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Oh. My. Gods. - Weebly

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“If I had been honest with myself—” He starts tugging up little<br />

clumps of grass. “I would have realized that the bet was just an<br />

excuse. A reason for me to spend time with you. One I didn’t have<br />

to explain to anyone.”<br />

I continue with my stretches, working through all my leg muscles<br />

and ignoring his little heartfelt speech. Ignoring the fact that<br />

my deal with Stella served pretty much the same purpose—a reason<br />

to go after Griffin without guilt over how Nicole felt about him.<br />

“Even though I was a total jerk, you still gave me a chance.”<br />

“Stupid me.”<br />

“Second chances are a rare thing around here.” He inches closer<br />

on the grass. “When I was seven my parents got on Hera’s bad side.<br />

No one has seen them since.”<br />

That makes me pause. That would have been about the same<br />

time Nicole’s parents got banished.<br />

He’d said his folks weren’t around—and I remember thinking<br />

how vague he was. I hadn’t even considered they might be dead.<br />

I’d just thought they left him with his aunt while they traveled the<br />

world or something.<br />

I never thought his parents being gone had anything to do with<br />

Nicole’s.<br />

<strong>My</strong> heart melts. Just a little.<br />

“Here I was, carrying you in my arms because I had to, and you<br />

were trying to get me to open up. You wanted to know me. Despite<br />

how horrible I had been to you.” He leans in and whispers, “That’s<br />

when the bet ended for me.”<br />

Another few drops of ice melt away.<br />

Not ready to get burned twice in one week, I tell myself not to<br />

216

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