You’re Mine by Penny Brooks

Chapter 23

Harper

| clutch my books closer to my chest, irritated that I have to carry them but my backpack is already full and my locker won’t open. It’s jammed yet again. I hate this school.

The moment Ryan and I arrived this morning, the first person I saw was Easton. He looked right through me, his eyes narrow slits, his lips thin. Aisha approached him and it was as if he forgot all about me, his attention solely focused on her.

She sent me a look that told me she witnessed our little interaction and she wanted to interrupt it on purpose, the catty bitch. I leave them in a huff, my determined steps taking me to my locker, only to discover it wouldn’t open.

Thank God I brought all my books home last night, in the hopes could lose myself in homework. Didn’t happen.

All I could think about was stupid Easton

Didn’t help that he sent me a friend request on Instagram and like the pathetic loser he always reminds me that I am, I accepted it without hesitation. And then I went and

followed his profile, which is public. No surprise.

When he direct messaged me, I almost fell off the bed. At first, he acted like he was into me, and despite everything that’s happened between us, the miniscule good and the overwhelmingly bad, I thought maybe he was going to confess his real feelings.

Then he made it seem like all he wanted was a sneaky hookup here and there, and I was disgusted. More with myself than him.

This is why I can’t get my hopes up. Easton will always bring them crashing down

I walk into my first period classroom early and collapse into my desk, dropping the books I’m carrying with a loud thump. I suppose I could go to the front office and complain about my Wocker. They’d write me an excuse for being late so it’s not like it would be a big deal.

I’m about to get back up when Sadie darts into my classroom, her eyes wide, her expression downright frantic.

“Oh my God, there you are! Are you okay?” she asks, her words so fast they practically trip over themselves.

I frown. “What are you talking

about?”

see your locker?”

“I went to it earlier, but I couldn’t open it. That’s why I’m carrying my books.” I wave a hand at the stack in

room before

We head for my locker, which is surrounded by a small group of people. As

laughter. Snippets of conversation.

what I

That someone is Aisha.

across my faded gray locker door.

SLUT!

even used an exclamation

my reaction. I refuse

I cry in front of these people.

what they live

the small crowd, their faces blank, their lips curved as if they’re enjoying witnessing my humiliation. Sadie is so

Her voice rises above the crowd as she gestures toward my

here,” I whisper to her. “They had to

front of

usually pretty quiet before the first bell rings. It’s a smaller cluster of lockers that sits at the end of

Not today though

hell

his way through the crowd until he’s standing right in front of me. His gaze goes to my locker door and his expression

He’s pissed

did this?” he

just happened. I was at my locker a few

know his, too. When it doesn’t open for him, he curls his hand into a fist and starts banging on the door. Like magic, it pops open and he steps away just in