Chapter 45

I pray it’s my mom telling us it’s time to come home and pause as I yank it out. Knowing that’s one person Elisa would never argue with and might be my escape route. I hesitate when I see Dane’s name on my text notification, screwing up my face because he has no reason to contact me, and I slide it out while Elisa wanders back to the bench to sort her pictures.

Opening it without much thought, seeing he has probably never casually texted me for any reason, following her on autopilot, and then freeze when I skim what he sent. My blood runs cold, turning me to stone almost instantly as my stomach flips over within my abdomen.

“So you’re hanging out with losers now and getting all cozy? What, are you guys dating now? What happened to ‘I love you’? Was that just bullshit to fuck with my head?”

“What the actual fu…..” I trail off, realizing Jordan’s parents are probably close enough to hear me, given how loudly I blurted out. I glance around, see a few heads turned my way,