You’re Mine by Penny Brooks

Chapter 121

Harper

With Easton's phone tucked under my arm to hide it from my teacher, I enter the classroom, and hurry to my desk.

Once I'm sitting, I take out my textbook and notebook and pretend to be ready for class. Really, it’s just a stage, so I can look prepared while, in all actuality, I’ll be hiding behind the guy in front of me, using Easton's phone to catch up on all the things I’ve missed. Just as I'm typing in his passcode—the same code, I’ve learned, that opens his locker—I hear, “Are you all right?"

The question comes from my left, the seat where Blake sits. I'm sure he’s asking because he saw Easton and I arguing.

Blake misses nothing. I don’t want to get into it. It's none of his business.

Whatever I tell him, I’m sure will get right back to Aisha, and then I'll have to listen to her teasing, too. I'm over it. I glance at him, observing the concern etched across his face. “Yeah, I'm fine."

“You deserve better."

He turns his body toward me. “I told him that when I saw him gloating in the hallway a few seconds ago. What dude does that, by the way? Fight with their girlfriend, and then act like king of the world?"

He rolls his eyes. “Anyway, I just want you to know that you don't have to put up with someone treating you that way. You're a hell of a catch, Harper. Any guy in this school would agree."

My heart aches. I was the reason for today’s fight. I was the one who royally fucked things up. I was the one who waited her whole life to date someone—someone as amazing as Easton—and then kept him a secret from her parents.

me? How am I going to make this up to Easton? How am

at Blake, lost

Every word I said is

toward the front of the room, the teacher beginning her lecture. I don’t know what she's saying,

to get out of my head for a few minutes and focus on something other than my massive fuck—up. I

immediately pull up his DMs and start scrolling, looking for names

a bunch of stuff with his guy friends. Phew. I logout of his account and login to mine, catching up with all the messages

type of reference about my fight with Easton this morning—or anything about me in general or her everlasting love for him. She’s been quiet, and that’s not

a little lame lately, a few hookups that the school already knows

my Facebook and TikTok, laughing at Sadie’s video with her hairless cat. She likes to dress him up in these

pet companies reach out to her for endorsements, it’ s nuts. Seeing that I haven't really missed much, I logout of all my accounts and stare at the background

dock. Sadie had taken the picture and our legs are dangling in the water,

I'm sorry.

badly when we parted in the hallway, I feel hopeful that he’s somehow going to forgive

I need to feel the love he didn't give me this morning. I pull up his photo App and start scrolling through all his pictures.

in my bedroom, lots were snapped while we were at school,

going pretty fast, so there’s quick flashes of detail that catch my eyes—liquor bottles,

scrolling, knowing there has to be more shots and suddenly, something out of nowhere catches my attention, and I reverse back a