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"Totally" She twirled the lock "My parents took my phone, and I feel completely naked without it" She frohen she heard hih under his breath "It’s not funny, Jay"

"I knew so was up when your dad answered and said I’d have to talk to you at school So, what’d you do?"

She concentrated intensely on her co the numbers up just so As if she hadn’t done it a thousand times before As if she couldn’t do it in her sleep

She lifted one shoulder, trying to act as if it were nothing when she answered hiht" Despite her nonchalant tone, she cringed inwardly It wasn’t like she really expected him to just let that pass

Jay didn’t disappoint "What the? What do you mean, picked up by the police? Where were you? Why?"

Violet sighed draiving up on her lock "Okay, so technically it was breaking and entering, but we didn’t actually get charged Rafe stole a key to the dead girl’s house--the one I found in that warehouse the other night--and ere there the cops showed up Sara had to bail us out" She batted her lashes at hi to look as innocent as possible She’d seen it work a thousand ti constricted from between his clenched teeth, but Violet had to hand it to hi "If you weren’t arrested, then why did Sara have to bail you out?"

"So, bailed out isn’t precisely the right word, but you knohat I mean She had to come and rescue us Plus, they called my parents"

Jay chewed on that for aBut then his expression shifted, and he leaned casually against the locker Violet started to wonder if he was enjoying this part Seeing her squirm and all "And they took your phone?"

"Exactly," she sighed

He surprised her then by grinning "C’mon, don’t be like that Think about it, it could’ve been so much worse"

Violet turned back to her locker and spun to the last nu the lever The door rasped ht as well have teleported round you?" he asked,over her shoulderhis breath at her neck

She scowled, refusing to acknowledge that they hadn’t

"And you said yourself you didn’t get charged with anything" The levity in his voice was beginning to grate on Violet’s nerves No one should be socheerful