No matter how much she runs, Laura is stuck in an endless loop of her past. With a transfer of school and a curly-haired boy who seems to be wherever she goes, it's a matter of time she realizes that her universe ceases at the sight of him-and runni...
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I PARKED OUTSIDE XAVIER'S house and saw Evan tilt his head to a side, lips curving into a smile. "Tell me, again, why I entrusted my life to your driving skills?"
I had dropped others a message on the group chat, so I knew they were prepared. All I had to do was take Evan to the backyard, where they were waiting for us. "Well, for one, my license is no longer suspended." I grinned. "And the best part: you never really had a choice."
He slumped into his seat. I grabbed my purse and gave him a light shove. "No time to dwell, birthday boy."
"I should've never agreed to this." He hesitantly stepped out. "I don't like—"
"Take it as a fun evening with your friends, okay?" I reduced the distance between us. We walked through the patio shrouded with shrubs, my heels snapping loose twigs in two. "It's just us."
Evan sighed, but there was a faint grin on his face. The house was dimly lit, door unlocked, and I pretended to navigate the house better than the guy beside me—who had definitely been here more than I had.
"At least tell me," he droned, "what the move is?"
I found the backyard after stumbling over for seconds too long. All the lights went out. He muttered a dejected oh, God, and my laugh reverberated between us while I squeezed his hand and dragged him along.
"Are you scared of the dark, Evan?" I teased. Even under the glow of twilight, I could see the turn of his lips how I saw it in broad daylight, the glint of silver dangling off his neck.
"If it makes you hold me closer," he hummed. "Maybe."
The sudden flash of brightness in our face broke us out of our trance. I let go of his arm, and the rest of our friends slowly crawled into my sight after moments of complete darkness, birthday wishes floating in the air. Xavier was holding a cake in his hands, Leo and Raymond holding confetti. Sean was taking pictures. Chloe had a birthday hat in her hand—a ridiculously big one, which automatically made Evan wince.
Stella stepped on his foot "accidentally" and then crushed him into a hug while muttering, "Happy birthday, you ass."
"All of us could hear you flirting, by the way," she continued and dropped me a singular, sly smile. "Kinda took me out of this whole friendly birthday celebration we have going on."
Evan rolled his eyes. "Just because you're single and miserable doesn't mean we have to suffer too, Reyes."
"I'd beat you up, but I love Laura too much for that."
He thinned his lips. "How kind of you."
"Guys," Xavier held Stella by an arm. "Really? We've got a place to be at."
Stella fell entirely too still in his hold. I stared at her, but she was looking elsewhere.
"Can I finally be told where we're headed?" Evan's voice sounded strained, as if he was actually withering away without this piece of information.
