I chewed on my lower lip, second-guessing my decision to invite him to my house. Perhaps I should have pushed for a public location, not because I couldn’t keep my hands off him but because I wasn’t sure I was ready for him to meet my mom.
It could be a terrible idea; one I might end up regretting.
The bell rang, sharp and jarring, and I jumped slightly.
Maddox was already standing, gathering his things with efficient movements. “Do you know where Paisley is?” he asked, surprising me. “I need to talk to her.”
“About?” I replied, picking up my bag and slinging it over my shoulder.
“Just an assignment for history. I need her notes.”
We started walking out of the classroom side by side. He was lying. I knew it. Maybe he knew that I knew it as well and just didn’t care. “Uh, I think she has sociology next.”
“Great. Thanks,” he mumbled before disappearing into the hallway, crushed with bodies and chatter, leaving me staring after him.
Why did that feel like a bullshit excuse? He was up to something. Just what did he want with Paisley? I had to find a way to ask her without raising suspicion.
The library had always feltlike a sanctuary to me. Quiet. Orderly. Predictable—rows of books, the smell of old paper and dust, and the hushed atmosphere.
Today, the sanctuary became a place of conspiring.
Paisley and Atlas were already tucked into a corner table by the back windows when I slipped in. The afternoon sun filtered through dusty glass, casting long rectangles of light across worn carpet.
Paisley sat at the computer with Atlas on her right. I took the empty seat on the other side of her, glancing past Paisley at Atlas. “Do you forgive me yet?”
“It’s a good thing you’re cute, matcha. It makes staying mad at you difficult,” Atlas muttered, but there was no real bite to it. “Besides, I’m not one to judge. And I’mdefinitelynot your dad.”
I smiled. “I don’t have one of those.”
“Dark,” Atlas replied dryly, one eyebrow arching. “We all got our personal trauma.”
Paisley glanced from the screen. “Do you have it?”
I reached into my bag, my fingers closing around the small SD card nestled in the interior pocket, and I pulled it out, holding it between my fingers. “The quality’s shit but not the worst considering I was wearing it around my neck. I’m…bummed I didn’t get something useful.”
Paisley’s expression softened as she took the card. “You got out in one piece. That’s what matters.”
Had I though?
Atlas leaned back in his chair, his sapphire eyes directed to Paisley and me. “Before we go any further, can we address the fact that you two are reckless idiots?”
Paisley shot him a look. “Atlas, not this?—”
“No,” he cut in, shaking his head. “You snuck into Raven Night without telling me. We’ve done some crazy shit, Pais, but this… It’s a good thing I didn’t know beforehand because I would’ve killed both of you.”
You think I would get used to people throwing around idle threats of murder. I wasn’t.
“I know, but the thought of another girl getting hurt…I couldn’t sit and donothing. Can we just watch the footage and be done with it?” Paisley slid the SD card into the reader, the computer whirring as it recognized the device. Grainy footage popped up on the screen, jerky from the movement of the necklace. “You’re allowed to be mad,” she said quietly, not looking at him, her eyes fixed on the computer. “I would be too.”
Atlas exhaled through his nose, settling into his chair.
The shit-quality footage played, and I twisted my fingers together in my lap, hoping I did a good enough job altering the footage. I didn’t like lying to my friends, but what happened between Maddox and me wasn’t for the world to see.
Bodies blurred past the lens, unfocused. The three of us leaned in, our heads bowing toward the screen, trying to identify who was who behind the masks. Some were far easier than others. It was like watching a bad homemade movie. I spent more time sneaking glances at Atlas and Paisley than watching the screen. I’d already seen it a dozen times.
Paisley sped up the footage, whizzing through the night from my perspective. I could tell she was disappointed at what looked like just another teenage party. Drinking. Laughing. Dancing. And people generally having fun and acting wild.
Sighing, she sank into her chair. “Well, that was a bust.”
