowl on his face, busted lip and black eye.

I delete her from Snap Chat after that.

As Christmas approaches, I find little interest in anything around me and live for the nights Ender calls. I try not to be so attached, but I totally am. It’s a problem.

Christmas morning, my phone rings around five in the morning. I lift my phone from my nightstand and peek at the screen lighting up. It’s Ender.

Gasping, I slide my finger across the screen and realize two things. I’m still in bed wearing his hoodie like some kind of stalker, and Ender looks as if he’s been up for hours.

“Ender?” I gasp, sitting up in bed, my heart beating so hard it feels like my chest is. “What are you doing?”

“Calling my girl on Christmas,” he mumbles, forcing a smile. He looks like he hasn’t slept in days and got in a fight. The hood of his sweatshirt is up and it’s dark where he’s at, an orange glow on his face.

“What happened to your eye?”

He sighs. “Nothing.” His eyes drift lower on the screen to my chest. He smirks but it’s weak. Forced. “Are you staying untouched, baby?”

“What?” I laugh, curling into the overly large sleeves of my Raider’s hoodie he sent me with his number on the back.

His brow furrows and I notice he’s in his truck, trees behind him. He leans his head back against the seat. “Has anyone touched you?”

“No.” My cheeks warm and my heart keeps beating steadily. “Only you.” I don’t know why he’s asking this. “Have you?”

His lips quirk again. “Have I what?”

I fidget with the sleeve of the hoodie. “Kamila followed me on Snap Chat for a day. She said you guys were dating?”

He snorts and rolls his eyes. “She’s only saying that because she wants you to think we’re together.”

“You’re not?”

“No,” he snaps, and I fear I’ve upset him. “She’s a fucking liar. Don’t believe anything she tells you.”

I nod and he stares at the screen. His eye looks pretty bad. “Ender… what happened? Why aren’t you at home?”

He licks his lips, his brows scrunched. “Got in a fight… with my dad again.”

“Did he hit you?”

The detached look in his eyes gets stronger and his breathing picks up. I can see it on the other line. “I miss you.”

“Only six more months,” I whisper, propping my chin on my knee and holding the phone in front of me.

“I wish I was in your bed with you now.”

“I do too.” I smile. “It’d be the best Christmas present ever.”

His posture relaxes and I can hear the dings on his phone, as though there’s someone trying to get a hold of him. “Did you get the package Arya sent you?”

I nod. “I haven’t opened it yet though.”

“You should.” He winks, but it looks funny with his puffy eye. “I snuck something in there.”

My heart jumps. “Really?” I lean over my bed and retrieve the box Arya sent last week. “Want me to open it now?”

He nods. “I got yours. Thank you. Nobody’s ever gotten something like that for me.”

---