I'm uploading ch 9 straight after this

The sun is setting, casting a golden glow over the water. I'm beside Wren with my towel draped around me, the cool afternoon breeze kissing my face. We're sharing hot chips as we watch the sun slowly sink into the horizon.

"Did you have fun?" he asks me, before popping a chip onto his tongue, maintaining eye contact with me as he chews, somehow making this look incredibly attractive.

"Yeah," I smile.

"Where are you staying tonight?"

"At my foster parents."

"Are they nice?"

I want to say no. I want to say I hate them. I want to say they're terrible people for kicking me out, but I don't. Because it isn't true.

"Yes," I nod. "They are. What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Where are you staying?"

He chews for a moment, staring ahead. I watch the muscle in his cheek dance. The sunlight crossing over his eyes makes me draw a breath. They're a sharp, icy blue that reveals his thoughts so much clearer than his face does.

"With my mum."

"Do you get along with her?" I'm feeling nervous going into this territory. I see the flash in his eyes and immediately wish we weren't having this conversation. Curiosity keeps me there, though, as I wait for his answer. My eyes drop to the single scar on his chest, the one that looks so much like mine. I feel desperate to know more about him.

"Depends."

"On what?"

"Her life choices," he sighs. A bit of his dark hair falls across his forehead and he sweeps it back.

"Choice in a partner?" I guess.

"Yeah. She is very co-dependent on others and she never makes the right choice in men."

"I'm sorry to hear that. My mother isn't any better."

Wasn't.

He has one arm slung over his knee and he fiddles with a plain silver chain that is around his wrist. "It's fucked up how many people this happens to."

"Yes," I exhale, picking at my fingernails. "Is your mum dating anyone now?"

"No, that's why I'm staying."

"Must be nice to spend time with her."

"It is. We are going to see my sister tomorrow."

"Where does she live?"

"She's a town over, with a foster family. They took her from mum last year," he explains. He pauses for a moment. "I've never told anyone that."

"That must have been so scary for her."

Wren looks taken back at that as if that was the last thing he was expecting me to say. "She's better off."

"How come you're at Downright High?" I ask, tucking a piece of my hair behind my ear, only for it to escape and fly back in front of me.

"A decision made by one of the many men that my mum let walk over her," he replies, clenching his jaw. He runs a hand over his knuckles. "Sort of a long story."

"What did you like about Brea?" I suddenly blurt, not understanding where that came from.

He snaps his gaze to me. "What?"

"Constance says you never show interest in anyone, but you dated Brea." I want to dig myself a hole and live in it for the rest of my life. Why did I just ask that?

He smirks, amusement lighting up his eyes. "Why, are you jealous?"

Yes.

"Answer the question."

"I don't want to say."

"Because it'll be hard for me to hear?" I mutter.

"No. It'll make me sound like an asshole."

I raise an eyebrow. "Tell me."

"She said we would only hook up if we were dating. So, I agreed. We hooked up a few times, and I dropped her. That's all it was. I tolerated her more than anyone else because she was easy."

My insides tighten. That was exactly what I was worried about. "You're right. That makes you sound like an asshole."

"I've never been interested in dating before."

"Right," I say, wishing I'd never asked.

"Until now."

I struggle to breathe for a moment. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why would you be interested in dating now?" I whisper. My hair falls across my face and I let it, staring at him through the dark strands.

He throws a chip up into the air and catches it in his mouth.

"I think I've finally found someone worth sticking around for."

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:)