"What the fuck," his head snaps toward me. "Lacey, what the fuck are you—how long have you been there?" His voice is urgent and confused. I smile to myself knowing that he had no idea I've been in the car this whole time. "We need to talk," I says to him. "Go, the light is green." He faces forward again and starts driving. I buckle myself in the backseat and look at him through the rearview mirror again. "You couldn't just talk to me in the hall like a normal person?" he asks. "Dylan, you run away from me every time I see you in the hall. This is seriously a last resort," I say, gesturing around me. "I made myself a promise at the beginning of the year that I wasn't going to let a boy ruin my senior year. I thought it was going to be Jacob torturing me, but it's not." Dylan shifts in his seat and takes his eyes away from me. I lean forward in my own seat so I can look at him. "What are you trying to say?" he asks finally. "I'm saying I've been waiting this whole time for you to come to me and say you want to be with me, but you haven't. Either you don't want to be with me anymore, or you're scared." He scoffs. "Scared?" Why is he acting like the confused one? "Maybe you're scared of being in a relationship. Or maybe you're still scared of Xavier. I don't know. All I know is Kay and Xavier are no longer a problem, and not talking to you has me wondering if you even like me anymore." I'm starting to rant, so I stop. A long sigh comes out of him and his eyes stay on the road. "You ended up with a broken wrist because of me, Lace." "That is entirely Xavier's fault, not yours," I point out. "Besides, it's all healed up now." Wearing a cast for a little bit was rough since it had been my right wrist. Writing in class was harder, but I managed to make it through a month and half with the cast on. It healed quickly and nicely. While driving, he's been taking roads that lead to an old park. He pulls into the parking lot and finds a spot away from other cars. "Come up here," he says, motioning to the passenger side. I unbuckle and crawl to the front, getting twisted up as I squeeze by. Planted in the seat, I find Dylan gazing at me with that unreadable expression I hate. "Why do you always look at me like that?" I ask him. "Like what?" "I don't know. Whenever you have that face I have no idea what you're thinking." He laughs. "And you know what I'm thinking when I'm not making that face?" I shrug. He's getting too invested in what I notice about him. He shakes his head like he can't believe we're having this conversation. "What else do you need to tell me? Or can this wait until tomorrow?" "No, I need to say this now," I say. My heart is pounding so hard in my chest and I realized how close we are to each other. I hadn't felt this way since we talked in the bathroom at Reece's cabin. This is different. Seeing Kay pushed me to really confront how I feel about Dylan. There's never been a time where it's felt unnatural or forced with him. It happened so suddenly and beautifully that I never truly processed it. It hurts to see him in the hall, only for him to run off in the opposite direction. It's agony. And I can finally admit it to myself. "I'm in love with you," I tell him. Hearing the words come out of my mouth is like unbuttoning tight pants after eating a shit ton of food. The relief is instant and it feels great. I can't stop myself from smiling. Dylan can say whatever he wants, but I'm proud of myself for taking charge. "I've always told myself that I don't need a guy in my life to make me feel whole. I still don't. It's like things fell into place easier when you came along." Dylan's expression gives away no clues as to what he's thinking. Then he says, "Do you really mean that?" I laugh despite how nervous I am. "Dylan, I wouldn't have had Anthony help me break into your car if I didn't." "That's how you did it," he taps his chin. "I should've known." "Well, now you're kind of hopping around the subject," I say. I was feeling carefree when I admitted I'm in love with him, but I really care about what his response will be. Dylan covers his mouth, but I detect a smile underneath. "I think I've been in love with you longer." My heartbeat speeds up, but I find myself laughing. "Are you trying to make this into a competition?" "I'm just saying," he finally lets his smile come through. It's been a while since I've seen him smile. Seeing it again, I feel warm and giddy on the inside. "Well, since you're here," he says, "I need to ask you something."