Ink & Stardust (Ink & Ashes #1)

Chapter One

I tug at the end of my soft pink dress, nerves prickling my skin as I take the elevator up to the third floor. Leo doesn’t know I’m coming, and this only adds to the uncertainty bubbling in my belly.

I shouldn’t be nervous. This is Leo, after all. We’ve been dating for nearly four years and have known each other much longer than that, but it doesn’t stop my anxiety from spiking just the same. I’ve been this way for as long as I can remember, set off by any change to my normal routine. Doing something I’ve never done before. Going somewhere I’ve never been. Trying something new. Things that normal people do without batting an eye put me extremely on edge. It doesn’t keep me from doing it. It just makes the process a little more difficult.

In the four years Leo and I have dated, while we did sleep together, we’ve never spent the night together. Never fallen asleep in each other’s arms. Never woken up to each other. I’ve also never snuck out of my house without my parents’ knowledge, which presents a whole other slew of anxiety-inducing thoughts.

Pulling a deep breath in through my nose, I then blow it out slowly, stepping through the elevator doors the instant they slide open.

This is normal. I try to reassure myself. Normal for a high school senior to sneak out. Normal for her to spend the night with her boyfriend on prom night. Normal to rebel, even if just a little. Not that the thought really helps much.

I’ve never been one to break the rules, and I certainly don’t go out of my way to do things out of my comfort zone, but tonight, I’m making an exception for Leo. He was more than a little disappointed when I told him I couldn’t stay with him tonight.

The look on his face when he sees me is what propels me forward, a smile touching my lips. I don’t have to wonder if he’ll be surprised. I know he will be. And hopefully, it’s as good of a surprise as I think it will be.

Holding the hotel key that I snagged from his jacket without his knowledge earlier—given that they gave him two keys, he probably hasn’t noticed—I stop in front of the room number that’s handwritten on the card sleeve, pulling the rectangular piece of plastic from inside. Taking another steadying breath, I slide the card into the slot, my shoulders sagging in relief when a green light flashes and I hear the obvious click of the lock.

Twisting the nob, I step inside the dimly lit room, then close the door as softly as I can. There’s music playing, which thankfully covers what small sound I do make. Tiptoeing farther into the room, I’ve just passed the bathroom where the room fully opens when I hear Leo groan... loudly. Freezing, my eyes follow the sound, the world around me going still when I find him sprawled across the king-sized bed, a blonde I’d recognize anywhere riding his naked form.

“Summer.” I don’t even realize the word has left my lips before my best friend’s gaze whips toward me, shock marring her pretty face.

Time seems to slow down.

A second feels like a minute.

A minute feels like an hour.

My eyes move to Leo, who hasn’t even had the decency to push my ex-best friend off his lap.

Betrayal. Anger. Devastation. They all mix together in a concoction so lethal, I’m certain it’s going to be the end of me.

Tears sting the backs of my eyes.

My hands shake.

My stomach sours.

My lungs scream for air that they suddenly can’t seem to find, my heart pounding against my ribs so violently I’m sure I’m going to have a heart attack.

I can’t breathe...

I can’t breathe and yet, neither of them moves to help me.

Can’t they see I need help?

I press my hand to the wall to steady myself.

“Lyric.”

My eyes snap back to Leo, an icy calm washing over me like a wave, dousing me from head to toe. I go ramrod straight and without a word, turn and take off down the hallway.

I break into a run, bypassing the elevator entirely as I head for the stairwell. I can’t bear to wait for it. Can’t bear the thought of standing there like the pathetic joke that I am.

How long?

How long have they been seeing each other behind my back?

Months? Weeks? Or was tonight the first time?

Does it even matter?

The answer doesn’t change the fact that they still did it.

I don’t slow until I’m outside, passing several of my classmates who are loitering in the lobby since the dance ended just a few minutes ago.

If anyone spoke to me, I didn’t hear it, certain that if I didn’t get outside right that instant, I was going to pass out from lack of oxygen.

I double over as soon as my feet hit the sidewalk, desperately trying to fill my lungs with air. I end up puking instead, turning just in time to spew the contents of my stomach into a bush.

They’ve ruined everything...

All our plans. For college. For our futures. It’s all gone. In the matter of one night, they’ve managed to burn my entire life to the ground.

Everything is just... gone.

Just like that.

And now I have no idea what to do...