“Sorry.” I check the time on the wall clock. Holy shit! Lunch is in ten minutes. “How long have I been zoned out?”

Sage shrugs as he flips a page in his textbook. “For about twenty minutes.”

I casually glimpse around at the rest of the class; everyone is partnered up and working on the assignment. “Dude, I suck. I’m like the worst partner ever.”

Sage fiddles with a silver barbell in his brow. “It’s just class, no biggie.” He releases his piercing and starts doodling skulls on the top of his notebook. “Do you want to talk about what’s bothering you, though?”

I peek at the page he’s on and turn to the same one. “Who said anything was bothering me?”

His brow cocks. “Lyric, you’ve been staring at the wall for the last twenty minutes and haven’t said a word. Something definitely has to be wrong for you to remain that quiet.”

I press my hand to my heart, pretending to be offended. “Are you saying there’s no way I can just be quiet without something being wrong?” When he presses me with a look, I sigh. “Okay, you’re right. But I promise it’s nothing. I’m just waiting for Ayden to text me. That’s all.”

“Yeah, where the hell is he today? We were supposed to meet up before school to chat about something, but he totally blew me off and ignored my text, too.”

“He had an appointment or something, and I think he must have forgotten his phone,” I lie because I have no clue what to tell him. No one outside of the Gregorys and my own family knows what’s going on with Ayden and the police. They don’t even know about his brother’s death.

“Yeah, if he’s not texting you, then he’s definitely forgotten his phone. What’s going on with you two, anyway? You seem a little,” he rubs his jawline, “offbeat lately.”

“Whoa, nosy much?” I squirm, something I’m not a fan of doing. Usually, I’m comfortable in every situation.

“I’m just curious what’s going on with you two ... for the band’s sake.” He shrugs and waits for me to answer his question. “You know, the last thing we need is some sort of lover’s quarrel that causes us to split up.”

I shoot him a dirty look. “Ayden and I aren’t lovers.”

“You sure about that? Because I can never tell with you two.”

“Hmmm, let me think,” I sarcastically say, thrumming my fingertip on my lip. “Well, there was that one time when we kissed under the bleachers and I nearly swooned on the floor. It was so magical.” I roll my eyes. “What are we, gossiping girls?”

“Hate to break it to you, but you are a girl.” He scans me over, his gaze remaining a little too long on my chest.

I cross my arms and decide to put him on the spot. “Okay, so why were you two meeting up before school? Because I’d really like to know for the band’s sake. I mean, for all I know, you two could be having a bromance quarrel.”

He stares at me blankly, clearly unimpressed. “You’re too clever for your own good, Lyric Scott.” He tucks his pencil into the spiral of his notebook then leans back in his chair with a lazy grin on his face. “And I’m not telling you my secrets unless you tell me yours.”

I scrunch my nose at him. “Well, this game isn’t fun if you’re not going to play.”

“Sorry.” He seems very unapologetic. “Besides, I don’t want to talk about this with anyone until I chat with Ayden first.”

“You’re being very cryptic.” I examine him intently. “You’re not thinking about springing the band, are you? I know we haven’t gotten any gigs yet and everything, but working my magic takes time.”

“I know it does.” He reaches into his pocket for his phone. “And it’s not that. Trust me, I’m way too comfortable with you guys to ever start over with a new band.” He reads something on the screen of his phone then smiles. “Well, looks like our boy got his phone back.”

“Ayden just texted you?” I lean over my desk to look at the screen of his phone, but Sage quickly presses it to his chest.

“Dude, that’s private shit right there, Lyric.” He stuffs his phone into the pocket of his blue hoodie. “I know you and Ayden don’t have boundaries and everything, but seriously, you can’t just read people’s phones whenever you want.”

“Sorry.” I’m not, though. I’m actually really curious to read what’s on his phone, more than I was before.

“It’s cool.” He shuts his book, giving up on us finishing the assignment. “We should probably finish the project up after band practice or something since we wasted so much class time.”

“Sounds like a plan.” I close my textbook and shove it into my bag.

For the next seven minutes, I mentally chant the lyrics of an angsty song I wrote during first period, trying to cool off and not get jealous over the fact that Ayden texted Sage before me.

Am I another obsession?

An aching in your brain?

Am I a complicated attraction?

Driving you insane?

Tell me why I can’t get you out of my head!

What it is you’ve done to me?

Why do you drive me so fucking crazy!

Please, please, tell me

Something.

Anything.

That will help me think

Clearly agaaaaiiiin!!!!

By the time the bell rings, I’ve chillaxed a smidgeon. I enter the busy hallway and spot Ayden leaning against the lockers across from the classroom. He’s texting on his phone with his head angled down so he doesn’t see me right away.