Chapter 17
November
Bryce’s case continues on like the weather in November, cold. Sam won’t speak to me after Asher’s outburst, so I rely on Marissa’s
TikTok for updates. Due to most people at the party being on a hallucinogen, and everyone wearing masks, the police can’t
identify everyone who was there. The members are being questioned relentlessly, or so Marissa says in her last video, titled:
“Get ready with me to help the police catch the killer.” Branding herself as some type of college detective hero.
“You’re being a recluse,” Asher says to me in my bedroom.
He sits across from me on the floor in a hoodie and sweatpants, his hair messy from the hat he wore and his cheeks a little pink from the cold air.
He isn’t wrong. It’s a Friday night, and I’ve committed my weekend to staring at the suspect board.
In the past three weeks I’ve barely left my apartment, thinking that maybe everyone is better off if I just stay put.
I let my social life, and more importantly my schoolwork, fall to the wayside.
I glance at my goals list taped to the mirror.
When I received an F on a test Monday I crossed out the ace all of your classes line.
“Everyone’s questioning if we’re even together at this point.
I keep having to find girls to hang out with so I can
lie and say I’m going to your apartment.”
I roll my eyes. “Oh, poor you,” I say in my best pity voice.
“My birthday is tomorrow,” he says. “We’re going out. You have to show up for that at least.”
I bite my lip. “I don’t know. It’s risky.”
“What is risky?” he asks.
I pull up the last few emails from Miles and hand him my phone. I watch him scroll through them.
I can explain if you’ll meet me.
MH
I know where you have class, I could just drop by.
MH
Please answer me.
MH
I watch Asher’s mouth slowly form a frown. “He sounds . . .”
“Unhinged?” I finish for him. “That’s why I’m staying here, the one place where he can’t find me.”
“Can’t find you? He’s banging your roommate—you think he doesn’t know where you guys live?”
“Adrienne would never bring him here; she’s smarter than that.”
“Have you talked to her yet about this?” he asks, handing my phone back to me.
“She’s never here anymore,” I say. It’s true. If I leave for class, she’s just getting back. When I come home, she’s already
gone again.
Asher shakes his head. “You can’t let this get to you. I still need you, Sawyer.”
“Asher,” I start. I’m about to tell him I just don’t have it in me to pursue Wesley right now. Not until this gets resolved.
I don’t even want to go on this trip.
“Sloane,” he counters. “We know we have until the gallery opening before Miles makes his move on Graham. That’s like weeks
away. Please,” he begs. “Please help me with this in the meantime. We made a deal.”
I want him to leave, so I say okay, but I’m not sure if I mean it. The truth is I’m avoiding him, and Wes, and all of them,
really. Knowing Wesley’s name is at the end of the journal makes me feel like there’s a ticking time bomb strapped to him.
What’s the point in trying to win him over if he may not be around to win over in the end? But then again, how do I protect
him if I’m not there?
I get to Power Hour for Asher’s birthday a little late and all my friends are already there sitting around two high-top tables.
Asher sits on one end with a beer and a small blue-frosted cake in front of him.
“Hey, everyone,” I say, approaching the tables with Asher’s gift bag in hand.
“Sloane!” Charlie yells, throwing his hands up. “Where have you been!”
“Sorry, guys, I’ve been picking up a bunch of shifts to afford the ski trip.”
Wes gives me a sympathetic look. “Sloane, I told you it’s covered.”
I shrug. “I know. I just don’t want your parents to have to pay for the flight. I wanted to pay them back.”
“His dad isn’t going to take the money,” Asher says to me, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me toward him.
“Your dad might,” Wes says, before taking a sip of beer.
Asher leans over the table. “What was that?”
I don’t understand the jab but I defuse Asher by holding up the small bag with his gift inside. “I brought you a present.”
I set it in his lap and leave his arms to hug Dani and Annica. Luckily Dani is swamped with schoolwork these days, and Annica
is always with Collin, so neither of them has found it odd that I haven’t been around much lately.
“Ooh, open it,” Sam says. “Unless it’s something indecent.”
“In that case, definitely open it,” Jake teases.
Asher looks in the bag and starts to laugh as he pulls out all fifteen seasons of Criminal Minds on DVD. He silently reads the note taped on the front that says “for my partner in solving crime.”
“Thank you,” he says to me from across the table, and I smile back at him. The rest of the group takes in the weird exchange.
Charlie breaks the silence. “That was the most awkward thank-you I’ve ever seen.”
“Yeah, McCavern, go kiss your girlfriend for the gift,” Jake adds on.
Girlfriend.
I know we told our friends we were dating but it’s so weird to hear someone say it.
