Keeping my shoes on, I climbed inside the sleeping bag, seeing Crist on my right, Torrance lying at my feet, and Kai above me. Michael pulled off his T-shirt, his long, toned torso spread out next to me like he didn’t know we were still in public no matter where we were sleeping.

I quickly turned away, heat rising to my cheeks.

I scooted up toward Kai—the safe one—but something grabbed my feet and yanked my ass back down. I glared at Will, but he just smiled to himself as the lights in the gym went off and everyone settled in, giggles piercing the air and chaperones patrolling to keep peoples’ hands off each other.

Yes, let’s lock up over a hundred hormonal teenagers in one space. What a stupid idea.

My stomach growled, and I shot a glance up at Will, seeing his eyes closed, his arm propped up under his head as a pillow, and his lips curled with a smile.

He’d heard that. Someone brought me pizza earlier as I sat on the bleachers—maybe at Will’s behest—but I told him to screw off.

Now, I regretted it. I hadn’t eaten in over twenty-four hours.

The minutes passed, the chatter started to quiet, and Bryce started to snore from the other side of the gym. Arion Ashby slipped on her sleep mask and some students put on their expensive headphones to cancel out the noise.

I was too hungry to sleep, and the granola bar in my pocket called to me.

I turned my head, looking over at Will. His hair had dried, and even though I’d never seen it looking so messy, he still pulled it off, because he was born with it. Stern brown eyebrows, a sharp nose, but soft lips and the most beautiful eyes I’d ever seen behind those sweet, sleeping eyelids and long lashes.

Why couldn’t guys this cute ever be nice?

I blinked, dropping my gaze. Of course, he did give me his sleeping bag.

And probably the granola bar and Godzilla, too, even though he broke into my locker to leave it for me.

“So what were you trying to do?” I asked in a low voice.

“When?”

I looked up to see his eyes still closed. “You said you weren’t trying to scare me upstairs,” I told him. “So, what were you trying to do?”

His chest rose and fell in steady breaths, hesitating a moment. “I was trying to see if you liked it,” he whispered.

If I liked what? Him?

The chase? The danger? The risk?

Well, I didn’t.

But I couldn’t help but ask, “And? What conclusion did you come to?”

The corner of his mouth curled into a smile, but he didn’t open his eyes, and he didn’t answer. “Go to sleep.”

I turned my eyes back up to the ceiling, seeing the rain still hitting the skylight.

He needed to leave me alone. Just give up. If he kept pushing me, I’d do something stupid because I could feel it coming.

I clenched the sleeping bag in my fingers.

There were moments I wanted to do something outrageous. I mean, sure, I wanted a boyfriend. I wanted fun.

But I couldn’t bring someone into my life. It was a nightmare, and I needed to keep it together for my grandma.

Just mess with someone else, Will Grayson. I don’t want your attention.

Unable to stop myself, I turned my head again, taking in the peaceful look on his face as he slept. The way his neck looked so smooth and soft, and what would’ve happened upstairs in the chem lab if I hadn’t pushed him away.

I would’ve regretted it, but I would’ve liked it, I think.

I stared at his lashes and the way they draped over his skin underneath his eyes.

My own burned with tears I refused to let loose.

I guess I understood people letting themselves be used, even for just a night if it meant not being alone for once.

I turned over on my side, watching him sleep, but then my eye caught something, and I looked down, seeing Damon lying on his stomach and watching me. His head was propped on his hand, his eyes sharp as he brought up his fingers and dragged his thumb across his throat, not blinking once as he stared at me.

I clenched the sleeping bag tighter at the small scowl in his eyes.

Rolling over, I stared at the ceiling again, getting the message. You’re not special, so don’t get confused, girl.

I reached into my pocket and fisted the granola bar.

But I was no longer hungry.

Will

Present

I stared at her through the two-way mirror as she stood on the other side, moving her gaze left, right, up and down, taking in Aydin’s bedroom.

Noticing the bathroom, she hurried through the door and turned on the faucet, filling up a glass with water. She tipped her head back, gulped down the whole thing, and refilled again, drinking that, as well.

I finally blinked, balling my fists as I watched her in her tight, cropped black pants, and her sweet little, fitted white blouse with the collar buttoned right up to the neck. She might look like the grown-up architect she was if it weren’t for the white Adidas sneakers instead of heels.

Amusement curled the corners of my lips, remembering overhearing her words in class once. “It doesn’t matter if I arrive in style if I can’t arrive at all.”

She hadn’t changed a bit. Why the fuck was she here?

I let my eyes fall down her body, knowing she couldn’t see me as I took in her dark hair, kinky and wild from the tumble. The heat on her cheeks, rosy against her golden skin, was still so beautiful, and I’d bet her slender neck could still fit in my hand.

My mouth watered, and my cock started to swell.

Coming back in the room, she carried a newly filled glass of water and set it down on the chest of drawers before walking around the room. Mud smeared her clothes, and a leaf stuck in her hair as she wrung her hands.

Micah and Rory dumped her in here an hour ago, while Aydin and Taylor went off somewhere.

Aydin would be back, though. I looked over at his bed, the largest in the house, with his fresh white sheets and luxurious, feather-down comforter.

Walking over, she lifted the pillow to her nose and inhaled his scent.

I narrowed my eyes, a knot tightening in my gut.

She pulled back, and then dove back in, drawing him in again. I clenched my teeth.

She dropped the pillow to the bed and continued around the room, opening drawers and closets, sifting through the medical notes and drawings on his desk, and leaned down to inspect the jars of dead animals floating in formaldehyde.

Then, she picked up one of the bones strewn on his desk and lifted it up, turning it over.

She hissed, realizing what it was and threw it back onto the table.

I smiled.

She took out the knife Aydin let her keep and gripped it in her fist before she downed another glass of water and then walked to the locked door, yanking on it.

It didn’t give, though.

What did she think she was going to do?

What was I going to do? She was on my agenda, but not yet.

This changed things.

She paced and paced, breathing heavier and getting worked up, but then she stopped.

And she looked over at me.

I cocked my head as she thinned her eyes and stepped slowly over to the mirror on her wall, stopping directly in front of it.

The square mirror was about three feet on all sides, and she seemed to look through it, but her eyes never really found mine.

She couldn’t see me, but she clearly knew it was more than a mirror. You could never get much over on her.