“Where were you during lunch today, Hazel? I thought Amber said we were in the same one?â€? Edwin says concern on his face.

I feel my blood begin to boil. How can he stand there and look so concerned for me, yet won’t get within a foot of me??

“I skipped okay? I went to this lake I found last summer and swam for a bit and then laid in the sun to relax. It was a hard morning.â€? I scream, then race up the stairs to my room. I realize as I close my door that I shouldn’t have had a ride to get to this lake and so obviously I wasn’t alone this afternoon.

There was a soft knock on my door. “Come in.â€? I call.

Surprisingly, Ashton stood in my doorway. He closes the door behind him again and walks right up to me.