closing the door since it looks like she’s staying. “I’ve cut class plenty of times.”
“I’m not talking about that, I’m talking about Lylah... the way you just went at her.”
I shrug again. “She was being a bitch.”
“Yeah, but no one’s ever...” Her expression softens, and I realize she's referring to the fact that I stood up for her.
Or at least, I can see how it might look that way.
The truth is, the second I heard Lylah suggest Conner and Cole were sharing Hadley, something in me flipped. Jealousy had burned through me like wildfire, and I’d been spurred on by nothing but anger and regret... and a flash of possessiveness that I hadn’t expected.
Conner wasn’t mine.
Maybe he never had been.
We’d been friends. That was all. Yet, hearing Lylah say those things... I couldn’t stand listening to them.
“What?” Hadley asks, snapping me from my thoughts.
“Nothing.” I purse my lips, giving her a little shake of my head.
“It wasn’t just about me, was it? It was Conner too.”
“It’s late, I’m tired, and I really don’t want to do this right now.”
“Kennedy,” she lets out a soft sigh, “it’s not what you think, I promise. I’m with Cole. I’ve always been Cole’s.”
But something did happen with her and Conner, I can see it in her eyes. The same way I saw it in his.
The need to know burns through me like acid in my veins. Did they sleep together? Does she know how it feels to be close to him? Skin on skin, hands touching and bodies pressed together?
It shouldn’t gut me the way it does, but it’s there, a giant pit in my stomach.
“You should go,” I say, motioning to the door.
“Okay.” Hadley takes a resigned breath. “But I’m not going to let you push me away that easily. You need a friend, Kennedy Lowe, and that friend is me.”
I’d laugh if it weren’t for the serious expression on her face. So I opt for arching a brow. “Is that so?”
“Yup. So sleep it off, and I’ll see you in the morning.” Hadley reaches the door. “Oh, and Kenny?”
It’s the first time she’s used my nickname, and I have to admit it sounds a little strange coming from her lips.
“Yeah?”
“Whatever did or didn’t happen with me or Conner doesn’t matter, because his heart... well, something tells me that belongs to you.”
She gives me a weak smile before slipping into the hall, leaving me more confused than ever.
The next day, I leave for school before Hadley arrives. It’s a bitch move, but I can’t face her, not after last night. I need time to figure some things out—mostly what she said about Conner.
It makes no sense. I mean, I know he’s always loved me—we were best friends. But something doesn’t add up.
The second I step foot in the school building, Principal Vager appears, as if he were lying in wait. “Miss Lowe,” he barks, “my office.”
With a muffled groan, I dutifully follow him down the hall. Inside his office, I sit quietly, waiting for him to rip me a new one.
“I was disappointed we didn’t get to have this chat yesterday. But seeing as you and Mr. Jagger decided to cut class—”
“That was all my idea,” I blurt out. “After the tussle with Lylah, I needed an escape route—”
“And Conner just happened to be there?” One of his bushy brows hits his hairline.
“Yep.”
“Miss Lowe,” he leans forward, steepling his fingers, “I cannot have you assaulting other students—”
“Assault?” I balk. “She called Hadley—”
“Miss Lowe.” His hand collides with the desk. “Enough. When I agreed to your transfer with Mr. Jagger, I was assured that you would blend in. You barely managed to make it through your first morning.”
I sink into the chair, feeling his disappointment from across the desk. “Sterling Prep prides itself on providing a safe and enriching atmosphere for its students. We have had enough issues with the Jagger brothers, let alone you.”
“Me?” I sneer. “You mean a girl from the Heights?”
“That’s not... I didn’t mean that.”
“Sure you didn’t. You think I don’t know what everything thinks about me? They take one look at me and cast their judgements. Nothing is going to change that.”
“You can change that, Kennedy. You can prove them wrong.”
I press my lips into a thin line, hating that he’s right.
“I agreed to this because I want to help. No one should have to—” He stops himself, and I wonder just how much James told him.
The thought makes me wince.
“But you need to play ball, Kennedy. Go to