“Oh, no, that’s okay,” I say, ignoring the side look I get from Annica.
“You know what?” Asher smiles, digging his finger into the icing of his cake and smearing some onto his lips. “I should kiss
my girlfriend.” He gets up from the chair and comes toward me.
“Asher, don’t you dare!” I try to run around the table but he’s faster as he grabs me around the waist and manages to plant
a kiss to my cheek, covering it in blue icing. I grab a napkin from the table to wipe it off and Asher pulls up another chair
next to him.
Wes gets up from the table.
“Your lips are blue now,” I say to Asher after he wipes away the icing on them.
He leans in a little so that our shoulders are touching. “Yours could be too.” Then he gets even closer and, oh my god, he’s
going in for a kiss. In front of all our friends.
I pull away. “Later,” I say, in case anyone is listening.
Asher doesn’t pull away; he just leans in farther to whisper, “Speaking of later.” His voice in my ear raises goose bumps
on my arms. “I’m coming home with you.”
My heart starts to beat wildly in my chest. Coming home with me? “For what?” I ask.
“There’s a girl I’m seeing that lives in your complex. She also has a birthday gift for me, one that’s a little less appropriate
to give in front of my friends.”
I turn my head toward his so that our noses are practically touching. “You want me to drop you off at another girl’s place?” I say in a hushed, irritated tone.
The corner of his mouth upturns. “Unless you were planning on giving me this very particular gift—”
“I’ll drop you off.” I turn back toward the table, regretting coming here.
“Great.” He smiles. “Could you grab me another beer?”
“You have a full one,” I say, looking at the one on the table.
“Well, it’s my birthday, and I would like another one.” He nods toward the bar, and I turn to see Wes standing over there.
I give him a tight smile. “Of course, coming right up.” I walk up to the bar and stand beside Wesley.
“Hey, stranger,” he says. “Haven’t seen you around. Are you doing okay?”
I huff a nervous laugh. “Uh, yeah, just working a lot and . . . school.”
“Right.” Wes nods before turning to me. “Well, I miss you.”
I think of when I said that to him at Annica’s party and he looked like I had told him I loved him. Maybe I should have. I
should’ve just told him I’m in love with him and he’d either have to accept or deny it. The games would be over. But I didn’t
say it then, and I won’t now. “You do?”
“Yeah,” he says. “You know, as a friend.”
“As a friend, right.”
Wes leans in to talk over the music. “I’m super stoked you’re coming on the trip. I think you’ll love it,” he says with a
small smile that elicits one from me.
The bartender hands him his drink as Asher walks over.
“You ready to go?” he says to me.
“What? No, I just got here.”
Wes looks at Asher and says, “Yeah, why don’t you guys hang out a little longer?”
“Because Sloane has another birthday gift for me at home, one that would certainly get us kicked out if she gave it here.”
Asher winks at his cousin.
Wes clenches his jaw. “It seems like she’d rather stay here.”
Asher steps closer to Wes. “No, it seems like you would rather her stay here.”
“Okay, okay,” I say. “It’s fine, Wes, I— Yeah, I told Asher I had another gift at home. It’s . . . it’s not what you’re thinking,
though.”
“It is,” Asher says, being an ass. “Come on,” he says to me, grabbing my hand and heading toward the door.
“Sloane.” Wes catches my other hand. “Will you just . . . call me if you want to talk . . . about anything?”
“Um, yeah, sure.” I give a small wave over my shoulder to my friends as we leave.
“You are one hundred percent not calling him.” Asher leans back in the passenger seat, texting on his phone. Probably telling this girl he’s on the way. “If
he wants to talk, he can do it on the trip.”
I roll my eyes.
“You’re quiet tonight,” he says. “Usually I can’t get you to shut up.”
“I’m annoyed that I have to drop you off at a booty call.”
“She lives in your complex—you’re basically just driving us back to your place. Like a girlfriend would do.”
“Don’t call me that.” We pull into the parking lot, past rows and rows of the same-looking building before stopping at mine. “You can walk to hers.”
“Moody Sloane.” Asher tsks. “You know, I’ve missed that bitchy little attitude of yours this past month.” I roll my eyes and
we walk up onto the sidewalk, stopping at the landing to the stairs. “Thank you again for the gift. Now I don’t have to illegally
stream it.”
“You’re welcome,” I say.
We both stand there facing each other for a moment in the brisk November night, our breath forming puffs of smoke in the air.
His eyes roam over me and it feels like he’s debating on hugging me or something. But then his mouth quirks up in that grin
he does before he says something annoying.
“You sure you don’t want to be the one to—”
“No.” I turn to walk up my stairs and he stands there watching me go. “Happy birthday, asshole.”