My mouth parched as my eardrums start to throb against my brain.
“What happened to her?”
Hailey’s lips thin out, as her brows push together like she was debating something.
“You have to tell me,” I dish out, sounding desperate.
Her eyes jolt to mine hearing the concern in my voice. Iceman’s mother had died. He no longer had a parent, same as I. It was still debatable if I had the other.
“Please, Hails.” I needed to know why.
She exhaled a tight breath. Finally giving me an answer after a moment and my entire stomach plummeted.
“…She took her own life.”
Suicide. Cole’s mom had killed herself.
My brain felt like it was in knots, the world moving around me, and yet I couldn’t see or feel anything. I knew the color had drained from my face, but I hadn’t realized how bad until Finn bumped into us in the hall. Shooting me a concerned look.
If I wasn’t so stuck in my own head, I probably would have analyzed more on why Hailey’s cheeks were now blushed.
“We still on for tonight?” he asks, following in step. “I invited Eli, he wanted to see the movie too.”
I answer absentmindedly. “Sure, sounds good.”
He sucks on the inside of his cheek. “Alrighty,” he says, dragging out every syllable of the single word.
I knew I was acting weird, but I felt like a bomb had been dropped right before my feet. A thing everyone else knew was coming except me.
Cole, my heart hurt for him. He catches my stare when Finn detours off over to where he was standing. Those cerulean eyes pinching together at the corners in curiosity. His mouth dipping down the slightest bit along the edge at seeing me.
I wanted to go to him. To console him for a wound that happened years ago. I wished he’d have been the one to tell me this himself when I’d ask. That would have been too easy though. We never did easy.
I had searched him out and he’d found me. Like a flame darkness would always be in search of light.
forty-three
Rory
Doyouevergetthat feeling when your day is goingtooperfect? You know the one I’m talking about.
Where the world can’t be that kind and you’re peeking around every corner waiting for that bitch—misery to pop up. Wanting to get on with your day and everything goes back to normal.
I had grown accustomed to bad things happening to me, so it was strange to not feel on edge. Waiting on reality to sink her perfect, sparkly little teeth in and take another bite.
That’s how the last several days had been going. Too flawless.
It ended with a kiss yesterday from Xander and today in the one class I shared with Madison. Our teacher not so subtly called her out on her essay.
She’d let out a bloodcurdling noise, breaking the quiet of the room after he’d laid down her graded paper. Ripping to the top piece with the rapidness of a feral raccoon with rabies. The girl was all but foaming at the mouth as she stormed from the room.
My head snapped up in his direction. Trying not to laugh. Seeing the discarded application for a fast-food restaurant lying on the ground.
He shrugs, moving on to the next row like it was nothing. While I was dying inside. Finally, someone other than me putting her in her place.
Then after school, I’d humored Hailey and went to the dress place, feeling in a good mood. In the end, I picked out my own dress after the attendant and Hailey picked out some atrocious thing with layers of ruffles and miles of frills.
They called it Avant-Garde. I called it a searing form of punishment to anyone with eyes.