Chapter 21
I made it exactly three steps out of that classroom before my legs gave out. My back hit the lockers with a metallic crash that echoed through the empty hallway, and I slid down until I was sitting on the cold linoleum floor, my knees drawn up to my chest. My hands were shaking so hard I had to press them against my thighs to make it stop. I love you. The words kept bouncing around in my head like a f*****g pinball, hitting every nerve ending until I felt raw and exposed. He'd said it. Gabriel Preston had looked me in the eye and said he loved me, right after I'd torn him apart for months of systematic torture. And the worst part? The absolute worst f*****g part was that for just a second—one tiny, pathetic second—I'd wanted to believe him. I pressed my palms against my eyes, trying t
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