Page 3

CHAPTER

THREE

Ten minutes before Theo died, he was drunk.

He would be hungover tomorrow, he reasoned, because he mixed beer and liquor (never sicker). But for now, he was warm and happy and his basketball teammates kept pulling him into hugs or cheering or telling him what a great party it was.

Life was good.

Then Skeeter Bass ran into him and spilled beer all over his good sneakers.

“Watch it,” Theo snapped, recoiling. He shook his feet, disgusted. “God, it’s in my socks .”

Skeeter cowered. She was a straightlaced sophomore with braces on her teeth and a cross around her neck. The braces were necessary, the cross was to make her parents happy .

“Um,” she said. Um was one of the cornerstones of her vocabulary. “I’m so sorry. I’ll clean it up.”

She bent down like she was going to wipe his shoes with her bare hands. Theo stepped back, almost banging into the wall.

“Just forget it,” he said. Then, when she wiped uselessly at his sneakers: “Hey, no, forget it. Get out of here.”

Skeeter stood cautiously, still cowering. Her braces glinted in the dim light.

“Like, leave?”

“No! Just go…away from me.”

“Oh. Um, okay.” Skeeter fiddled with the cross around her neck. “Um, I’m sorry. I hope you guys win the game next week. Go Nightfowls.”

“Go Nightfowls,” Theo echoed automatically. He shook his wet shoes, not bothering to watch Skeeter vanish into the crowd. He felt a little bad for snapping at her. He also felt bad for not going harder—if his parents had seen that, they’d want Theo to demand payment for his ruined shoes. Which Theo thought was a little unnecessary. They could buy new shoes; the Bass family were on food stamps.

He was so busy shaking his wet shoes he didn’t notice Felicity creeping up behind him until she slung a slim arm around his shoulders, teeth closing around his ear.

Theo yelped, shoving at her. “Liss! What the hell? ”

She grinned. “Couldn’t find Aaron. Got bored. What was that about?”

“Nothing. Gotta do some laundry later.” Theo wiped spit off his ear, unable to keep the fond smile off his face. Aaron was his best friend, but Felicity had been his first. He didn’t even remember life without her. Even though he had a burning crush on her during middle school, he was almost glad Aaron dated her instead—high school dating inevitably meant a breakup. Theo much preferred getting over his crush and keeping her as a friend. Even if she’d been pulling away from him since she started dating Aaron, preferring to spend time out of town with her new modeling friends or hanging one-on-one with her boyfriend. No time for her childhood best friend unless they were at school or at a party.

Felicity flicked him in the face with her ponytail. “You didn’t even need us to help clean, you dick. I could’ve spent way longer on my makeup.”

“It wouldn’t have helped.” Theo dodged the elbow she threw at him and laughed.

Felicity’s eyes caught on something over her shoulder and widened. “Those flowers over the door are so pretty. Where did you get that from?”

Theo paused, trying to remember his lie. It was harder after this many beers.

Felicity gasped, a wicked grin curling her lips. “ No . Did you grow them? ”

“No,” Theo said, but it was too late. Felicity grabbed him again, squealing.

“Our favorite little gardener,” she cooed, squeezing his cheeks. “Golden boy, gardener boy?—”

Theo pushed her off, glancing around to check if anyone had heard. The chatter was too loud, the music too thick. He breathed a sigh of relief.

“I got it from the garden store,” he insisted. “So shut up, alright?”

She rolled her eyes. Her floral perfume tickled his nose.

“Boooring,” she singsonged. She pressed a wet kiss to his face and bit him in the chin. “I’m going to go find someone interesting ,” she growled, and flounced off.

Theo snorted, rubbing the fading bite mark on his chin. As soon as her pale hair vanished into the crowd, a thick, familiar hand landed on Theo’s shoulder.

“Aaron,” Theo said, not needing to turn. “Dance with me.”

“What? No.” Aaron stepped into view, distracted. “Have you seen Liss around?”

Theo pointed into the crowd. “Just missed her.”

“Shit.” Aaron scratched his mouth, which was slick with beer. “Has she broken anything yet?”

Theo slung an arm around his shoulder. “She’s fine , man. You worry too much.”

Aaron muttered something, too low to catch. His steely gaze roved the crowd, looking for a flash of Felicity’s blond head .

Theo’s smile faded. Aaron got weird about Felicity sometimes, especially at parties. Granted, Felicity had become a bit of a wild card in the past few years. But it didn’t warrant Aaron getting all annoyed and worried, monitoring how many drinks she was having and telling her to stop dancing on tables.

“I worry enough,” Aaron barked, still scanning. “ You didn’t see her start a knife-throwing contest at Kenny H’s house last month.”

Theo blinked. “I thought you guys were having a double date.”

