Chapter 16 #2
It had been a long time since she’d tried to help me like that.
Probably since I’d been applying for scholarships.
She’d tried to pay for my schooling from her own trust fund, and she’d been just as awkward about it then.
I hadn’t let her, of course. I wasn’t sure which one of us was more uncomfortable with the entire thing.
But tonight, she’d offered anyway. In case it could help.
My heart gave a thick, hollow thud. She really was the best friend a girl could ask for. And I was hiding everything from her.
I fisted my marked hand in my dress and forced my tight throat to work in a swallow. God, for one heart-wrenching second, I wanted to spill it all. The school encounter, the strange tablet, the lights that drove me off the road. The internet rabbit holes. The creeping, exhausting fear.
I wanted to.
It all bubbled up, a flood I didn’t know I’d been drowning in. My world was fracturing. And with it, I could feel the crack forming between Amelia and me, too, this widening chasm in a friendship that had always been bulletproof.
But then I imagined saying it out loud…
Aliens.
It sounded too ridiculous. Too sci-fi. Too crazy.
Even Amelia, who knew me better than anyone, would worry I’d lost my mind. And honestly? I wasn’t sure I hadn’t. Not completely.
I had to wait. I needed proof. Something solid. Maybe even an explanation—or at least a somewhat plausible theory.
Until then, it wouldn’t be fair to pull her into this mess. Hell, for all I knew, the robot aliens would be back for me. The last thing I wanted to do was put my best friend in the crosshairs with me.
My chest ached. I made myself release my dress and looked away, forcing a small smile. Unable to look at her, I bent toward the mirror and pretended to fuss with my hair.
“I’m okay.” I’d said it so many times lately, I wasn’t sure who I was trying to convince anymore. With one more fluff of my fast-deflating curls, I steeled myself and turned around. “Just stressed. I needed a night out. Thanks for doing this.”
Amelia narrowed her eyes like she wanted to call bullshit. For a second, I thought she would. If anybody could, it’d be her. She could read me like a book.
But then she simply shrugged. “Of course.” She gave her hair a final pat and motioned toward the door. “You ready to go back out there?”
I avoided her eyes. That twisting, empty feeling was back in my stomach.
She knew I was hiding something. I could feel it.
But because I was pretending to be normal tonight, I whirled from the mirror and sighed. “Let’s go dance. Maybe I can still get a drink out of Prince Charming.”
A beat later, her expression cleared, and she grinned, wide and red-lipped. “There you go. That’s the spirit.”
I followed her out of the bathroom. I didn’t resist when she caught my unmarked hand in hers. She cast a coy smile at the group of guys we passed, and their heads turned to follow her.
She seemed fine. The suspicion I thought I’d glimpsed was gone. Maybe it was in my head. There was a chance a lot of things were these days.
But the encounter had killed my buzz. I couldn’t shake the heaviness.
I trailed Amelia into the press of bodies and pounding music.
Like before, in the school parking lot, I had the uncanny sensation the world was crashing around me, and I was an island.
Alone with the knowledge—my own personal nightmare.
It was just me, cut off from the rest of the world, surrounded by people who had no idea what was lurking in the shadows. Giant, six-fingered murder machines from the stars. I shivered.
Irritated at the self-pity creeping in, I closed my fingers around the markings on my palm again.
Emerick found us again, and I watched him bend down to speak to Amelia. Her bright laugh was lost to the thud of music as they slipped easily into dancing. I followed suit, but my body felt disjointed. Disconnected.
I tried anyway. Maybe if I pretended things were normal for long enough, I’d start to believe it, too.
My admirer didn’t reappear, thankfully, and I’d relaxed a little by the time we took a sweaty break to grab drinks. Emerick officially introduced himself, apologizing for not doing so before. He was charming. Nice enough. Not as snobby as some of her other rich friends.
He even whipped out a shiny black credit card to pay for the second round of shots the bartender lined up in front of us.
When he turned to take care of the payment, I shot Amelia a raised eyebrow.
Leaning back on her elbows against the curving bar, she gave an almost imperceptible shrug, as if to say, why not?
“This is a bad idea,” I told her, lifting my glass and eyeing the clear liquid. “You know I have work tomorrow—not to mention loads of studying to do.”
She snorted and pushed off the counter as Emerick pocketed his card and joined us.
“You need it, Rae,” Amelia said, sighing. “You’ve had a shit week.” She raised the tiny glass. When I reluctantly followed suit, she clinked the rims. “Here’s to the aliens.”
I stiffened, giving her a withering look. Out of everything she could’ve toasted with, she went with that? Her lips curled into a mischievous smile.
Oblivious, Emerick raised his glass, his white designer-label shirt glowing in the black light. “Here’s to the aliens.”
