Starlee's Home (The Wayward Sons 3)

“She’s not,” I confess. “It happened. As a joke, but yeah, it happened.”

His gray eyes scorch into me and I can’t tell if he’s upset or not, but he just says through a clenched jaw, “The next lips you kiss better be mine.”

I nod and watch him walk away, feeling like I may need a cold shower.

Things are fever pitch the Friday before break. Teachers were smart enough not to give any tests, thank goodness. My mind is not on academics, especially after finding the package on my window that morning.

I didn’t see it at first, mostly because it was still dark out. I had a habit of checking out the window every morning, like back in the summer. Back then I was checking to see if Jake was ready for our walk down for the sunset. With that off the table, I now just look up to catch a glimpse of him. Most mornings I find him waiting at the glass for a heartbeat. It’s the little things to get through the day.

Today, though, I see the flash of red on the sill and push open the window. The package is rectangular and wrapped in shiny red paper. A white mangled bow on the top. I look up and see Jake in his window—a smile on his face.

My phone buzzes on the bed behind me.

J: Merry Christmas

S: It’s too early!

J: I don’t want to wait. Open it.

I put down the phone and slowly slide a finger under the tape. The paper falls away and I’m holding a small box in my hands. I lift the lid and see it’s a deck of cards. I recognize the design and glance up at Jake. He smiles broadly.

The cards are from my favorite book series, Red Rising. The first book we read together when I started helping Jake with his reading. Each one a different character, their attributes and little details. I run my finger down the card and the texture surprises me. I pick up my phone.

I don’t text. I call.

Jake picks up on the

first ring. His voice is low. “Do you like them?”

“They’re beautiful. I love them so much. Where did you get them?”

I touch the top one of Darrow and his long blond hair. I have a such a fan-crush on all these characters.

“George made them for me—well, you. It’s really a gift from both of us.”

“George?” I pick up the cards again. The texture I felt was colored pencils. He hand drew each one. “You’re kidding. They’re so good.”

“They came out perfect.”

I look up at him. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

The gifts didn’t end there and I should have known the boys would conspire. On the way to school, I receive a video. It’s snippets of the five of us from last summer. At Star Falls, in Yosemite, hiking through the ghost town in Bodie. At the end, there’s a note that lingers on the screen.

Merry Christmas, Starlee, the only girl that can drag me into nature.

I watch the video three more times during school and Claire finally snatches the phone from me to look. “What’s this?”

“Something Charlie made for me.” Overall, it’s pretty PG and at this point I’m not really worried about what Claire knows about us.

She pauses the video on Jake hanging out at the falls with his shirt off and holds it up. “Look, I’m not into guys, at all, but even I want to touch his chest.”

I laugh. “It’s pretty impressive, right?”

She shakes her head and hands me back the phone. At the end of class, she says, “Oh, I almost forgot. I was instructed to give this to you before lunch and to make sure you read it before lunch.”

It’s a little box and when I open it, I find a tiny pie that fits in the palm of my hand. The scent of sugar hits my nose. There’s a slip of paper inside that says, “Art Room, A Lunch.”