“Don’t get near me again,” I say, stomping to the bathroom and flinging Drop’s shirt at them. “You don’t get to take my Journey away from me. We aren’t together, Drop. And we aren’t friends. Friends wouldn’t do what you did to me.” I put my hands on Drop’s chest and push them toward the door. “Get out. Go back to Seaside. I’ll see you in the Blue.”

I can’t waste any more time away from Sean. Not when my days are numbered. I have to make this right.

If he’ll let me.

Sean doesn’t pick up when I call. He doesn’t answer any of my texts. I even try going to his house, but his mom and Raul won’t let me in, even if they do both look like they feel pretty sorry for me. And when I try blaring music from my phone in some desperate attempt at a rom-com apology, Sean flings open his bedroom window to yell, “This isn’t Say Anything! Just leave me alone, Ross.” I finally go back home, unable to sleep, trying to figure out something I can do to fix this mess. I come up completely blank.

The only other option is to surprise him at school, try to explain myself, and at least let him know how sorry I am about Drop. At first, I try to meet him after his swim practice in the morning, but when he sees me, he just stays in the locker room and never comes back out. I hang around all day to try to run into him when school gets out, but when he spots me outside the front of the building, he walks back inside, and same thing. Never comes out. I know he’s going to two-a-days now that state is just a couple weeks away, so I decide to go and sit in the bleachers. I know he won’t miss that because if he skips practice, Coach will kick him off the team. He can’t avoid me if I just go.

The second Sean sees me in the stands, he glares. It’s the kind of glare that would melt my insides if it could. But I just wave, a huge smile plastered on my face, and say, “Oh, hi! How random that I ran into you here!” I hope he hears the bite in my voice because having to chase him around all day is starting to become a pain in my ass.

An adorably dimpled, perfect pain, but still.

Instead of Sean, a new voice growls at me from across the pool. “And here is exactly where you’re not allowed to be. You’re banned from the pool after that shit show yesterday. What the hell were you thinking?”