On the way to his room, I ran a hand through my hair a few times and made sure that my tie was straight, rubbing my hand over my lips once again, still slightly sticky with Amelia’s lip gloss. Then I lifted my hand to knock at his door.

There was music sounding from inside, loud enough to make the floorboards beneath my feet vibrate, a dark melody with sultry French vocals. I knocked again, thinking that maybe he hadn’t heard it over the loud chorus. Again, nothing.

A few guys from my class came down the hallway, murmuring to each other as they passed me. I suddenly felt the same self-consciousness that had followed me everywhere during my first weeks here. I looked like a loser, standing in front of my boyfriend’s door and not being let in.

Two more knocks and the music inside quieted down all of a sudden. Heavy steps neared the door before it finally swung open.

I stepped forward, ready to slip past him into the room, but the look on his face stopped me.

Jasper was clad in only his black pants and the white shirt of his school uniform, which was partly unbuttoned, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Through the hair that was falling into his eyes, I could see them staring back at me, dark and unreadable in the dim light in the corridor.

“Hey,” I said. “Is everything—”

Jasper cut me off before I could finish my sentence. “You’re really going to ask me if everything is okay right now?” he asked, every word articulated sharply and laced with venom.

I blinked. “I just came to talk to you about—”

“Amelia?” Usually, every one of Jasper’s sentences was drenched in amusement, like he was in on an inside joke that everyone else didn’t know. Now, the dry laugh he let out didn’t hold a shred of humor. “Don’t bother. I already know what I need to know.”

I swallowed as realization hit me. “It’s already on The Chitter Chatter.”

He nodded. His hand was gripping onto the door frame so tightly his knuckles turned white, his gaze as steely as the rings on his fingers.

“Jasper, I . . . I didn’t mean for it to happen,” I murmured. Even as I was saying it, I knew that it wasn’t enough. “And I came here right away to tell you, I swear—”

He shook his head. “I just don’t understand how you could do it after I told you what happened. After you knew that this was exactly what I was afraid of.”

My eyes stung as I remembered that night in the park: I promise I won’t be like them. I won’t hurt you.

I know you won’t.

“Please, Jas,” I whispered. “I promise it’s not like that. Just let me in and we can talk about everything—”

“I’ve already let you in too many times.” He gave another throaty laugh, a terrible sound that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. “I guess you really were serious when you said you didn’t believe in love, huh? Stupid of me to think that had changed.”