Mag-log inLucianI walked to the door and opened it.A man stood there. He was tall with gray hair and really kind eyes."Lucian," he said. "Sorry I am late.""No problem," I said. "I have the documents right here."I handed him the folder. He looked at it and nodded."Thank you," he said. "I will review these and get back to you.""Thank you."He left, I closed the door and I turned around.Bonnie was standing in the middle of the room. Her uniform was slightly wrinkled. Her hair was a mess though and she looked beautiful. She always looked beautiful."That was close," she said."Very close.""Worth it though.""Worth it."I walked toward her and wrapped my arms around her. She pressed her face into my chest as I held her tight. I could feel her heart beating against mine. I could feel the warmth of her body through her uniform. I could smell her shampoo. The expensive one. The one that smelled like coconuts and something floral. I breathed her in and never wanted to let go.I loved her. I lov
BonnieMarcellus's mood was sour.I could feel it radiating off him like heat from a stove. He was standing by the car with his arms crossed and his jaw tight. Colette was already in the backseat and she was leaning against Jude's shoulder with her eyes half closed. She was exhausted. The first day of school had drained every ounce of energy from her.Jude was looking at me with really unreadable face but something in his eyes softened."Bye Bonnie," he said."Bye Jude."Colette lifted her head. "Where are you going? Are you not coming with us?""I am meeting Lucian. He is picking me up."Colette's eyes widened. "Lucian. Your boyfriend...the hockey player.""Yes.""Oooooh.""Colette.""I am just saying oooh. That is all. Just ooooh."Jude pulled her back down. "Leave her alone.""I am not doing anything. I am just saying oooh.""Stop saying oooh.""I will stop saying oooh when I stop feeling oooh."Marcellus opened the driver's door but he did not look at me, he did not say anything,
96LucianThe bell rang and I was out of my seat before the teacher finished talking.I did not care about the homework assignment or the reading schedule or any of the other things Mr. Hendricks was droning on about. I had practice in thirty minutes and I wanted to get there early. I wanted to be alone with my thoughts. I wanted to think about Bonnie in peace as weird as it sounds.The hallway was crowded as students pushed past me. Someone bumped my shoulder but I did not care. I was already thinking about her. The way she looked at me in the locker room. The way her mouth felt on mine. The way she said my name like it meant something.I walked toward the hockey wing. The hallway was quieter here. Fewer students...more space. I could hear the distant sound of skates on ice. Someone was already practicing."Lucian!"I turned around and saw that Jensen was jogging toward me. His face was red and he was out of breath."Did you hear?" he asked."Hear what?""About Bonnie's sister. The n
95BonnieThe morning sun was too bright and it made my stomach into a knot of dread.I stood in the hallway with my backpack slung over one shoulder and my heart pounding against my ribs. Today was the day everything would change. Today Colette and Jude would walk through those doors and become part of this school. Today people would start connecting dots and asking questions I did not know how to answer.Colette was beside me literally bouncing on her heels. Her energy was contagious but right now it just made me more anxious. She was wearing a bright yellow sweater and jeans with rips in the knees. Her hair was wild and curly and she had applied glitter to her cheeks. She looked like she was about to walk onto a stage instead of into a high school."I am so nervous," she said. "What if no one likes me? What if everyone thinks I am weird?""Everyone will like you. You are impossible not to like.""That is not true. Some people do not just like me. They find me exhausting.""Those pe
KNOX'S POV Sable laid on my bed and I watched her sleep peacefully. I couldn't take my eyes off her, even after hours of staring. My hands went on and off from her forehead, making sure her temperature was neutral. She'd insisted on no doctors and I feared there was something else to it. She probably didn't want to get anyone else involved and it hurts a bit to realize I was part of the people she'd decided to keep things a secret from. Or maybe I was only over reacting. I wouldn't know, but in all I knew I couldn't leave her this way, not after what I'd seen earlier today. I laid down next to her, monitoring her breath and falling in love with her over again. There was something about how peaceful she looked even while she slept. How her lips twitched and an occasional smile tugged on her lips like she was in paradise right in her dream. I was relieved seeing those things, at least she wasn't sweating and jerking off in fear. I slowly dozed off to sleep, I guess intoxicated by her
BonnieThe door to my room burst open without a knock.Colette stood in the doorway with her arms spread wide and a grin on her face that could have powered the entire neighborhood. She was wearing pajama pants covered in tiny pizza slices and a t shirt that said I'm not arguing I'm just explaining why I'm right. Her hair was a wild mess of dark curls and she looked like she had just run up the stairs at full speed."I am bored," she announced."You have been here for less than forty eight hours.""Four hours is a lifetime. I need entertainment. I need stimulation. I need you."I looked up from my book. "Me?""You. I need you to talk to me. To tell me things. To be my friend."I set the book down. "I am your friend.""Then prove it. Tell me something about yourself that no one else knows."I thought about it. There were so many things no one else knew. The real things. The dark things. The things I could never tell her."I used to be afraid of the dark," I said."That is not a secret.
BonnieThe oak tree felt different today.Maybe it was the photos. Maybe it was the way Lucian had looked at me in English. Like he wanted to say something but did not know how. I had been sitting on the grass for ten minutes and was picking at the blades but not really seeing them. The sun was low
BonnieMy mother appeared in my doorway with an armful of dresses."You cannot wear that," she said as she nodded at the black jeans and sweater I had laid out on the bed."Why not?""Because you are meeting his mother. Not going to a funeral."
MarcellusI walked back inside like nothing had happened.The screen door clicked shut behind me. The only sign that anything was different was the soft sound of footsteps on the stairs. Quick and hurried. Like someone trying to disappear before they were seen.Classic Bonnie.She had scurried away
MarcellusThe laptop screen glowed in the dim light of the guest room.I had been staring at the same page for twenty minutes. Flight options. Seat selections. The endless logistics of moving two teenagers across the country. Colette wanted a window seat. Jude wanted an aisle. They had been arguing







