James barks out a laugh. “For real. You used to ditch all the time.”

Realistically, an afternoon of school isn’t that much in the grand scheme of things. “All right, fine.” I point an accusatory finger in Zoe’s direction. “But if Sofia murders me, my blood is on your hands.”

Zoe crosses her heart with feigned seriousness. “I accept full responsibility.”

When the lunch bell rings, I stand and bring my tray over to the garbage bin. After I’ve dumped the contents inside, I turn around to find Damien behind me. He takes great interest in the cafeteria floor, looking sheepish. A nudge of apprehension builds in my chest.

“Excited to hang out with Zo?”

“Yeah,” I say. “It’ll be nice to spend some time together.”

“Allie,” he starts, immediately dropping the small talk. “I really did have a good time last night. I know everything is crazy for you right now, and you feel like you don’t know me. I get that. But I can’t just turn off my feelings.” He takes a deep breath. “I love you. And I want you to know I’m going to do whatever I can to make you feel the same way again. No matter how long it takes, okay?”

Discomfort prickles on my skin. “Damien, I can’t promise you anything. I don’t want you to get your hopes up. I might never—”

“I know. But I won’t give up.”

There are a few beats of charged silence before another voice breaks in, bursting through the tension. I take a subconscious step backward.

“Allie,” Zoe calls as she hurries in our direction. “We’re wasting precious daylight. There’s a very small window of opportunity to sneak away before anyone notices us.”

I hesitate, stuck in my conversation with Damien, tempted to tell him not to waste his time on me. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a lost cause. But he remains stonefaced and stubborn. Instead, I turn to Zoe, nodding. “Okay.”

“Have fun,” Damien calls, making an effort to lighten his voice as Zoe tugs me out of the cafeteria.

Out in the parking lot, she instructs me to keep my head down as we make a beeline for her car. Despite my initial reservations, I feel a thrill of adrenaline over breaking the rules. I’m sure I’ll regret it later if Sofia finds out, but for now, it’s nice to have a change of pace.

“If any teachers see us, I’ll say I have period cramps and have to go home,” she whispers, keeping an eye out for any bystanders. “Works every time.”

It takes great difficulty for me to suppress my snort of amusement, until Zoe curses under her breath, grabs my arm, and ducks behind an old truck. I follow her lead, struggling to keep my balance, bracing myself against the rusty metal.