“Sure,” I muttered, saluting them before tipping back the shot.
I shuddered. The minty alcohol burned all the way down. God, I hated shots. I chased it with a gulp of vodka-and-soda to kill the sting. The flavor combination made me wince.
When my vision cleared, I spotted Amelia hanging on Emerick’s neck across from me, her face close to his as she murmured something I couldn’t hear. His hand was drifting low on her hip. Polite for now, but veering into the flirty lane quickly.
I looked away, turning my empty shot glass over in my hand. The markings on my palm were invisible in the darkness.
We’d toasted to the aliens. The ones who’d almost killed me. Twice now.
The memories stirred a fresh shiver. I forced myself to focus on my surroundings instead.
People. Noise. Music. The crowd pulsed with life and movement, a blend of college students and after-work regulars.
Laughter and the tinkle of glasses behind the bar melted into the relentless beat vibrating in the air.
It was busier than normal tonight. Good for people-watching, but I couldn’t stop scanning the shadows for tall, chrome-plated horrors. Which was ridiculous. There was no way the bouncer would’ve let a killer alien robot through the front door.
I snorted and drained the rest of my mixed drink.
The song shifted, something dark and pulsing. I was still trying to place the lyrics when Amelia squealed and broke away from Emerick. “We have to dance to this one! Come on, Rae!” Her fingers wrapped around my forearm, and she tugged hard.
I barely managed to set down my empty glass before she hauled me from the bar and toward the floor. Emerick strolled after us, sipping from his tumbler. Something expensive and amber-colored—and top-shelf, of course. I lost sight of him a second later when the crowd swallowed us whole.
The alcohol’s buzz hit then. Perfect timing. It blurred my thoughts and loosened tight muscles. Laughing, I let Amelia pull me closer. The music slithered through me, an anchor. The song, the club, dancing with my best friend—this was familiar. Loud, chaotic, and safe.
Normal.
No monsters here.
I closed my eyes and dropped my head back, lifting my arms over my head. I let the music take over. Let it scrape away the madness, the lies, the weirdness. For the length of one song, I was just a girl in a pretty silver dress, dancing off a shitty week of midterm and work stress.
The song ended. When I opened my eyes, Amelia and Emerick were twined together, hips moving in perfect sync. I watched them for a beat, more than a little surprised.
Maybe there was a spark there. It’d been a while since I’d seen her really into a guy.
For some reason, it made me feel even more alone.
Sighing, I pushed aside the silly self-pity and turned away, giving myself over to the beat again. More of my tension bled away. I relaxed for the first time in days. Whether it was the drinks, the dancing, or just pure exhaustion, I didn’t care. I was just glad I was finally—
I sensed someone step into my space. I opened my eyes…and nearly groaned out loud.
Prince Charming. Again.
He smiled like we were old friends. I tried to step back—
Except he’d grabbed my wrist.
“Hey, where are you going?” he slurred. Somehow, the alcohol on his breath was even more noxious now. “You’re not gonna run away again, are you? Don’t be like that.”
Irritation flared, dousing whatever contentment was left. “I’m not interested.” I tried to pull my arm back. He held on, and I glared at him. “Let. Go.”
He did not want to mess with me today of all days. The ball of anger in my chest burned brighter than normal.
He must’ve caught it because his smile slipped and his fingers tightened. “What’s your problem?”
“You,” I said through gritted teeth.
People were starting to notice now. Heads turned our way. But no one stepped in.
Not that I needed them to. I could handle one jerk with a hearing problem.
I yanked, and this time it worked. I wrenched my arm free, hard enough he stumbled, loose-limbed and clearly drunk. Unfortunately he caught himself before he face-planted on the sticky floor. I took a step back, rotating my sore wrist.
He wasn’t done, though. He straightened, and his frown turned dark enough that I stiffened. A flash of blue club lighting flared behind him, shadowing his face as he stepped forward, reaching out like he was going to try again—
A presence warmed my side. A body, moving in close. I jolted when an arm wrapped around my waist. You have to be kidding me. I whipped my elbow up, ready to drive it back because what was wrong with people in here today—
Then a low, all-too-memorable voice rose over the music. “Hey. I thought I spotted you earlier.”
Shock. Pure shock jolted me to the core. I froze with my elbow raised like I was doing half a chicken dance.
I turned my head slowly. My mouth dropped open.
Sky Acosta wasn’t looking my way now, though the words were clearly meant for me. His dark eyes were locked on Whiskey Breath.
“Is there a problem here?” he asked in an even tone.
I gawked.
Sky was here. Sky was at Crescent.
I managed to find my voice, though it came out squeaky. “How is it always you?”