The moment I’d left the cafeteria, my phone had started blowing up with texts from Hannah. I didn’t even bother to read them. I already knew what they’d say. The worst part was that I didn’t even know if it was Abby. It could have been any number of blonde girls who walked these halls on a daily basis. Maybe I just wanted so badly to see her that I’d imagined it. I shook my head back and forth in disbelief. What the hell was it with this girl that had made me so crazy?

   I texted Hannah right after I’d given up looking for Abby and apologized. I told her I hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before and that I’d call her after work. I probably needed to blow off some steam, and if there was one thing Hannah was perfect for, that was it.

   She was at my locker, waiting for me before the end-of-lunch bell rang.

   “Just so you know, I forgive you, but you should get some more sleep.” She pouted, pressing my body against the lockers with hers and moving my hand to her hip. Licking her lips and searching my face, she added, “I worry about you.” She said it loud enough so that the random people walking by in the hallway could hear.

   This was Hannah. All show. Then she leaned in closer, squashing her large breasts against my chest. I looked down at the tight tank that barely covered them. And then I mentally compared her tits to Abby’s. I started to get hard. “Fuck,” I groaned. I shouldn’t be having these thoughts while my girlfriend was trying to seduce me.

   Hannah must’ve taken my reaction the wrong way, because by the time I managed to pull my mind away from Abby’s breasts, her mouth was on my neck. My fingers instinctively curled around her tiny waist, drawing her closer. I waited for the moment her lips brushed mine before moving in and tasting her.

   “Come over tonight?” Her voice was husky and laced with desire.

   Will walked up behind Hannah, just as I pushed her away, along with any lustful thoughts. “I’m working.”

   “After?” She ran her finger down my shirt and into the band of my shorts.

   “I’ll call you.”

   Her lips curled. “I’ll see you later.” She took a step back and winked. “Run over to my place. We can shower together.”

   With a smirk on his face, Will watched her walk away. “Run over so we can shower together,” he mimicked, pretending to brush hair over his shoulder. The guy was an ass, but he was funny enough and he made the long-ass school days more bearable. I turned to my locker and ignored him. “By the way,” he said, his voice back to normal. “Good job on the whole flaking to get-a-tattoo thing. We waited over an hour for you.” I kept ignoring him. Then I felt his hands rub harshly on my shoulders. “So who was she?” he asked, chuckling suggestively. This kid would not let up.

   Slamming my locker shut, I turned to him. “Your mom.”

   He shook his head with a chuckle. “Hope she was a good time.”

   “That’s gross.”

   “You’re gross.”

   “And you’re four.”

   His eyes narrowed. “You’re being a dick.”

   I was. “Sorry, man. Bad night’s sleep.”

   “With my mom?”

   We both laughed.

   That was as deep as any of our conversations ever went, and that was how I liked it.

   The rest of the day seemed to drag on forever. So much so that when the final bell rang, I hauled ass out of there. On the way to my car, I checked the weather on my phone, trying to plan my next run. When I raised my eyes, all the air left my lungs.

   She was a few feet ahead of me, and this time, I was certain it was Abby. I would recognize her walk anywhere. She wore an oversize T-shirt and jeans cut off just above her knees. Her outfit hid the curves that had been so obviously on display when I had seen her last. Her hair was tied up in a messy knot on top of her head, like it had been earlier when she was sitting under that tree. “Abby!” I called out, shoving my phone in my pocket and picking up my pace. She didn’t turn around. “Abby!” I called again. Still nothing. I hesitated for a second before grabbing her arm.

   She turned to me, and her eyes went huge. “Oh shit,” she whispered. She looked shocked. Or scared. Or both.

   I let my breath out with a whoosh. “It is you.” I swallowed my nerves. Why was I nervous? “I was calling your name.”

   “Oh shit,” she said again. Same tone. She spun on her heels and started walking away.

   I caught up and matched her step for step. “What’s going on?” Her reaction confused me. “Why are you acting like you don’t know me?”

   She sped up.

   “Abby, stop!” She eventually did, throwing her backpack into a shitty old convertible. She fingered the door handle, but I rested my ass against the door, making sure she had no choice but to speak to me. I linked my hands behind my head and studied the sky, letting out a frustrated groan. “You go to school here?”

   She shrugged but kept her eyes down. I dropped my arms. “Abby!” I tried to get her to acknowledge me again. She didn’t look up, but I thought I detected the hint of a smile. My voice was flat as I asked, “Do you want to enlighten me on what’s so funny?”

   She giggled. God, just hearing her giggle brought back all the feelings from our time together.

   “My name’s not Abby.”

   “What? You gave me a fake name?”

   “So did you!”

   “What? No I didn’t!”

   And right on cue, Will showed up. “Hunter! You coming to . . .” He trailed off. Maybe he noticed the look in my eyes, pleading with him to fuck off. “What?” he asked me. Then he glanced from me to Abby—or whatever her name was. “Oh,” he said and began to nod. “New toy?” He eyed her up and down, rubbing his hands together and licking his lips.

   I wanted to punch him.

   Pushing off her car, I stood between them and faced Will. “I’ll catch up with you later, alright?” I didn’t have time to fuck around.

   He raised his hands in surrender. “Alright, man.” He walked off, but not before winking at her.

   I ignored the need to beat his ass and turned to her. “So your name’s not Abby?”

   She rolled her eyes dramatically. “And your name’s Hunter?” she asked skeptically.

   I shook my head. “Are you new—to this school, I mean?”

   “No.”

   “Then how the hell do you not know who I am?”

   She laughed. “Are you some kind of god who I should bow down to?”