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Rain trickles acrosswithti, trying to keep things together and fix things that I know I can’t fix

"What the hell are you two doing?" I hear Quinton’s voice and I lift e of the field with Tristan and Dylan behind him, their hair and clothes soaked froht, Tristan is distracted with his phone, and Quinton appears utterly fascinated with the scene

Delilah stuers wrap around ," she calls out to them and then shoves me back

I trip over h atand jerk on it, causing her to fall down, too She lands on her hands and knees and laughs so hard she gasps for air I laugh, too, then wipe some mud on the side of her face

"You’re a terrible friend," I say, as we slide around in theto wipe the er mess "Oh yeah, the worst"

She sh, then throw s to her feet, doing a little twirl before sprinting across the field She runs right at Dylan, who shakes his head, glaring at her

"Don’t you fucking dare," he warns, backing away

But she keeps running at hietting mud all over his shirt and jeans

"What the fuck, Delilah," he curses and shoves her back, kind of roughly, and just like that the rain and the round hard

I start to hike through theDelilah ju as she chases after hi an idiot and to leave his to move, so all I do is stand there

Tristan roams off toward the truck area Quinton waits forit is less muddy He has shorts on and his shirt off, and his skin is wet and gorgeous and all I want to do is touch hie of the mud, he extends his hand out to me "God, I leave you alone for ten one forhis hand He helps ot bored"

"That’s a nice look for you," he coh atdown and theto dry out and beco on h?" he asks, and when I don’t answer, he frowns "Nova, you’re too good--"

I cover his mouth with my hand, because I don’t want to hear it, just like I never wanted to hear it from Landon Not only because the similarity of their words ht now I’, stuck in the subdued state of being high I’m just me Nova Good and bad "Don’t say it"

He keeps frowning as I lower hoff s, but we only cause the mud to smear everywhere, and by the ti

Finally, he pulls his hands away and stands up straight, letting out a sigh "I think you’re shit out of luck, Nova It’s not coe chunk of mud out of my leather bands "It has to coue, tossing the chunk of mud at him It hits hi I pull a whoops face, and I start to back away as fake aggravation crosses his face

"You’re so going to pay for that," he says,my steps as I speed for the mud pit, because I know I’s the back of my shirt and pulls ht forward, trying to get away, as et close enough to him, then he encloses me in his arms, picks me up, and heads toward the field

"Quinton, don’t," I halfheartedly protest, because I’m already muddy and it doesn’t really matter if he throwshis hold "You don’t get aith throwing mud on round right on my butt

I roll onto my back, and mud oozes all over round "You’rehis hands on his hips as he stares down atpleased with hiue and then spit when I get aat his gut, like he thinks I’ in the dirt becoetting gross Can you helphis head, he sive hiive out, and he collapses into theout and he catches himself before he squishes ht with his arms

"I can’t believe you fell for that," I say, s my muddy hand across his forehead just because I can

He brings one of his hands up and rubs it all over h "I blame it on those beautiful eyes of yours Theyperson"

I holdto fully hear, see, and feel the h, yet part ofat all The rain softly trickles down on us, andan acoustic song There are people everywhere, and h the air My heart beats in oddamn badly it hurts, and ood on ain and play for Quinton like I told him I would

Quinton’s beautiful honey-brown eyes are on me, the ones that first drew me to him, as rain beads his skin, lips, jawline I want to kiss him, and he must want to kiss me, too, because he start to lean down as I sit up and we ether at the precisesnaps and thunder booms