The Love of Misfits (The Paradox of Us Duet #1)

Chapter 1

Eve

“Evangeline Nova Smith! Get the fu –”

I hear a faint growl from beneath me – about twenty feet beneath me at this point – before he continues, sans curse word. “Get down from there! You’re going to get yourself killed!”

I let out a howl, using my grip on the metal bars in front of me to hold my body as my head tilts up to the crescent moon above us. I laugh as Kor’s muttering follows my movement, his discomfort with tonight’s adventure loud in my ears.

“Come on, Kor. The view is amazing! And it wouldn’t kill you to say a cuss word every now and then.

” I look down at where he stands at the bottom of the ferris wheel with his arms crossed.

I can’t see the expression on his face from way up here but if I had to guess, it’s a mixture of exasperation and amusement – his normal expression when he looks at me.

“It’s pronounced fuck, Kor. F-U-C-K. Fuck. ”

I see the subtle shake of his head at my words, but I don’t wait for a vocal response before turning back to the worn-out ladder and going up another rung.

“Dios mío.” I feel the ladder vibrate as Kortez climbs on, his weight making the old carnival ride groan under pressure.

“That’s closer! Add a fucking in the middle of that and you’d be a normal near twenty-year-old.”

I continue to climb, my chosen seat just barely out of reach.

I feel Kortez’s eyes on me as I shimmy over the final railing and sit on it like a horse with one leg on either side as I look out over the deserted lake.

Stars shine down like rare jewels as Kortez finds his way next to me, his breath labored as his knuckles turn white from their death grip on the bars.

“I thought you were scared of heights.”

I shrug, smiling to myself, “I am.”

His disbelieving laughter makes my smile grow wider. “Then why are we on top of an abandoned ferris wheel?”

I take a deep breath and close my eyes. The cold air whips my blonde curls into tangles around my face and there’s a faint hint of smoke in the air. The world is silent except for Kortez’s deep breathing beside me and the overeager beating of my heart. “I’m facing my fears, Kortez.”

His soft chuckle feeds my bravery. I can do anything as long as my best friend is by my side. I can stand up to the bitch at Saint Mary’s who kept stealing my mascara. I can submit my application to art school. I can climb to the top of the abandoned ferris wheel at the old fairgrounds.

All with Kortez.

All because of Kortez.

Growing up as an orphan in Saint Mary’s Home for Lost Children wasn’t all peaches and cream.

In fact, it was downright fucking miserable.

The girls were meaner than the boys and the boys all wanted to push you down or pull your pigtails.

Despite Mother Laney’s insistence that they liked me, I knew they only did it because they were grade A asshats.

Then Kortez came along.

A shy, little seven-year-old who immediately became my best friend even though he was two years older than me. I showed him around Mary’s, including whom he could freely punch in the nose, and we bonded over apple slices and graham crackers.

Almost thirteen years later, our friendship is stronger than ever.

Kortez graduated from our local high school last year but took advantage of the extra year Saint Mary’s gives us to ‘get our life in order’ so he could wait for me to graduate.

So, now, in two short months, Kortez and I are headed across the state to our shared apartment just down the road from our new college.

I’ll be majoring in visual arts and Kortez will be majoring in computer programming.

Honestly, he doesn’t need the degree. He knows computers like the back of his hand and could easily get a job anywhere he wanted with his resume of side jobs he’s done this past year. He wants the experience, though, and I can’t blame him.

We’ve lived a sheltered life at Saint Mary’s. Only being able to sneak out and act like teenagers when Mother June is working – which is usually twice a month.

Hence, tonight’s outing and the reason we should probably move on to the next stop before it gets too late.

I lean over and smack Kortez’s thigh, giggling when he jumps at the contact. “Come on, Kor, we have one more stop before June does her morning rounds - and it’s across town.”

He sighs, looking around him for a good place to hold on to begin his descent. “I assume I’m paying for the ride?”

I shrug, grabbing the bar directly under me and dropping down to the next one.

I hear his gasp of worry but disregard it.

He’s a mother hen on his best day. “I don’t think the Uber driver would appreciate it if I tried to pay him with the sketch in my back pocket, but I’ll know you’ll hang it on the wall right next to all your others. ”

Laughing, he slowly follows me down the rusted carnival ride, his breath hitching every time the old metal creaks beneath our weight. “What’s this one of?”

