Page 59 of Veiled

Don’t freak out, stay present. Don’t freak out, this isn’t him.

“You want to see me be an asshole?” He starts to pull me into him, and I think he’s going to try to kiss me.

I seethe, ripping my arm from his grasp. “Don’t. Fucking. Touch. Me.”

“Already made that mistake once,” he retorts before walking away, leaving me fuming at his audacity.

The dining hall is packed when Matt and I lead Josh to our table and introduce him to Antonio, Sasha, and James.

“Okay! What are we thinking for this weekend?”

“Sleep. I need to catch up on sleep before my body revolts.” I say, trying to stifle a yawn.

“Nooo,” Sasha protests, shaking her head. “It’s our first full weekend off. We have to plan something fun!”

“Sleep can be fun.” Josh jokes, grinning.

Sasha swivels her head between Matt, Josh, and me. “So, Josh, you’re a G-rated teddy bear for Lee, too? Or are you guys getting back together?”

“I’ll let you two have this one,” Matt chokes, barely containing his amusement.

“What the hell is a G-rated teddy bear?” Josh laughs. “And getting back together, what kind of stories are you making up about me, Lee?”

“Matt told her our Homecoming story,” I explain. “But no, Sasha, that was a one-time thing. We’ve just stayed friends over the years.”

“Unfortunately, one kiss was all it took before I started batting for the other team. It was that bad.” Josh adds.

“Oh shut up! There were a few girlfriends between our kiss and when you came out,” I counter.

“Semantics.” Josh shrugs, still grinning.

Antonio is watching the interaction, shaking his head, “Guess Lucas didn’t hear the news if Aiden’s losing his shit thinking there’s something between you two.”

“He never could get over their little show,” Matt adds with a smirk.

“Or was it that post-game selfie she posted senior year in my jersey?” Matt’s face scrunches in confusion. “You know, the one she took when I was changing my shirt by my truck in the background?” Josh teases.

Sasha’s jaw drops. “Oh my gosh, Lee! No, you didn’t.”

“Damn, I forgot about that! Our girl has never been good at letting him have the last word,” Matt says with a hint of pride, and I shrug.

“No, she isn’t! But Josh, I love playing wing-woman, so tell me your type, and when we go out this weekend, we can manhunt together!” Sasha says, getting us back on track for weekend plans.

“Manhunting, huh? I thought you might be a bit preoccupied.” Antonio asks with a quirked eyebrow.

Knew it!

Chapter twenty-two

Annalise

Turning in our track selections yesterday had felt wrong, in a way.

Sliding an envelope into a drop box outside the Administration Wing shouldn’t be the way you commit to a job that might kill you. But it was, and for the first time since Matt and I were forced into Scion, I was reminded that while we have our choice in jobs, neither of us chose to be here in the first place.

I don’t hate being here. I actually like the structure, the training, and the purpose. But in less than a year, I won’t be training anymore; I’ll be fighting in a real war. A war that I only knew from overheard stories and unreliable news reports because we lived too far inland for it to ever touch us.

The more I learn about what our people are going through, the more I want to help. There are so many innocent people being murdered, so many towns being destroyed. That doesn’t change the math, though: my odds of surviving the next decade of mandatory service aren’t great, which is partially in thanks to me putting in for the two most dangerous jobs, plus the one I wasn’t allowed to mark that I’m walking to right now.