Then I remember that he asked me to the Founder’s Ball and I said yes, which makes my heart beat a little too fast. I can’t decide which I’m more worried about, Jake figuring out that I’m not worth the hassle, or what Vin will do when he finds out.
When Jake holds out a crisp twenty-dollar bill, I reach for it, but he doesn’t immediately let go. The tips of our fingers touch, and I stare up into his friendly eyes for a moment that seems outside of time. I can’t decide if I feel drawn to him because I genuinely like him, or because he is the first normal guy who has ever taken an interest in me.
I make his change, the coins in the drawer clanging loudly together because my hands are shaking. When I hand the money to him, I ensure our skin doesn’t come in contact again because I don’t trust my own body’s reactions.
Amelia watches the interaction with obvious interest, her gaze passing back and forth between us. “Did you know my girl here can sing?”
It usually isn’t this hard to maintain the imposed silence, but at the moment all I want to do is yell at her to shut the hell up. I restrain myself to just glaring, an obvious cue she chooses to ignore.
“I mean, it’s been years, but our church choir has never been the same.” Amelia ignores my rapid head shake of negation and smiles brightly up at Jake. “Maybe you can help me coax her back sometime.”
If a hole wants to open up in the earth and swallow a person whole, this would be a great time for it.
“That’s something I’d love to see, or hear, I guess,” he says, smiling until he sees the look on my face. “If you want to, I mean.”
I definitely don’t, and not just because Vin has robbed me of a voice. Neither Zion or I have stepped foot inside the church since our mother left. She was always the one who seemed to think that showing up for a few hours every Sunday could make up for a week’s worth of sins.
Judging by the way we live, all of us risk bursting into flame the moment that we cross the threshold.
I just shake my head at Jake as I tap the smiley face sticker on the register that says Have a Great Day! It’s not quite the same thing as a dismissal, but I can’t take much more of this conversation, even if I’m not exactly participating in it.
Amelia slips her arm through Jake’s after giving me a conspiratorial wink. If it were anyone else, I’d think they were messing with me, but she’s doing what she does best: getting information out of people that they don’t necessarily want to give up.
I turn back to the register with a small smile as I finish up the transaction.
“I’ll walk you out, new guy,” she says airily. “And on the way, you can tell me why you’d come all the way out here of all places.”
“I’m wondering the same damn thing.”
The familiar voice raises the hair on the back of my neck, making me shiver like a piece of ice is sliding down my spine. It can’t be him. He would never be caught in the Gulch unless it’s the middle of the night and he’s about to sneak into my window. And it isn’t as if he would let anyone catch him doing that.
It isn’t him.
It isn’t him.
It isn’t him.
But then I look up and meet the cool gaze of Vin Cortland.
Thirteen
My hand is already moving to turn the open sign on the door to Closed as I address Jake and the other girl whose name I don’t try hard enough to remember.
“You both have about five seconds to decide if you’re staying or going. I know what I’d recommend, but I consider it only fair to give people enough rope to hang themselves.”
The stubborn look on Jake’s face doesn’t bode well for the rest of it remaining intact. He has the nerve to turn to Zaya, who just shakes her head quickly, obviously recommending the smarter choice.
Amber, Ashley, Alaska — whatever her damn name is — grabs Jake’s arm and pulls him toward the door. Like the true coward he is, he lets the tiny Asian chick who looks like she is roleplaying as a pioneer woman propel him toward the door, but not before asking Zaya if she’ll be okay.
Zaya waves him away, but the glare she levels at me is hot enough to burn.
We’re both burning, baby.
The other girl stops just short of the door and spares a glance at me. “Always nice to see you out and about, Vin. I assume the weather in hell isn’t favorable enough for you this time of year and you’re planning for a summer there.”
Inwardly, I appreciate the attempt to grow a backbone, but the stony look on my face doesn’t change. “Two seconds left. Last warning, Allison.”
“It’s Amelia, actually.” She rolls her eyes, but still yanks open the door and pulls Jake toward it. He hesitates, but takes another step away from the counter, gaze still on the girl he’ll only have over my lifeless body.
Dude wants to play big man on campus but still does what he’s told. If anything, I’m doing Zaya a favor by making sure she sees how easy it is to make him back down.
But then Jake shakes off Amelia’s hand on his arm and turns to face me. “I’m not leaving you alone with her.”
My head tilts to the side as I stare him down. I’m taller, something I relish even though it wouldn’t matter if he was on the starting line of an NBA team.
I own this
