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Steadying rabbed the handle above the"Why can Piper know, and I can’t?"

"Fuck, Tate" He threw off his seatbelt, and hopped out of the car "I don’t want to talk about it" The edge in his tone was angrier and louder

I climbed out of the car after hi! What do you think’s going to happen?"

He stayed on his side of the car, so distant, and he looked at o up behind his eyes The wall that said ere done

"What I do with h!

"Trust?" I spat out "You lostain" Or more, I hoped

He pinned me with disdain "I think we’ve ame, then fine We can have a sleepover, but there will be fking involved" His sour words cutto hi in my eyes

He must’ve seen the pain on my face, because his hard expression faltered, and his eyes dropped

"Tate…" He started walking towards me, his voice softer, but I plucked out the photo I’d stuffed in my pocket and shoved it in his chest I darted around him and ran home I barely made it inside the house before I broke down

No more

I slid down the door after I’d locked it and cried at his cruelty and inity a couple of hours ago? I banged ainst the door, but it didn’t help erase the blow to my pride

Jared didn’t deserve otten me

No more

Chapter 31

"I love birthdays It’s the only tih a htinto the icy sweetness "I’d go nuts counting calories"

"You don’t have to count calories, Tate Maybe if I started running…" she drifted off as if she couldn’t finish the thought KC enjoyed exercise classes but hated the idea ofherself in her own time

She’d taken me to Mario’s forout the surprise cake The distant sound of Rosemary Clooney’s Mambo Italiano played from the speakers, and e all day froht He’d peeled out of his driveway after I’d run into my house and, as far as I knew, hadn’t been ho whatever it was that he did

Ideas had been popping in o? Worked for a crime family? Or maybe he volunteered at an elderly hoht droveand looked at ht?"

I felt like the thu aboutinto his room? The near-sex? But hoould she know any of that?

"Last night?"

"The race I heard you showed up with Jared and …staked your clairin made ht with Jared, I was more confused than ever about where we stood I couldn’t explain it to her if I didn’t understand it er in a circle to keep

"Not uess Other than that, I’ on" I stuffed more cake into my mouth

"Do you care about him? More than a friend?" Her fork was paused in midair, and she stared at ood did it do hed "But he doesn’t care about ave ave me a second slice of cake

After Mario’s, she droveto theup onthe romantic co at soaze and sucked in a breath at the sight of ht spectacle by my house

What?

My pulse started to race Was my house on fire?

I quickly shot out of the car and raced up asped at what I saw

The tree between Jared’s and hts

Oh, my God Who did this?!

I couldn’t control the smile that spread across my face The tree was decorated with an assort bulbs, as well as lanterns of different styles and sizes adorned the tree The awe-inspiring ical quality of the world within the branches was too intense for words I was sure I would never enjoy looking at this tree without lights again

Jared

My lips began to quiver As I walked closer to the tree, I understood why so ht was beautiful

I’d spent a lot of ti with Jared in it until the stars faded with ht

He’d done this for me I didn’t knoho else it could’ve been This was our special place--one of ic and wonder

The quake in er, and a few tears cascaded down my cheeks as I silently took in the spectacle