“We were,” Aaron said dryly. “It got intense. Hope Kenny enjoyed digging his steak knives out of his living room wall.”

Theo didn’t ask why they hadn’t told him earlier. There was a lot going on between Aaron and Felicity that they didn’t tell him about.

“I just…if she hurts herself doing something stupid, again …” Aaron’s face clouded. He shook his head, twisting out from under Theo’s arm. “Anyway. Came over here to tell you Monster’s skulking around the cliffs next to the house.”

It took a moment to click. “Kade Renfield? He’s here?”

“Yeah, little gate-crashing shit.” Aaron scowled at the window, where the cliffs and the forest waited. “Let’s go show him what happens when he crashes a Fairgood party. ”

Visions of broken noses and police sirens danced in Theo’s head.

He caught Aaron’s elbow before he could storm off. “Whoa, hey. I’m the host. Let me do it.”

Aaron frowned. Or, an Aaron version of a frown, mouth turning almost imperceptibly down at the corners. “You don’t want backup?”

Theo didn’t want a repeat of last year. Aaron’s parents had been so pissed at him for getting into a fight, especially with a lowlife like Kade “Monster” Renfield, no matter how many times Aaron insisted Kade started it.

“I want you to take a load off. Enjoy yourself, bud.” Theo pulled him in, knocking their foreheads together.

Aaron laughed. His teeth showed, just a glimpse beyond his slim mouth.

“Text me if you need backup. And if it’s Monster, you will need backup. I was always the better fighter.”

“You wish,” Theo replied. “Go make sure Felicity isn’t throwing my parents’ good knives, please.”

He slapped Aaron’s back and headed for the front door. The crowd parted easily around him, people reaching out to clap his arm or offer him a drink. The town’s golden boy, bright and gleaming, everybody wanting a glimpse.

One minute before Theo died, he walked toward the cliff that plunged into a steep drop next to the house .

A figure stood at the edge. Not at the bushes, which were a sensible distance away. But the edge edge, right on the precipice, the one-more-step-and-you’re-dead edge. If Kade moved a little further he’d be falling into the lake.

“Hey,” Theo yelled. “Get back here, dumbass. I did a whole speech, didn’t you hear it? You know how many people have died in that lake? A lot , and not because of the fall. Those rocks will mess you up .”

The figure turned, stumbling. Theo couldn’t see his face. The light from the house spilled out onto the cliff, but not far enough to reach them. All they had was the moon, half-full and obscured by mist.

Theo squinted. That was definitely Kade—same skinny frame and dark clothes. He had lacy fingerless gloves and black shorts and dark tights with holes ripped up the front. He even had eyeliner, in black streaks down his cheeks.

“Hey, dipshit…” Theo’s yell trailed off as he got closer. The black streaks weren’t a fashion statement. Kade was crying, his gray eyes wet in the moonlight.

Theo jerked to a stop. “Oh. Uh. I’ll?—”

Leave you alone never made it out of his mouth. One, he realized it probably wasn’t a good idea to leave a crying crazy guy on a cliff edge. And two, Kade’s face shifted from embarrassment to fearful shock. But not at him: Kade’s wet, horrified eyes were aimed over Theo’s shoulder .

Theo turned. A burst of black rushed at him. Hands closed around his torso and he was lifted into the air.

The world blurred. Someone shrieked. It sounded like Kade.

Up and up and up . Theo tried to turn, tried to see who— what— was holding him, but it was dark and they were moving so fast. The ground was far away now, the cliff a pinprick, the forest faraway specks. Even the lake was small.

Am I on drugs ? Theo thought deliriously. Is this what tripping is like? I don’t think I like drugs if this is what drugs are like.

White hot pain flared in his neck. Theo screamed. The pain moved, spreading through his veins. It was the worst thing he’d ever felt. Then the figure pulled back, pushing a cut wrist against Theo’s mouth. Something terrible trickled from the wound, black and viscous. It flowed and flowed, filling Theo’s mouth until he had no choice but to swallow.

The figure whispered in his ear. Its voice was distorted, inhuman, like it was talking past a thicket of thorns. “I’ll see you soon, Cyth.”

Then Theo was falling.

He screamed again, the noise filling with tears. Please be a drug trip, he begged silently as the lake water rushed toward him, rocks looming. Please be a dream, I know it hurts but sometimes dreams hurt, right, please ? —

He hit the water with a loud crack. More pain, incredible and strange .

He passed out. When he opened his eyes he was groggy and deep underwater and he couldn’t tell which way was up. Everything hurt but nothing felt broken—he’d missed the rocks.

There, in the distance: light. The moon, half-full and misty. He swam toward it, but his lungs ached and every inch of his skin burned, every muscle, every shred of sinew and the back of his throat and his heart pounded slower.

He opened his mouth, sucking in water.

It didn’t take long after that.