“I think it’s perfect.”
While Joel eats, I cut and glue the photos the way he’d arranged them.
After about five minutes of working in silence, I look up at him.
“I wish you could come to the party,” I say, referring to the Halloween party Thea’s throwing.
He swallows a bite of pizza. “I might be able to make it. My boss said he might not need me this weekend, so if he doesn’t then I’ll go.”
“You have a costume?” I ask. “Because Thea will kill you if you show up without one.”
He chuckles and drops a piece of crust in the box. “Yeah, I have one.”
“What is it?” I ask.
“I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.”
I shake my head. “Never mind. Surprise me.”
I haven’t even told Jace what I decided to do for my costume so I’m definitely not telling Joel before him.
Joel’s phone buzzes and he curses, swiping it off the table before I can see the name on the screen.
“I think you need to dump whoever that is. She sounds like a clinger.”
“She’s something all right.”
I furrow my brows. The way he says she’s makes me wonder if he’s actually talking to a girl at all. I’d just assumed …
“Let’s finish this,” he says, typing out a text and putting his phone away. “I have other homework I have to finish tonight.”
“Uh … yeah, okay.”
It doesn’t take us long to finish, and then we head our separate ways.
I can’t seem to shake my confusion about all his text messages and his odd behavior.
My gut tells me something more is going on than he’s telling me—and I figure I’ll learn what it is eventually, because the truth never stays buried for long.
It always comes out when you least expect it.
Nova
The air crackles with intensity and silence reigns.
It feels like the calm before the storm, the moment where the whole world goes still but electricity sizzles through the air.
I can feel him watching me, but I try to ignore his searing gaze.
I take a bite of my eggs, my eyes glued firmly to my plate.
I finish and stand to carry my plate to the sink.
“Fuck this.”
I jump as his plate goes clamoring to the ground and food rains all over the floor by my feet.
Before I can blink, he’s in front of me, his presence commanding. He takes my plate from me and slings it in the direction of the sink. It misses, hits the cabinet, and breaks into a million pieces.