By the time we got through the last of the bag, I flexed my hands and winced.
“Pretty sure my fingers are about to fall off,” I muttered.
“No shit,” Pipe said, shaking his hands out like he might lose circulation permanently.
The door banged open, and Ender stumbled in like he had just survived something traumatic.
He made it halfway across the room before collapsing onto the pool table face-first.
“This is cruel and unusual punishment,” he groaned.
I pushed myself up off the floor and stretched my back, muscles protesting after being hunched over for too long.
“Yeah,” I said, “just think, we’ve got one more day of this before the party.”
“Don’t say that,” Ender mumbled into the felt.
Clove came in behind him, brushing her hair back and looking just as done.
She walked over and climbed onto the table next to him without hesitation.Ender shifted enough to pull her into his arms, pressing a kiss to the side of her head like he needed it as much as she did.
“How about we run away for the weekend and don’t come back until Monday?”he asked.
She laughed softly and sighed, settling against him.“I would say yes, but since we’re putting in all this work, I think we should stick around for the payoff.”
“Fine,” Ender said.“But I’m complaining the whole time.”
“Wouldn’t expect anything less.”
I watched them for a second, then reached into my pocket and pulled out my keys.
“Where are you going?”Clove asked, glancing over at me.
I shrugged, already heading toward the door.“Anywhere but here before Alice ropes me into something else.”
She laughed.“Smart man.”
I scanned the room briefly, looking for Oliver.
Bad idea.
He was already trapped near the couch, standing too close to Alice while she waved a strip of paper in his face like she was explaining something important.
There was no way in hell I was getting within ten feet of that situation.Not happening.
I slipped out the door before anyone could call me back.
I walked across the lot toward my bike, the noise from inside fading behind me with each step.
It was just past nine-thirty.
I swung my leg over the bike and sat there for a second, hands resting on the grips, looking out toward the road.
My mind didn’t go to the party.
Didn’t go to the balloons or the chaos or the fact that tomorrow was going to be more of the same.
No.
