CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT-3
“I am not cruel.” He scowls at me. “I was protecting you this morning. How do you think Peter and his i***t friends would have reacted if they discovered that you and I were…” He sighs. “You would never win. They would always call your ranking a result of my favoritism rather than your skill.” I open my mouth to object, but I can’t. A few smart remarks come to mind, but I dismiss them. He’s right. My cheeks warm, and I cool them with my hands. “You didn’t have to insult me to prove something to them,” I say finally. “And you didn’t have to run off to your brother just because I hurt you,” he says. He rubs at the back of his neck. “Besides—it worked, didn’t it?” “At my expense.” “I didn’t think it would affect you this way.” Then he looks down and shrugs. “Sometimes I forget that I can
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