true colors - jb & ag 《completed》

{twenty-four}

Though Ariana tried to talk some sense into Justin, he refused to accept a ride to school from Pastor James—who'd shown up on their back doorstep that morning as if by magic—and insisted on walking with her. Low gray clouds swept overhead, and a chilled wind whisked the breath from their mouths. Déjà vu hit Ariana like a ton of bricks as they headed down Walnut Street. But the feeling shattered when she looked up and met Justin's vivid gaze, and a fever rushed over her skin. Everything had changed.

To cover her reaction, Ariana skipped ahead and walked backward. "Come on, old man. At this rate, we're going to miss first period."

He shuffled a little faster, and Ariana could tell from the set of his jaw that he was in pain. So she strode back to his side and looped her arm through his. "Do you think what Mrs. M told me about Brayden and Colin is true? Or just crazy old lady ramblings?"

"We played war with those two. They always had each other's backs and they could be relentless. But so could Cory. I don't think we can make any assumptions."

A cold breeze whipped Ariana's hair across her face, causing her to shiver. Justin tugged her closer against his side, and she had to think for a second before she remembered her train of thought. "None of the pieces are fitting together. We need to find evidence. It's one of three people. Or maybe just two. Isaiah seems to want to help you."

"Either that or he's trying to throw us off his trail. What better way to divert suspicion than make us think he's on our side?"

"I hadn't thought of it like that."

"Isaiah's car looked a heck of a lot like the one that mowed me down. When I described it, Chief Kagawa couldn't hide his surprise. After that, he acted like the whole thing was an accident."

Ariana sucked in a quick breath. "What if Isaiah pushed Daniel and his dad knows it? What if they found out Cory knew and—"

Justin's gaze drilled into hers. "Stop. Right now. This is over for you. Do you hear me?"

"What?" Ariana dug in her heels, pulling him to a stop. "But that's what they want! For us to give up."

Justin dropped her arm and faced her. "What if it's you next time? I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you." His finger snagged a strand of her hair and tucked it behind her ear. "Please, Ari. Promise me you'll let it go."

Ariana searched his dark gaze. Together again, despite everything that had worked to tear them apart, she was starting to believe there was a reason they'd been reunited—and it wasn't so he could take the bad guy down on his own.

"I can't do that. We're a team." And it's your turn to be my sidekick for once, she thought before grabbing his arm and tugging him down the sidewalk. "Speaking of which . . . Are you going to Colin's party on Friday? We should totally coordinate our outfits."

"Ha, ha." He was quiet for a moment. "Are you going with Brayden?"

"Yes."

"Then I'm going."

■ ■ ■

Techno pop blasted from the patio speakers and reverberated across the pool and out to the lawn, where fifty or so of Ariana's classmates milled around the raging bonfire like drunken moths to a flame. Ariana sat in a lawn chair, balancing two metal skewers on her knees, while Brayden relived every play of the final football game with his buddies. Oh, and drank. She'd never been to a high school party, but it was way less romantic than portrayed on the CW.

Ariana pulled one of the hot dogs out of the fire for inspection, decided it wasn't crispy enough, and stuck it back in the flames. Lisa had hitched a ride with her and Brayden but was currently flirting with a linebacker named Reggie. Searching for another familiar face, Ariana met Justin's stare across the fire. He'd managed to get another one of his granddad's old bikes running and had zoomed off to pick up Penelope, just moments before Brayden arrived. Their ruse was beginning to wear thin, in more ways than one.