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So I would put up with Sawyer exactly to the point that ht start to seeured out I had a crush on hiI wouldn’t tolerate if I didn’t like hie away from his hand, which hurt because he’d already wound a curl around his finger

"Ow!" Collectingme captive by a thread, "I don’t like it when people touch my hair"

He raised his brows "That’s a co my hair, Sawyer’ "

It certainly was And now that he’d pointed this out, I was afraid he did suspect the truth Overdoingtoo much, would just draw attention to the fact that ave hiood at these, if I did say so rue fight with Aidan about this" In fact, that’s where htened h to let it pouf twice the size of my head, either I’d worn it tao Natural hair had been gaining popularity--not so much around small-town Florida, but in the parts of America that mattered, like New York and California and TV I wanted to try it

I’d finally found the courage to spend a long Saturday unbindingmy curls to life Mywith the twists I couldn’t see in back Halfway through she’d started coh money to pay someone else to do this

When we had finished, I liked the way it looked I couldn’t wait to show Aidan ent out that night He’d told ically I knew I shouldn’t have taken this as an insult, but he’d rew on its own, ly Or dated Or at least not what he wanted or expected in girlfriend hair

"Judging froht that I overheard at the Crab Lab," Sawyer said, "I think you came down too hard on Aidan about that" I couldn’t see what he was doing, but it felt like he was looping a bit ofhis finger out, curling iron–style, seeing if my hair would stay that way It would

"You?" I exclai up for Aidan?" Sawyer made fun of everybody indiscri a halfway normal conversation with most people Not with Aidan He definitely had it in for Aidan Probably because Aidan’s life was so put together, and Sawyer’s wasn’t

"I’ at a curl, eyes on my hair rather than my face "It would be fine byreasons At the Crab Lab, it see hiirls at school are doing their hair like yours It irlfriend toanything he could think of to get a rise out of

"That’s not true," I said "Aidan wanted me to run for vice president of the student council I make statements in that job constantly"

"Correction: Aidan doesn’t want his girlfriend to make a statement he hasn’t preapproved You can’tit If you did, he’d force you to undo it He’d ood, just for spite That was really clear in thetoday" Sawyer paused His eyes flicked to mine "I can tell from the look on your face he’s done that to you plenty of ti The probleh the halls of the school with a scorched-earth policy, insulting everyone in his path, but he actually was perceptive about whatme That’s why his insults were so effective He understood what buttons to push

His lips were very near ry with Aidan for a long time You kne he’d react to your hair That’s exactly why you did it"

Sawyer had gotten a rise out of, and it seey He’d correctly guessed so incredibly personal about ed myself

And he acted like he’d only dropped another insult, or ht "God, your hair is so cool," he said "None of the curls are the sa fission It’s a sha to wear it this way"

"It’s hard to ets squashed when I sleep Boys mess with e, exotic thrill It’s patronizing"

Finally (regrettably) he pulled his hand away and looked at me "Would I patronize you?"