Page 39 of Blade

Indy moved closer until her hands could reach Ana’s face. With two soft palms on her cheeks, she turned it square to her own and studied Ana for damage. Then one hand slid down to her neck.

“Oh my God!”

“What?”

Jolene turned around and saw what Indy was seeing. “That little weenie.”

“What?” Ana asked again.

“Tell her,” Indy said to Jolene.

“You tell her,” Jolene answered.

“Tell me what!” Ana demanded, now touching her own neck. Feeling a spot that was tender. Then another and another. Remembering his teeth and his tongue. His entire mouth sucking on her skin.

“He gave you hickeys,” Jolene said, stifling a laugh.

“Like, huge hickeys,” Indy confirmed, touching Ana’s neck. Running her fingers over each one. Both girls stifled laughter, but just barely.

Ana sat up so she could see herself in the rearview mirror. “It’s not funny!”

Indy wrapped her arm around Ana’s waist and pulled her back into the seat.

“Sorry,” Jolene said. “We’re just relieved that you’re okay. Jesus—how many beers did you drink?”

Ana leaned her entire body into Indy, who stroked her hair.

“I don’t remember,” she lied. “When will they go away?”

Jolene told her it could be a few days. Indy said her friend back home once had a hickey for over a week.

“Toothpaste will suck the blood out,” Jolene said.

“That doesn’t work,” Indy said. And then they argued about it, but neither one had ever had a hickey, so there they all were, in another Mount Everest situation.

“We’ll figure it out,” Jolene promised.

“Yeah,” Indy said. “It’ll be fine.”

And then there was Hugo, the boy from Spain who knew about some stuff that would heal Indy’s bruise, walking toward them. All the boys from Avery Hall had come in a separate car.

“Hey,” he said. “We’re heading back. This place is lame.”

Jolene turned to face him. “Same. Let’s get out of here.” She put the keys in the ignition, then stopped, suddenly.

“Wait—where’s Kayla?” Jolene asked, looking back at Ana and Indy.

“I haven’t seen her since she left with that guy—they went into the woods,” Indy said.

“The short one,” Ana said, remembering nothing more about him.

Jolene turned back to the front of the car and the tree line about four car rows away. “You two stay here,” she said. And then she hopped out and grabbed Hugo, and the two of them marched toward the woods where Kayla and Sporty had disappeared.

Only Sporty had been in the van when it drove away. He was the one driving.

Ana and Indy sat for a few minutes, contemplating everything. A silent, subconscious recalibration taking place inside their brains and their bodies.

“What else happened?” Indy asked Ana, her eyes looking out to the woods.