Grace stops just before we reach the double doors. “Look, Cassia. I know you’re a nice person. So I just feel obligated to tell you…Holden will lose interest. You’re his little sister’s best friend. All innocent and sweet. You’re a novelty, something a little different. But he’ll get sick of you. A little friendly advice? Don’t get too attached.”

She follows the fake speech up with a sweet smile. Like she really only wants the best for me, and I might have no clue that Holden Adams is considered the school heartbreaker.

“I appreciate it,” I say.

Grace smiles again, like she thinks that’s all I’ll say in response.

I smile back. Decide to abandon my non-engagement strategy. “A little friendly advice for you? Don’t worry about my sex life. It makes you sound…attached.”

Predictably, Grace’s smile disappears, creasing into a scowl instead. Maybe she didn’t think I’d ever call her out on her passive aggressive friendliness. Maybe she didn’t actually think anything has ever happened between me and Holden. Either way, any forced niceties are officially over.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” she tells me before striding out into the parking lot.

I loiter in the lobby for a couple of minutes, hoping she’ll be gone by the time I walk outside. Thankfully, she is. But there’s a familiar truck parked near the entrance to the gymnasium. I veer course in that direction, walking along the concrete path and inside the set of double doors.

The rhythmic staccato of a bouncing basketball echoes as I walk into the gymnasium. It’s a massive, empty space. Like a temple to five guys on a court.

Holden stands at the top of the key. Basketballs litter the honey-hued hardwood as he shoots over and over again. Shots bounce and roll, colliding like bowling pins knocking into each other.

I walk toward him slowly, studying the tense line of his shoulders and feeling the irritation radiating off him.

“Bad practice?”

He stills and spins, watching me walk toward him. “Bad day.”

“Yeah. Me too.”

Holden studies me. “Want to talk about it?”

“Not really.” I hold out the Oceanography book I borrowed from him on Thanksgiving. “Here you go.”

We haven’t spoken all week. His dad is still in town, so I haven’t been spending as much time over at the Adamses’. I want Sydney—and Holden—to have as much time with their dad as possible. And I’m perpetually confused about where Holden and I stand. Are we just sex? Does he want more? Do I want more? Should we try to salvage our friendship?