going to have. He bites down on his lower lip suggestively.
Mom and Tad don’t have a spare four hundred lying around. It might just be cheaper for Tad to ship me off to boarding school. And, of course, he’ll use me as an excuse to deny Mia and Melissa their self-entitled weekly shopping sprees. Soon, I’ll be to blame for all things debt related.
“When do we start?” I spear him with my anger.
“Soon as possible.” His cheek pulls into a half smile as he walks away. And Skyla ? Feisty becomes you .
***
“I don’t like the thought of you hanging around him,” Gage whispers, while holding me under the awning at lunch.
A downpour ignited as soon as the bell rang, which leaves ninety percent of the student body huddling en mass like ants under a leaf. You would think with all the rain they get on Paragon, they would offer us more shelter.
Ellis comes over, spilling his backpack onto the ground. “You guys hear they caught some kids going at it on top of the English building?” He laughs into the words. This is obviously the trivia he lives for.
“It was Nat.” Brielle closes in our circle. “Pierce came up. He’s all freaked out about losing his brother. He lost his sister like a year ago, and now he’s the only child. Anyway, I guess Nat has been suspended for three whole days.”
My heart sinks. Of course he’s all freaked out about losing his brother—dead is pretty much forever, unless you’re Chloe.
“Funeral is Friday.” Brielle smirks when she says it. “Isn’t that weird?”
“Why would that be weird?” I ask.
“It’s Halloween,” she whispers as though it were top secret. “I don’t know, it’s just wrong.”
“Yeah well, I’m not calling off the party.” Ellis growls. “I’m not letting some murderous lunatic ruin life for the rest of us.”
Ellis is right—ever since I moved here, I’ve been ruining life for the rest of them and flat out ending it for others.
“Don’t go there,” Gage says it hot in my ear. “You made so many things right.”
It amazes me sometimes that Gage doesn’t have to read my mind to know what I’m thinking. I pull in closer and let my head dip down over his chest. A violent clap of thunder explodes above us, rattling the windows of the surrounding buildings. I tighten my grip around his waist so hard I think I’m going to push through.
I look back and both Brielle and Ellis have disappeared.
“I don’t feel right about going to a party that night—any night ever again to be exact.” I should voluntarily ban myself from ever having fun again.
“We have to.” He tickles my ribs gently. “It’s the best party of the year.” He rests his lips on the top of my head momentarily. “I’ll even wear a costume if you want.”
“Really?”
“Really. Anything.”
“OK, how about a vampire?”
“Except that.” He averts his eyes as though he were rethinking the situation.
“Come on, vampires are cool and super sexy. It’s what I really want you to be. I’ll be Frankenstein’s daughter. I’ve got the neck, remember?”
“Yeah, well, my dad wanted me to let you know it’s time for the stitches to come out.”
“I’ll leave ‘ em in until Saturday.” I shrug. “Tad saw them and thinks they’re some Goth experimental stage I’m going through.” I feel better talking to Gage —being with him. He has a way of removing the grime from the world and letting me see things clean and new the way he wants me to, if only for a moment.
Gage leans in and kisses me without reservation. He pulls back and his eyes linger into mine.
“I think I’m falling in love with you, Skyla .” His dimples dig into the sides of his cheeks, as though somehow highlighting the importance of what he’s saying.
The sky ignites with splinters of lightning that spider across the sky in pink and lavender hues.
I pull him in and lean my head up against his shoulder. Logan catches my eye from the doorway of the
Mom and Tad don’t have a spare four hundred lying around. It might just be cheaper for Tad to ship me off to boarding school. And, of course, he’ll use me as an excuse to deny Mia and Melissa their self-entitled weekly shopping sprees. Soon, I’ll be to blame for all things debt related.
“When do we start?” I spear him with my anger.
“Soon as possible.” His cheek pulls into a half smile as he walks away. And Skyla ? Feisty becomes you .
***
“I don’t like the thought of you hanging around him,” Gage whispers, while holding me under the awning at lunch.
A downpour ignited as soon as the bell rang, which leaves ninety percent of the student body huddling en mass like ants under a leaf. You would think with all the rain they get on Paragon, they would offer us more shelter.
Ellis comes over, spilling his backpack onto the ground. “You guys hear they caught some kids going at it on top of the English building?” He laughs into the words. This is obviously the trivia he lives for.
“It was Nat.” Brielle closes in our circle. “Pierce came up. He’s all freaked out about losing his brother. He lost his sister like a year ago, and now he’s the only child. Anyway, I guess Nat has been suspended for three whole days.”
My heart sinks. Of course he’s all freaked out about losing his brother—dead is pretty much forever, unless you’re Chloe.
“Funeral is Friday.” Brielle smirks when she says it. “Isn’t that weird?”
“Why would that be weird?” I ask.
“It’s Halloween,” she whispers as though it were top secret. “I don’t know, it’s just wrong.”
“Yeah well, I’m not calling off the party.” Ellis growls. “I’m not letting some murderous lunatic ruin life for the rest of us.”
Ellis is right—ever since I moved here, I’ve been ruining life for the rest of them and flat out ending it for others.
“Don’t go there,” Gage says it hot in my ear. “You made so many things right.”
It amazes me sometimes that Gage doesn’t have to read my mind to know what I’m thinking. I pull in closer and let my head dip down over his chest. A violent clap of thunder explodes above us, rattling the windows of the surrounding buildings. I tighten my grip around his waist so hard I think I’m going to push through.
I look back and both Brielle and Ellis have disappeared.
“I don’t feel right about going to a party that night—any night ever again to be exact.” I should voluntarily ban myself from ever having fun again.
“We have to.” He tickles my ribs gently. “It’s the best party of the year.” He rests his lips on the top of my head momentarily. “I’ll even wear a costume if you want.”
“Really?”
“Really. Anything.”
“OK, how about a vampire?”
“Except that.” He averts his eyes as though he were rethinking the situation.
“Come on, vampires are cool and super sexy. It’s what I really want you to be. I’ll be Frankenstein’s daughter. I’ve got the neck, remember?”
“Yeah, well, my dad wanted me to let you know it’s time for the stitches to come out.”
“I’ll leave ‘ em in until Saturday.” I shrug. “Tad saw them and thinks they’re some Goth experimental stage I’m going through.” I feel better talking to Gage —being with him. He has a way of removing the grime from the world and letting me see things clean and new the way he wants me to, if only for a moment.
Gage leans in and kisses me without reservation. He pulls back and his eyes linger into mine.
“I think I’m falling in love with you, Skyla .” His dimples dig into the sides of his cheeks, as though somehow highlighting the importance of what he’s saying.
The sky ignites with splinters of lightning that spider across the sky in pink and lavender hues.
I pull him in and lean my head up against his shoulder. Logan catches my eye from the doorway of the
Similar Books
