In Love With Him

Chapter 67

Kennedy – POV

The last week of school before Christmas break went by in a blur. Between finals, holiday activities, and people suddenly remembering I existed because of some rumor Liam started, I barely had time to breathe.

Surprisingly, the highlight of my week wasn’t the break — it was the grade Amber and I got on our project.

A-.

I almost couldn’t believe it.

Dr. Dunning even wrote a note on the rubric: “Great collaboration. Unexpectedly strong dynamic.”

If only he knew.

Working with Amber hadn’t been nearly as bad as I thought it’d be. In fact, dare I say it — it had been… kind of fun. She was smart, opinionated, weirdly funny in a dry, biting way. And to my absolute shock, she’d even stood up for me at lunch earlier in the week when one of her minion-like friends made a passive-aggressive joke about me looking like I crawled out of a Hot Topic dumpster.

Amber rolled her eyes and fired back, “At least she doesn’t look like every other basic b***h here.”

And just like that, I’d gotten the first slice of street cred from the queen of sarcasm herself.

Did… did we just need to work on a dumb project together to realize we weren’t enemies?

Maybe.

Or maybe I was just letting my guard down too easily — because Amber had a history of playing nice until the moment she could twist the knife. Sweet one minute, ruthless the next. Still… she hadn’t been cruel. Not lately.

Then there was the Liam situation.

Ugh.

That was a whole other nightmare.

Apparently, he’d taken my awkward, failed attempt to give him a blowjob and turned it into some glorious make-out session that ended with us officially dating. I couldn’t go two feet down the hall without someone whispering or outright asking me what it was like to date the team captain.

Some people — mostly the nicer, less toxic members of the popular crowd — actually started talking to me like I was suddenly valid. But others, the ones who lived for high school gossip and social hierarchy, just stared at me with this look of really? Like Liam had finally taken too many hits to the head and was dating out of pity.

It was exhausting.

And I couldn’t take it anymore.

So I found him. After school. In the parking lot, just before football practice.

“Hey,” I said, walking straight up to him, arms folded tightly across my chest.

Liam turned around, grinning that cocky grin. “Hey, babe.”

I blinked. “Don’t call me that.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Okay, geez. What’s up?”

“You tell me,” I replied coolly. “Why is everyone saying we’re dating?”

He shrugged, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Because we are? I mean, come on. We made out. We have chemistry. Why fight it?”

I stared at him for a long second. “What’s my favorite color?”

He blinked, caught off guard. “What?”

“You said you like me. So… if you actually like me, you should know me, right? So tell me. What’s my favorite color?”

Liam laughed nervously, scratching the back of his neck. “That’s easy. Black. You wear it every day.”

I tilted my head. “Just because someone wears something doesn’t mean it’s their favorite. Your favorite color’s green, but I’ve never seen you wear it.”

He opened his mouth, closed it again.

“What’s my favorite animal?” I added softly.

He blinked.

“My favorite food? Favorite band? Movie? What do I hate more than anything?”

Liam stared at me, lips parting but no words coming out.

Exactly.

I let out a slow sigh and softened my tone. “Liam… I think you like the idea of me. But you don’t really know me. And I don’t know you, not really. So maybe we should get to know each other first before you go telling everyone I’m your girlfriend.”

I gave him a small, polite smile and turned before he could protest.

Because I was already done.

I didn’t need to be someone’s trophy.

And I definitely didn’t need to be someone’s lie.

---

Dominic – POV

The mall was packed. Holiday lights dangled from every corner, kids screamed in line for Santa, and the smell of cinnamon pretzels hung thick in the air.

I should’ve just ordered the gift online. But something about picking it out myself felt more personal — more right. If I was going to give Kennedy a Christmas present, it needed to mean something. It had to be perfect.

And that’s what led me here — standing in the quietest corner of the bookstore, holding a beautiful leather-bound complete collection of Edgar Allan Poe. The second I saw it, I knew. The worn black cover, the red-stitched spine, the silvered edges. Dark. Romantic. Classic. Just like her.

I could already picture her reaction — eyes wide, fingers trailing across the cover like it was made of gold. I wanted to be the one to give her something she didn’t even realize she wanted until it was in her hands.

I was halfway to the register when a voice called out behind me.

“Yo! Dom?”

I turned.

Tyler Carson.

Tall, lanky, kind of a loudmouth. We weren’t exactly close, but we played basketball together freshman year before he blew out his knee and quit.

He gave me a slap on the back and nodded at the book in my hand. “Didn’t think I’d find you in the nerd section, man. Shopping for a girl?”

I gave a tight nod. “Something like that.”

He smirked. “Must be serious. You buying poetry now?”

I didn’t respond. Just gave a small shrug and started toward the register again.

Tyler followed.

“So, hey — you’re that weird chick’s stepbrother now, right? Kennedy Smith?”

I stopped walking. My grip tightened around the book.

“Yeah. What about her?”

Tyler laughed under his breath, completely missing the shift in my tone. “Dude. She practically broke my little brother’s heart. Liam’s been moping all week. Said they were hooking up or something, made out in his car, then she turns around and tells him they’re not even dating? Harsh.”

I turned slowly to face him.

He raised a brow, amused. “She’s kind of a tease, huh? Acts all quiet and moody but apparently—"

“Stop.” My voice came out low. Firm.

Tyler blinked. “What?”

“I said stop. Don’t talk about her like that.”

His smile faded. “Alright, man. Relax. Just repeating what Liam told me.”

“Then maybe Liam should stop running his mouth.”

I pushed past him before I did something I’d regret. Like throw him through the self-help section.

My jaw was tight. My blood hot. Tease? Harsh? Weird chick?

No.

No.

Kennedy wasn’t like that. Not the girl who brought me coffee when I was hungover. Not the girl who saved me from drowning, who curled up in bed with me like I was something worth holding on to. She wasn’t some game. She wasn’t some casual hookup Liam could brag about.

She was everything.

And I hated that people didn’t see it.

Worse, I hated that she had to walk through a world full of people who couldn’t see it. Who would twist her softness into weakness, her boundaries into games.

I looked down at the Poe collection still in my hand.

No. I knew her. I knew her better than anyone.

And I would protect her — even if it meant keeping secrets that tore me apart.