“You can’t just ignore what he did. It was so incredibly wrong and you know it,” Alex continued, trying to talk sense into Chloe since she had calmed down after walking several laps around the school.

She could be very hard-headed. “I just want to forget about it. That’s the easiest thing to do.”

“You can’t just let him get away, Chloe!” Alex told her in what he hoped was a firm but controlled voice.

The girl pacing the halls beside him sighed for the umpteenth time and allowed a silence to settle between them. Knowing that she had had enough, Alex decided to let the topic rest until further action had to be taken.

Unsure of himself and what he was doing, Alex reached for Chloe’s hand. To his surprise, she let her fingers slide between his and squeezed his hand. He tried not to smile too big and Chloe responded with a half-smile in return. She was actually very glad for some kind of gentle physical contact; something that didn’t require more.

After all, Alex couldn’t still love her, could he?