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"I won’t," she whispers back

I know that I rin on my face, but dauess I’ll be the pitiful guy at ho "Bye, Audrey"

She needs to walk away now before I kiss her If I do, I’ll kiss her so hard her lips will bruise She needs to walk away, but instead, she’s just staring at me with that hopeful look on her face Then all at once, the look dies and she says, "Bye, Jace"

Was she hoping that I would kiss her too? Before she can get out of arm’s reach, I pull her back in front of ain "You know that party Cole West throws every year before school starts?" I ask, throwing out the first thing I can think of

She doesn’t say anything for a long time, and I start to think about what I asked It doesn’t seem like a hard question Everyone knows about Cole’s parties People in town gossip about theust around this tiiant house of his just begs for a party I can picture Audrey noearing a bikini and all wet fro Shit, she needs to answer hts of tiny bikinis, water, and her body She nods her head

"You’ll be there tonight, right?"

"Uh… if you want me to," she replies

"I want you… there" I mostly just want her, but I also want her at that party with irl is hard to coe their venue I ck my eyebrow up at her and ask, "You’ve never been?" When she shakes her head, I’er How has he ht have been the one exception to the bro-code of not hooking up with your buddies’ girls, current or past "It’s at Cole’s house, which is the biggest one on Lincoln Court You can’tfor three people

For a fraction of a second, I see her face fall, but she quickly picks it back up and says, "Wow, okay… I’ll be there tonight"

I can tell she’s uncoo because I want her to Probleirl even looks cute when she’s uncoer I reach out and situate her bag of groceries on the passenger seat again Then before she even realizes what’s happening, I grab her arainst the side of the truck

I can feel her heart beating wildly against ainst hers Damn, she’s sweet I shouldn’t have started this, because how the hell can I stop kissing a mouth that tastes like honey? With a little bit of persuasion, I coax her lips open and instantlywith hers I still have her arainst the truck, but she doesn’t seeht hand slides away frohtly, afraid this enchantress will disappear When ers through my hair, which pulls as and wraps it aroundher back further into the truck and grabbing the warh to hold it in place She fits me perfectly

After a couple of heated beats, I realize that I’irl’s clothes off in the ht be the coolest parent ever, but she would kill ossip in this town So reluctantly, I break the kiss Her eyes re to catch her breath, as a out could be so damn hot?

"Holy hell…" I breathe

"Wow…" she says in the saht" It’s not a question anyroceries Without another word, I watch as she walks away carrying her paper bag, even though everything within ht Syndro about a beautiful damsel in distress, and I sure as hell want to be the one to save her

- Two -

AUDREY -

When I sit down on the city bus, I finally get a chance to breathe in and out How did a sirocery store just rock my world off its axis? Did Jace really exist, or was he purely made up of too many library-loaned ro to her right now to tell her everything But I don’t, so I’ll just have to replay that make-out scene over and over in et old Maybe I’ll sneak over to Mrs Thomas’ to call etting closer these last couple of years, and she always tells et my own phone so she can call whenever she wants

I could use another girl’s perspective, since I’m still really confused about the whole incident Oneroceries, and the next he’s pinning uys It’s what you do when you’re bored out here; you et into trouble But I can definitely say that I have never been kissed like that

I can’t even call that a kiss because it was on a whole other level He …where I here I’m from, and even where he’s fro for , but that roceries, I quickly grab the bag frolance inside Shit! No! Damn, why hadn’t I been more specific? First of all, the whiskey is some top-shelf brand that I know cost about seven-times anic, the spaghetti is whole-wheat, the peanut butter has added oa-3s, and to make rocery bill had to have been way more thanhealthier version! My dad is going to murder o, I caught the tail end ofthem quickly into a beat-up old suitcase A fancy black car pulled up out front and lace my way I don’t care where she went or even why she left, but I do care that I’ain Ever since that dayoff the handle in the blink of an eye

I quietly step into the house, relieved to see he isn’t hoh to show up I et out of here unscathed My dog, Chuck, saunters over with his tail wagging to greet , is the only loved member in this house Everybody loves Chuck He found us last year and never left, and thankfully he did, because he’s odforsaken house

"Hey buddy," I say while scratching behind his ear "I gotta leave again soon, but I’ll be back later"

I rush through my shower and put on the ht as I’ my feet into a pair of sandals, I hear my dad’s truck backfire out front Quickly, I open thein the bathroorass I can’t let hiroceries, he will blow a gasket fro the corner, I hear the old screen door sla Before I can hide so me by the arms Coincidentally, it’s in the sao, except this is nothing like how Jace touched me This isyou, Audrey

"Just who do you think you are, and why the hell do I see a bottle of whiskey on my damn counter that cost more than I make in a month?" I have no words; they’ve all dried up "You think you’re better than otta go and wastefifty hours a week in the back of a hot kitchen Not that ita sale," Iup at him

"You think I’m some kind of idiot?" Yes, yes I do, I think But I don’t say that because I’m kind of attached to my face