If only Louisa hadn’t been making out with the pizza delivery guy behind the dumpster of the restaurant where she was working. If only he hadn’t decided to surprise her, showing up early and catching some guy pressed against her—an image he’d tried without success to scrub from his mind for months after.

He’d waited until the guy—Nate—went back inside, using every bit of his willpower not to deck the idiot. Cody was bigger and stronger, never mind that Nate was two years older, already in college.

“Just friends, huh?” he spat as a look of sheer panic washed over Louisa’s face.

“Cody, I’m so sorry—it’s not what you think.”

He rolled his eyes. “I told you that guy was flirting with you, Lou. I asked you to shut it down.”

“And I did,” she said. “I thought I did.” She pushed her hands over her hair, smoothing out her ponytail. “I’m so, so sorry.”

“Do you like this guy?” His mind spun with the same phrase, over and over—Please say no.

But she didn’t say no. She didn’t say anything. She hesitated just long enough to give him his answer. He turned to go, and she grabbed his arm.

“I don’t know, Cody. I don’t know how I feel. It’s confusing, and he’s older, and he knows what he wants—”

“I bet he does.” Cody scoffed.

“I’m so sorry. I’m just—freaked out about leaving, about being apart. Nate understands and—”

“And I don’t.” He faced her then, looked her square in the eye. “I know how I feel. I’ve always known.”

Tears slid down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry.”

“You know that guy is just using you, right?” He could feel the anger in his words, fueled by his own pain at a betrayal he hadn’t seen coming.

“Cody, please—can we talk about this?”

“I don’t want to talk to you right now.” He’d been so dense. He really believed when they made that pact only a couple of weeks before that they’d survive her going off to college. They’d already done long-distance; they’d proven they could make it work.

Louisa was leaving in a matter of days—and instead of focusing on the two of them, she was “confused about her feelings” and kissing someone else?

He left then, raced home and slammed the door behind him. He stomped upstairs and turned a circle in his room like a rat in a cage. He wanted to punch something—or someone. He needed to blow off some steam.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts, and his dad poked his head in. “Hey, champ.”

Cody turned away. He didn’t want his dad to see him like this. He didn’t want anyone to see him like this—losing it over a girl. How idiotic.