Mila Wilson is quiet, anxious and a little bit of a mess. Panic attacks have ruled her life for as long as she can remember - but starting college is her chance to take control. Love? Not something she believes she's built for.
Then she meets Jace E...
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"Oh. My. GOD!" Bree screeches after I finish telling her everything. "There's no way—you're lying to me!" she adds, practically vibrating with excitement.
"I'm not lying," I laugh, watching her reaction.
"Mila, I'm so happy for you! Honestly, I kind of already knew. You guys were giving off serious vibes yesterday," she says with a knowing grin. "I just didn't want to say anything in front of Jace."
"Yeah, same. I wanted to tell you, but it would've been... awkward."
"So," she starts, her voice full of playful mischief, "how good is he in bed?"
"Shhh!" I hiss, glancing around in a panic. People probably already assume we slept together—Jace does have a reputation—but that doesn't mean I want Bree yelling about it across campus.
She just laughs, clearly enjoying this way too much. A few students walk past us to find their seats. When they're gone, I raise my eyebrows at her and nod with a slight, sheepish smile.
"I knew it!" she whisper-yells, practically bouncing. I laugh again, quickly scanning the room to see if anyone noticed. "Okay, okay," she says, calming down. "So what was with that weird morning then?"
"Do you remember the guy from the park? Derek?" I ask.
"Yeah... What about him?"
"Jace and I ran into him this morning."
"Ugh. Did he pull another creepy stunt?"
"No, Jace was with me. But I can't figure out why Jace hangs out with someone like him. He obviously doesn't like him—it's confusing."
"I've never heard Austin mention Derek. Honestly, it is weird," Bree agrees.
I shrug. "Maybe I'll ask Jace later. I just have a bad feeling about it."
Bree gives me a reassuring smile. "I'm sure there's a reason."
The seminar starts, thankfully giving me a break from the overthinking. It flies by quickly, probably because I spend most of it zoning out over this morning's encounter.
"Alright girl, talk soon, okay?" Bree says as we leave class.
"Yeah. Hey..." I pause, stopping her. "Can you not say anything to Sarah or Lisa about this? I just... I don't want to deal with them right now."
"Of course. Not a word," she promises, pulling me into a quick hug before heading off.
Two more seminars to go. I consider skipping them and crawling back into bed, but I know if I start skipping now, I'll never stop. So I push through.
Four hours later, I'm finally done. No messages from Jace all day. I forgot to pack lunch and barely ate anything, so the dizziness is starting to hit. I know it's mostly in my head, but I'm still scared I might faint. Just as I'm debating whether to grab food or just lie down somewhere, my phone buzzes.
