“Ross knows?!” Spencer roars, and then he punches the locker so hard that it dents. His knuckles are bleeding, but when I try to grab his hand, he jerks away from me, this look of hurt and betrayal on his face. “You lied to me,” he spits out, clearly disgusted. “I mean, how could you let me sit there and act like an idiot in front of everyone else? How could you?”

My jaw tightens.

“This isn't all about you. Jenica was the only other girl to ever attend this school, and now she's dead. I didn't want to end up that way, too.”

“You could've told me,” he says, pointing at himself. “I … I …” Some of his anger fades away and this sick expression of guilt settles over his features. “I threw you against a tree; I hurt you. Fuck, I tried to beat you up and all along, you were …”

“Maybe this is a lesson that violence isn't acceptable against anyone, regardless of gender?” I whisper, but Spencer's not listening to me. He's got so much anger and guilt swirling together into the perfect storm.

“We could've been something, Charlotte,” he says, looking up at me with so much hurt that my eyes water. “But I hate being lied to. I hate it. Ask anyone. And the boys … how could they?”

Tobias and Micah appear from around the corner, both of them panting as they jog up to us in their gym clothes. They're both wearing shorts that show off their muscular legs. It's hard not to stare, but then, I'm so shook up about this issue with Spencer that the excitement quickly fades.

“What's going on?” they ask together, and Spencer sneers at them.

“You fucking assholes,” he says, circling them like a shark. The twins watch him carefully, green eyes reserved. “How long have you known?”

Micah and Tobias exchange a look, and then turn to me. I nod, just barely, but they see it.

“A while,” Tobias says carefully, “but I figured it out myself on Halloween. Then I told Micah, and we followed Charlotte into town to see for ourselves. She didn't tell us personally. You're the only one she wanted to have a special conversation with.”

Whoa.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

Is Tobias … jealous?

I'm so confused right now.

“Right,” Spencer growls, turning as Ranger and Church both start down the hall toward us. “No, don't even. I'm not going to sit here and listen to apologies. You all lied to me when you knew I hate being lied to more than anything. More than fucking anything.” He shakes his head and puts his hands up as Ranger tries to take a step toward him.

“Spencer, this wasn't about lying to you. I told Charlotte she had to tell you, but it had to be on her own terms. Someone tried to kill her, man. Not everything is about you.”

Spencer scoffs and shakes his head, putting his hands on his hips and closing his eyes as he looks down at the floor.

“Right,” he whispers with a low, dark chuckle. “Because you guys don't trust me enough to think I'd be there to help, that I'd try to keep her safe.” The tone in his voice, it's killing me. How do I tell him he was the hardest to speak the truth to because there's so much between us, so much chemistry and want.

But I can't say that aloud. I'm just … my throat feels tight, like I can't breathe.

“You know that's not the case,” Church says, holding a water bottle with … is that iced coffee in there?! He tries to move toward Spencer, too, but he's having none of it.

“Yeah, sure. You know what? I just …” He glances over at me again, sighing heavily. “I need space. Serious space right now. I'm gonna make myself disappear for a day or two; don't come looking for me. You won't find me even if you try.”

He takes off down the hall, and I move to follow, but then, there's so much blood.

“Could someone please escort me back to the dorms?” I whisper. I feel like crying, even though it was my own hesitation that caused this situation in the first place. My year at Adamson hasn't been anything like I thought it would. It's been both better and worse than I expected, and we're just barely about to start spring break.

Jesus.

“We'll take you back,” the twins says as Ranger stares after Spencer like he's considering going after him. Church, too. But then they both turn to me instead.

“What an unfortunate series of events,” Church says, unscrewing the top of his bottle and taking a sip of what I'm now sure is iced coffee. “Well, it had to happen eventually.” He looks down at me with his amber eyes. “He's not angry about your identity. I'm sure he's more pissed at us. I wouldn't worry about it.

“Will he be okay?” I ask, and Church nods.

“He knows this campus better than the watchman or the janitor. You two are done with your physical?” The twins give Church a pair of very lackluster thumbs-ups. “Take Charlotte back to the dorm, and we'll see you there later. There's no point in trying to find Spencer; he'll come back when he's ready.”

I nod reluctantly, but what can I do? I don't know the campus layout for shit. In fact, on a good day I can barely find my way out of a paper bag. Besides, um, I am bleeding quite profusely.

“Can you walk?” Micah asks, and I give him the darkest expression known to womanhood. My eyes are narrowed to slits, and storm clouds are probably raging above my head.

“I'm on my period; I don't have a shattered pelvis. Such a man thing to say.” I scoff and head off down the hallway as fast as I can, the twins trailing behind me.

But I can't stop thinking about Spencer, especially when, right after we get inside, it starts to pour rain.

Poor fucking Spencer.

Church comes up to my room later with a hot water bottle, some pain pills, and a bar of chocolate. I kid you not.

“Clichéd much?” I whisper, but I'm actually blushing and beyond grateful. My cramps are killing me, and who doesn't like to be taken care of once in a while?

I just didn't think it would be Church Montague, President of the Adamson All-Boys Academy Student Council, doing it.

“I read an article that says chocolate helps cure cramps,” he tells me, moving into my room and frowning at the open window. It's pouring rain outside, but I need the air. I'm just so stressed about Spencer, and the way everything went down. That's not what I wanted. Shit, it was the last thing I wanted. “You know what else cures cramps?” he asks, totally icy and deadpan.

I sigh.

“I'll bite: what is it?”

Church smiles so cheerfully, it lights up the entire room with sunbeams.

“Sex.” He pats me on the head as I groan, and then glances toward the window with a long sigh. “Don't worry about that idiot. He's not out in the rain and cold if that's what you're thinking. He likes to retreat to cabin ten when he needs space. He truly believes we don't know that's his spot, but we all do.”

“Cabin ten? Like one of the staff cabins?” Church nods and then turns back to me, his lips curving to the side in a sensual little smirk.

“I wasn't joking about the sex part. Hit me up if you change your mind.”

“Get out.” I push him from my room, and then lock the door with all of Spencer's amazing additions.