Chapter 11 Marlene
Marlene
I let out a sigh of relief when Caulder and Avery disappear into the room. This game was getting too close to things that need to stay secret, scratching at doors that can never be opened.
I wish I could be like Kaitlyn. There was only one question that seemed to actually dig at her, but she hid her reaction before anyone else could see. Just a flash in her eyes that was gone before even Javi saw.
Avery’s so much easier to read. Her lies light up her entire face, turning her cheeks and freckles red. I wonder, what’s she saying to Caulder now? Are they actually going to kiss? Emerson’s gaze hasn’t left the hallway, as if he could see through the doors at the end of it if he looks hard enough.
I shift in my seat. I need to get up and move around. I’ve been sitting still for too long. The rain is a steady drumbeat, a constant reminder of the storm outside. Of just how long this night is going to be.
“I’ve got an idea,” Emerson says, drawing my attention back to him. What’s next?
The others answer him. Whispers slip through and around me, like I’m in the bottom of a pool watching everything drift past.
When no one’s looking, Lucas takes my hand. I glance at him, finding his eyes on mine, a slash of lightning through the window illuminating the shadow of his jaw. He’s smiling, and I might be floating as he whispers to me.
“You okay? I’m so sorry he said that before. He’s such an asshole.”
His palm is warm in mine, but I shiver anyway. A singular truth hits me, a hope that burns almost as cleanly through me as Lucas’s touch.
After all, Caulder and Avery have seven minutes.
But so do we.