Page 124 of Stealing for Keeps
“He didn’t need to. I know what it means to him.”
He nods thoughtfully, staring at me in a way that makes my skin feel too tight. I know I hurt Austin by ending things. It hurt me too. But Austin deserves to have everything that he’s worked so hard for.
“You know that night you were sick, he stayed up all night long watching over you like he was afraid you’d stop breathing. He was even googling your symptoms and what to do. I think he was on the verge of taking you to the emergency room. Never seen a guy so spun up over the flu.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because you look as sad as he does. And because as much as I hate seeing you move on, I do want you to be happy. Don’t let my fuckup ruin things for you. He’s not me.” The corners of his mouth turn down.
Vaughn’s words spark something inside of me. Hope, maybe. I don’t know what to do with it yet, but it’s there.
“Thank you.” I step forward and hug him.
It’s awkward at first. Vaughn is not really the cuddly type—even when we were dating, he wasn’t—but when he finally wraps his arms around me, I feel a sense of closure with him that has been missing.
Stepping back, I glance up at him. “Does your dad know about algebra?”
“Ha!” He doesn’t actually laugh as he says it. Instead, his blue eyes darken. “I can just hear the lectures now.”
“Better than him finding out when he sees your report card.”
He groans. He actually groans.
“Do you think…” He trails off, looking conflicted as he considers his words. “Do you think Lacey might be able to help me?”
My first thought isHell no, but he’s already so upset, I don’t want to pile on.
“I’m not sure. She’s pretty busy.” Which is true. Lacey’s schedule is packed full.
“Yeah, I get it,” he says.
“You should ask her anyway. It’s better than failing,” I find myself saying. She’s going to glare so hard at me.
When we get back to the hallway, I glance over at Jenn’s locker. Neither she nor Austin are there.
“Coast is clear,” Vaughn says.
“Yeah.” I ignore the disappointment of not talking to Jenn. I’ll just have to find her another time. Or maybe it’s a sign that this was a bad idea.
Vaughn and I go our separate ways. I just barely make it to art as the tardy bell is ringing. Mrs. Randolph gives me a disapproving look as I take my seat. We’re painting today, and everyone has already started grabbing supplies.
Austin has gotten two of everything for our table.
“Hey,” I say as I take my seat. His head snaps up, surprise clear in his expression. We didn’t speak at all yesterday, and it was awkward and weird, and I don’t want it to be like that between us. I don’t hate him, and I hope he doesn’t hate me. “Thanks for getting my supplies.”
“It was no problem.” There’s a flatness to his tone that makes me miss his laugh. He hesitates a beat, then looks back down at his work.
“Also…” I wait until his green eyes find mine again. “I had an idea for our project.”
Austin’s brow furrows and then smooths out quickly. “Okay.” He sets his paintbrush down and gives me his attention.
“What if for the centerpiece, we do a blank canvas?We decorate the edges, almost like a frame, and then have markers and pencils that people can use to leave their own mark, so to speak.”
“That’s a good idea.” He leans back in his chair. “It’s a really good idea. And I think we found the title of our show.”
“Make Your Mark.” I hadn’t thought of that, but I like it too.
We smile at each other, then he seems to catch himself and looks away. “How’d you come up with it?”
