Page 21

CHAPTER SIXTEEN
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9
Number 9
Come on, Letty. Just one night.
That’swhat we’d said the first time, and look where it’s gotten us.
I chew on my lip, staring down at a message from Jelani that I’ve been avoiding responding to all morning. I know I’ll eventually have to answer, but I’m not used to men who actively work for what they want.
I’m even less used to men who wantmethe way he seems to, but after the decision I had to make, I can’t handle his endearing demeanour, and I’m even less thrilled about the lie of omissionI’ve been letting corrode my heart the last two years.It was the right decision for you, Letty. Stop it.
Shoving my phone back in my bag, I clench my eyes shut, trying to centre myself, but when I sit up, finding Elise’s eyes cracking open, my heart pounds violently against my expanding rib cage.
“Hey,” I say, and she sits up abruptly, her gaze swinging around the plane. Rafael turns in his seat the same way he has over and over this entire flight. His eyes narrow on Elise, the unrelenting excitement pouring out of her a clear sign to anyone who’s ever met her that something isn’t right.
I give him a tight smile, clamping my hand down on Elise’s thigh as she tries to stand.Gracias a Dios. She doesn’t fight me. She just fidgets in her seat and starts blabbering on about some plans she has that make no sense.
Honestly, I have practically zero understanding of what a manic episode is supposed to look like, but this is so far from her baseline grumpy-assed self that I have to believe that’s what this is. Or at least, it must be something similar.
Jesus Cristo, we are so fucked.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9
My legs are bouncingas we sit on the bus, my body bouncing from the bumpy ride. My face feels tingly. I bring my hands up to my face, pressing the pads of my fingers into my skin and revel in the way sparks zap over my cheeks. I let out a little squeal, and the curious gazes of my teammates meet mine. I smile broadly at them, so excited to get off of this bus.
I like buses. They bring me to new places. I like new places.
Looking out the window, a brightly lit building that shines even in the daylight stares back at me. The word “Casino” is written in purple and red neon over the top of the building, and a large sign beside it reads, “Come be a winner today!”
“I wanna be a winner.” I breathe, my eyes never leaving the sign.
“What was that?” Adhira asks from her seat beside me.
I don’t take my eyes off of the building until we’ve passed it entirely, and I jump when I feel someone poke my side. My eyes swing to Adhira’s.
“What’d you say?” she asks, and I tilt my head in confusion, unsure of what she’s talking about.
Rafael’s deep voice is behind me, sending a chill down my spine, and heat pools in my core. He’s so sexy, it should be impossible to look that good while being that grumpy.
“Yeah, well, most people would say the same about you, I’m sure,” Adhira deadpans.Had I said that out loud?
I hum, and the driver turns the radio up. I dance in my seat, and it isn’t long before we’re parked and I’m sprinting out of the bus.Or has it been long?Unsure.
We pile into the locker rooms, and there are so many people talking it’s hard to make out what they're saying.None of it matters.
I’m about to be a winner. I slip past my roommates, heading down the hall, bobbing my head as I wander until I see a sign that reads, “Exit.”
I make my way out through it, wind whipping past my face as dark clouds roll in.Huh, that’s not good.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9
My stomach twistsin knots as I search frantically for Elise. My heart is pounding too fast, and I feel dizzy from being bent over, looking for any sign of her under the bathroom stalls. I probably look like such a creep, and when Ruby asks me what I’m doing, I lie and tell her I lost an earring.