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“Exactly. Fey.”

“Rye.” I huffed, giving him a look. “I told you guys to stop doing that.”

“And we did. It’s not the same,” he retorted smoothly. “Fey’s nicer.”

“Oh, so now we’re rebranding insults?”

He gave me a shrug. “How is it an insult if it’s true? You know Roxxi slipped up and said it the other day?”

“Laylaispretty.”

“Are ferrets ugly?”

I opened my mouth, then shut it, because I didn’t know how to argue with that when I found them to be adorable. “You know what? Since we clearly need to talk, you can drive me where I need to go.”

He nodded like he’d already decided that before I asked. “Where to?”

“The furthest drugstore from campus.”

“Do I even want to know?”

“No. And I can’t tell you.”

He chuckled. “Keeping secrets from me now, too?”

That set off a waving red flag in my mind. “What do you mean,too? What else am I doing?”

His hand flexed slightly on the wheel, but he didn’t look at me. “You’re not wearing my heart.”

The necklace.

I hadn’t forgotten. I could never forget it wasn’t where it belonged. I hadn’t been home yet to get it. He, of course, was wearing his half. He never took it off.

“I’ll have it on next time you see me.”

He was quiet for a moment, the road stretching ahead in silence. “I hate that it feels like you’re slipping away.”

“Why would you say that?”

“Your golden retriever knew someone was screwing with you before I did?”

“Who?”

He scoffed, like I was playing dumb just to piss him off. “You know who I mean.”

“Did you just call him a golden retriever?”

“That’s me being nice.”

“Stop calling my friends animals.”

“Yourfriendwith a boyfriend title?”

My mouth opened, but nothing came out.

His smirk was all bite. “Didn’t think I’d catch that, huh?”

“You know what I meant.”

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