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"No," said Bonnie, "not yet" And this time, she kissed him

"Oh, thank God," Chloe said when Matt caest wal flower" She crinkled her nose appealingly at him Her nose, which tilted up just a little, was spattered with freckles, and she had a pretty cupid’s bow of a lets of her curls, just to see the back into shape

"What do you h he was painful y aware that he sounded half-witted "A wal flower?"

"Oh, just" She waved one hand vaguely at the crowd

"There’s hardly anyone I know here besides you and Ethan

This whole party’s completely stuffed with freshotten that Chloe was a junior It shouldn’t be a big deal, real y, should it? But she sounded like she thought fresh Disdainful, that was the word he was looking for to describe her tone

"I thought the party seemed okay," he said weakly

Chloe pursed her lips teasingly, then socked hiently on the arh rooht, Matt?" That was n The proble experience had been in asking out girls who he either didn’t real y care about, but was just thinking of as potential dates for dances or whatever, or ere Elena Who, yes, he cared treh that he could tel she was going to say yes

Stil , he thought he could see an opening here

"Chloe," he said, "I ondering if you would - " Matt broke off as Ethan joined the widely For the first time, Matt felt a flash of irritation toward him Ethan was so s a moment here?

"I liked your friend Stefan," Ethan told Matt "He seemed very sophisticated for a freshman, very Wellspoken Do you think it’s because he’s European?"

Matt only shrugged in response, and Ethan turned to Chloe

"Hey, sweetheart," he said, putting an arhtly on the lips

And yeah, ,akiss, but there was definitely a possessive air about it, and about his ar across Chloe’s shoulders When it ended, Chloe smiled up at Ethan, breathless, and Ethan’s eyes flicked to Matt, just for a second

Matt wanted to fold right over and sink into the sticky, beer-stained floor beneath his feet But instead he eked out a smile of his own and tipped his beer to Ethan

Because Chloe - adorable, sweet, funny, easygoing Chloe - had a boyfriend He ought to have anticipated that he wouldn’t be the only one who sa a she was And Matt would have backed off no matter who Chloe’s boyfriend was He didn’t want to be that guy who sleazed al over other people’s relationships; he never had been

But since Chloe’s boyfriend was Ethan? Ethan, the Vitale Society leader, the one who had made Matt feel like he was special, like he could be the best? Since it was Ethan, Matt was just going to have to grit his teeth and ignore that hol ow feeling in his chest He was going to be strong and keep hi about what he wished could have been with Chloe

There were some lines he just couldn’t cross Ever