Page 236 of Lessons in Cruelty

“Trust me, you wanna.” There’s childish glee in her voice, like she’s fighting back a giggle.

I think it’s morbid curiosity.

Why else would I let her pull me along without putting up more of a fight? I stare ahead at the trees, trying to see what she’s so obviously aiming for.

“I’m not comfortable with this,” I tell her lamely.

“You’re in college now. Your number one job is to not be comfortable.” She makes a point of grinning when she sees my scowl. Other than when she was stoned today, this is the biggest smile I’ve seen on her face. “Do you trust me?”

I shake my head.

Trust is for people whose professors don’t make them strip in dressing rooms and quit their jobs for them. Whose friends don’t welcome you on your first day of college by spitting in your face and calling you a slut.

“Well, you should. This is the real Rain Dance, Haven. It’s gonna blow your fucking mind.”

These trees should feel familiar, comforting—like the woods where Kai and I played. Where we made promises. Where we learned that love and pain were synonyms.

But these aren’t those woods.

And I’m not that girl anymore.

Chapter 59

Haven

Things are getting weird. And I doubt this is the last time I’ll be thinking that tonight. It began with a low thumping that sounded like lumberjacks going to work deep in the forest.

Music.

Pounding music.

The kind that moves your body whether or not you want it to.

We’re following a trail through the trees, our path illuminated by kerosene lamps hung in the branches every few yards. Up ahead, I catch glimpses of other partygoers who’ve slipped away from the gala to join this party.

The real party.

Foliage crashes behind me. I turn just in time to fall back against a tree, barely avoiding the couple tearing down the trail. Melissa isn’t so lucky. The guy slams into her shoulder, sending her tumbling.

They both look over their shoulders, grinning as they yell apologies, not slowing even a little.

“You okay?” I help Melissa to her feet.

“I’ll survive.” She shakes out her hands, staring down at the stains on her dress. “This, however, won’t.”

“So fucking rude,” I mutter.

She chuckles. “Not like I was planning on keeping it.”

“What? Why? It’s beautiful.”

She glances at me. “Oh, right. This is your first Rain Dance.”

“Yeah, and?”

Melissa grabs my hand. “Then we’d better get there before they run out of party favors.”

She took her shoes off when we started down the trail, and I can barely keep up with her as she takes off at a run. It’s hard to keep my balance as we race over the uneven ground, jumping over roots and trying not to stand on loose stones.