I completely forgot about my conversation with Claudia outside the library last night.

“Oh, right,” I reply, grateful for the reminder. “Let me just change.”

I’m still wearing the same clothes from yesterday, so I quickly pull on a pair of leggings and a spandex tank top before putting on my down jacket. “Okay, I’m ready.”

Katie and I head out into the cold morning.

“You were with him, right?” she asks as we walk along the path toward the athletic center.

“Right.” I let out a deep sigh as her question recalls my previous consternation.

Katie takes in my troubled expression. “Are you okay?”

“Yes. No. I don’t know,” I waver. “I like him. I like him a lot,” I finally admit.

“And that’s a bad thing because…” Katie wonders. “He seems to really like you, too.”

“It isn’t part of my plan,” I tell her, coming as close to the truth as I’m able to. “It could never work between us.”

“How do you know?”

“I just do,” I reply firmly.

Katie casts me a concerned look as we head inside the athletic center. “Maybe…” she starts.

I shake my head, and she stops speaking. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore right now.”

We’re already a couple minutes late for the start of the class, so we both hurry through the main entrance into the massive central gym that’s filled with neat lines of various exercise equipment and machines. I spot a sign that reads Intermediate Yoga.

I open the door and we enter the room quietly, each grabbing a yoga mat and laying them down next to Claudia, who smiles over at us in greeting.

An hour later, the class ends. My body feels relaxed, and I’ve successfully shoved my worries away again for the time being.

I head back out into the main gym with Claudia and Katie. The sun shines brilliantly through the paned windows that take up most of the opposite wall, allowing students a sprawling view of campus as they exercise.

Glancing around, I see the gym has become much more crowded than it was when we arrived. I quickly discover why. Jace is standing in the far corner with the rest of the football team huddled around him, writing workout instructions on the whiteboard. Katie and Claudia both spot him as well.

“Should we go over and see if he remembers either of us?” Claudia jokes.

Katie sends me another look of concern.

I force a laugh in response to Claudia’s comment. “Let’s get breakfast instead.”

We turn to head toward the exit, passing a long rack of weights. Three guys stand around the equipment, their muscular builds indicating they spend a lot of time in this building.

One of them whistles as we walk by. “Hey, blondie,” he calls.

I turn my head, since I’m the only blonde in the group. The guy in the middle of the trio is looking directly at me, smirking confidently. He’s handsome in a manufactured way. His light blond, almost white, hair is carefully styled and his tight, sleeveless shirt is clearly meant to emphasize his bulging biceps.