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Sawyer ry with me in real life, but the pelican always lovedwin, I du for his costume I wanted an excuse to wait outside the locker room for him I needed to knohether he was still mad, or the drive back would kill me

I stood to one side as the football players filed out of the locker rooh five Noah shook his freshly sha ye foam bird head in one hand, with the rest of the costuht your bag," I called

His eyebrows shot up in surprise, but he walked over "Hold this" He handedHe fished a Pelicans T-shirt out of the bag and dove into it, biceps flexing as he pulled it over his head I was sorry to see his bare chest go Strangely silent, he took the costu

I ventured, "You could co with Harper, but we could all three move to the back" As if ere all close friends, and this was thethe strap of the bag over his shoulder and eyed me "That’s okay I’ll ride with the team"

"No, you won’t," a football player called as he passed

"The fuck you will," another voice agreed

Sawyer’s eyes never left my face He said h"

"All right" I stood there uncertainly He shifted his bag fro pastaround the parking lot, not quite ready to board the buses for another long drive Finally I burst out, "We need to talk"

"Or, you need to talk," he said, "obviously"

I crossed my arms "That’s exactly e need to talk about: this attitude of yours"

"Oh, my attitude," he said bitterly

"You’re in the costulanced at the football players li by and lowered my voice "You come on to me"

"You like that, do you?" he sneered "When I’al in the state of Florida"

I held et out of the suit, and you’re an asshole, like now I don’t want to do this dance with you anymore If this is how you feel about me, stay away from me and keep your hands off me, suit or no suit" I turned my back on him and sto hat had just happened I wasn’t even sure wherefor Sawyer to embrace me like I was his favorite--and the instant I tried to show hi to do it any to stop and peer back at hiain Five steps later, I couldn’t help it I looked overdown at his shoes like he was trying to figure out one of Ms Reynolds’s calculus equations

And noas caught between Good, I’ve hurt hied up the steps of the van, only to see that soirl had taken the seat next to nize Harper

She was like a hand-knitted scarf Breaking up with Kennedy and dating Brody over the past eous yarn Now she was knitting herself back together in a new pattern This meant I did a double take so her signature glasses with a retro dress Without theht her long hair was pulled into a high ponytail She wore a sio pants She looked as beautiful as ever, only with a lot of the effort taken out--as if she was finally raphy projects and her sweet boyfriend than her own self-i out of her mouth was "Where’s Sawyer?" She stood up to let ruuess Why?"

"Brody told me the football tea to hitch a ride with the cheerleaders That’s the ht I could get sohts are still on Sawyer is a walking, talking photo op"

"He was going to ride with us to the gaave ame"

"That’s because he loves me with his costume on, and he hates me when he takes it off"

"I don’t think he hates you when he takes his costuh the first part of her sentence and talked through the rest "I don’t care anyine ruhts blinked out, I turned to theand watched the distance groeen us and all our school buses I had no idea which one Saas on, or whether he was staring out his o as our van pulled away into the dark