I take his hand when he meets me at the bottom, a faint hint of sweat lining his brow that’s no doubt stemmed from the pure adrenaline racing through his veins. I know because I’m feeling the same way. Sweaty, excited, and a little bit scared. “I’ll show you later.”

I toss him a wink and take off in a jog, heading down the abandoned dirt path back to bright lights and civilization.

Kortez wastes no time in pulling out his phone to place an Uber.

He doesn’t ask for the address, knowing I like to plan my adventures as a surprise, and instead hands the phone to me.

I could have just used my phone, since I have his card information stored away, but Kortez likes to control what he can of my madness.

The Uber shows up just a few minutes later. The driver is a woman in her early to mid-forties who greets us between lyrics of some eighties pop music playing softly over the speakers.

“You kids enjoying the town tonight?”

I nod, my smile wide as I glance over at Kortez to find him already watching me. “Oh, yeah. We leave for college in a few months, and I’ve got a bucket list of things to do before then.”

She smiles back at me in the rearview mirror, taking a left turn to head back into the heart of town. “I did something like that when I was younger.” She tips her head back toward the way we came. “Does Wild Wayz look as good as it used to?”

Wild Wayz, a.k.a the abandoned amusement park we just…trespassed onto? Broke and entered? Who the hell knows? She doesn’t seem upset.

“About as good as you can expect a 30-year-old abandoned park to look like.”

The conversation continues to flow, the driver introducing herself as Suzanne and explaining how she drives on the weekends to keep herself busy ever since her husband died last year. She asks what college we’re going to and eventually…the question I dread the most.

“So, how long have you two been together? You’re just the cutest couple I’ve ever seen.”

I hear Kortez grunt beside me. He always gets weird when someone asks this question, which is why I dread it so much.

I hate it when he gets uncomfortable, especially because I don’t think it’s a big deal.

We’ve been best friends since we were little, spending more time together than we do alone.

Of course, people are going to assume. I guess it upsets me a little, too, because he’s so clearly opposed to the idea.

I chance a look over at my best friend and see his jaw locked as he stares out the window, his hands curled into fists as they sit in his lap.

I’m saved from having to endure the awkwardness, or answer the question, by the car stopping in front of the biggest house I’ve ever seen. My mouth drops open at the extravagance in this single home – mansion would be a better term.

Tonight, I’m marking two things off my bucket list.

One, climb to the top of the Wild Wayz ferris wheel and face my fear of heights.

Two, go to an actual high school party before I leave forever.

We thank Suzanne and climb out of the car, the loud music immediately making me want to swing my hips to the beat as I watch groups of people walk in and out of the front door. The house looks packed and I can see the red solo cups from here.

Hell yes.

I start to walk toward the front door, my first goal to find wherever rich people keep their good alcohol, when Kortez stops me with a hand on my wrist.

“How did you get an invite to a Monrose Hill party?”

I laugh and lace my fingers through his, dragging him toward the front door. “I didn’t. We’re crashing, Kor.”

He mutters something in Spanish under his breath - still no cuss words since I learned all those just in case - and follows me with a death grip on my hand.

I used to feel bad about dragging Kor on all my adventures but when I brought it up to him one time, he said he actually liked them. After a few years of sneaking out of Saint Mary’s, I realized he loves the darkness and danger just like I do, he’s just more reserved about it.

Some people are attracted to the darkness but afraid of what lingers in the shadows.

They can go their whole lives walking in the light, looking at the darkness but content with their life as it is.

Others, like me, crave the darkness with so much of their soul that walking in the light feels like a sin.

I can share my darkness with Kor, and he can share his light with me, though, and neither of us burns. It’s why we work.

When we walk into the house, no one shouts at us to get out or gives us dirty looks for crashing their house party like I thought they would.

Instead, when I ask where the drinks are, a girl looks up from sucking on her girlfriend’s neck and points me down the hall where I can see glimpses of a table through the throng of people.

Kortez keeps his hand around mine as we push our way through the living room and into the kitchen. It takes way longer than it should because not only are people bumping and grinding to the music, but because I can’t take my eyes off the house.