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I glared at her "Yeah? So?"

"How do you feel about that?"

"Right now? I’hed "I’ okay"

"Not pissed," I huffed "Confused I’ me, okay I think he’s as upset as I am, but then he acts like he’s not"

"A bit like what you’re doing?"

My mouth fell open

Claudia smirked

I threw a cushion at her "If I want a rational conversation, I’ll call Alex"

Chuckling, Claudia got up off the couch and started for the kitchen "Let’s have soup"

"Let’s talk about the TA," I called after her

She srad student now So hot He said yes within an instant ofhim out Apparently he wanted to ask me out sophoot to get less subtle, Charley"

"Oh yeah, because you’re a real shrinking violet"

Two seconds later, an oven glove seneral direction as I opened up my textbook

Bobb was part of Bobb-McCulloch Halls on the north ca that wouldn’t have been very inviting if not for the strea in and out and the far-off beat of ht not be such a good idea" I stared nervously at the building

"We could just go back to the hotel," Claudia suggested as she stood byhow quickly the last feeeks had flown by I spenton the phone to Mo myself up in the apartment Alex would stop by sometimes and ask me to come out for drinks, but I was steadfast on my path to reclusiveness While I did all this, Claudia studied, ignored phone calls from her parents and Beck, and went on a few dates with Will the TA Unusually for Claudia, she didn’t talk about the dates and I didn’t ask

I’d spent the interi about seeing Jake again and I had no doubt by how quiet Claudia was on the subject that she was anxious about facing Beck She had major reservations, but I knew she put theo since… well, since everything

I felt guilty being there for this party when I should’ve been there long ago for a different reason altogether

I looked at uys had invited us to stay at their apartht it was safer to get a hotel rooood at running from shit"

"True But this we can face up to"

Once inside we followed the posters directing us toward the party Not that we needed the posters The music and kids with plastic cups in their hands were like flashing arrows

We walked through the corridors in silence, thesteadily louder We passed a couple of open dor inside, as we neared the central point of the party

Gazing into the large common roo and chatting

I felt Claudia’s hand curl around ht," she said just loud enough for me to hear over The Killers "Maybe we shouldn’t have co to our left I followed her gaze

It took

And when I finally did, I felt like I was back at that first party in Edinburgh, seeing Jake across the rooroup of college girls, was Jake He was sitting on a table that had been set up with plastic cups of beer and standing in between his legs was a tall, curvy redhead She had one hand on his shoulder, her other hand clutching a plastic cup, as she grinned down at hi her, but their proxiein the way his dark eyes danced, in the half sripped ht? To feel betrayed To feel the blade of jealousy score across ut I only had iven hiot worse"

I blinked, tugging my eyes from the car crash that wasin on the beautiful brunette walking toward ot worse

I flinched at the sympathy in her eyes as she caave us a pinched save Melissa a nod, not sure I was able to speak past the burning lu within me not to look over Melissa’s shoulder at Jake and the redhead

Melissa looked over her shoulder for me When she looked back at uys broke up"

Another score acrossit, to see if there was an actual wound

Jake was friends with his ex? He was confiding in her? Since when?

Her eyes softened, like she’d caught soed at her compassion

I quickly wiped my face clean of e behind her "When he’s hurting Specifically when he’s hurting over you"

Why was she telling me this? What did she expect me to say? That I was sorry Jake turned into an assholeyat all

Melissa shifted uncomfortably "Just try not to be too pissed at him He really loved you"

He really loved th of will, I didn’t let her know that hearing those words was like taking a bullet