Page 291 of Playing Dirty

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Good.

That should not have felt like anything.

But it did.

I grabbed my jacket and headed outside into the night air, still thinking about Coach’s comments from earlier.

“Too safe.”

“Emotionally repressed.”

Yeah.

Great combo.

My phone buzzed again before I even reached the street.

Mason:

Don’t walk alone back.

I stopped.

Stared at the message.

Then typed:

Rowan:

I live like ten minutes away.

Almost instantly:

Mason:

Still.

I stood there for a second.

Then:

Rowan:

You’re being bossy again.

Mason:

Yeah.

I noticed.

That made something twist in my chest in a way I didn’t fully understand yet.

I started walking.

And somehow—

it didn’t feel like I was alone.

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