Page 55 of Dance of Thorns

The space goes quiet. I turn to see Evie looking at me in shock. “And I was just telling you what a great guy he is…” Her facefalls. “Like, to trap you into marriage? Roman said something about your dad having a new shipping dock?—”

“Yeah, it’s not that.”

She frowns. “Then?—”

“Can I tell you something?” It just pops out.

She nods. “Of course.”

This…thinginside me has to come out. Maybe I’ve just been holding it inside for too long. Or maybe in some weird way, Evie kind of reminds me of, well,me— if things hadn’t gotten fucked up along the way.

“It’s…big.” My lip catches between my teeth. “Like, really big.”

She nods. “You can tell me. I just…” She smiles wryly, shrugging. “You sure you want to tellme? We’re not…” She pauses. “I mean, we’re friends, and Ilovebeing friends, I just?—”

“Evie.” I place a gentle hand on her arm. “I…don’t have a lot of close friends.”

She tips her head. “You and Brooklyn seem close.”

“We are. But this…” I shrug. “I dunno. It feels like I need to tell someone, and that someone needs to be you.“ I sigh. “I guess I just…trust you?”

Evie smiles and squeezes my hand. “I’mreallygood at keeping secrets.” She glances away. “Believe me,” she mutters under her breath.

I smile wryly, then slowly exhale.

Welcome to the deep end, Evie. Take a deep breath.

“You know how I don’t drink when we all go out?”

Evie smiles, instantly looking relieved. “Oh! It’s okay, I get it. Roman is a recovering alcoholic, too. I’m happy to talk about?—”

“No, I don’t drink because I’m aheroin addict.”

The room goes pin-drop silent. I swallow heavily, looking down at my hands.

“I’ve been clean and sober for almost two years. But for a while…” I squeeze my eyes shut. “I…yeah.”

There's a pause, then her hand quietly slides across the couch to take mine, squeezing. I look up, feeling so vulnerable, but getting a wave of comfort when I see Evie smiling.

“You can tell me anything. You can also tell me nothing,” she says softly.

I nod, biting my lip.

“I got into it at boarding school. And I got senttherebecause of something that happened back here, in New York, when I was seventeen.” I look down again. “I had this best friend growing up, named Lark. She was being raised by her grandma, who was our housekeeper. So she lived with us.”

My mouth twists in a mix of sadness and vague emotions that make me smile.

“We did everything together. She even came to school with me at Thornfield Prep.” I glance over at her. “Bane was at Thornfield, too. And he and Lark…” I smile. “They were a couple. Like, a totally in love couple.” I exhale. “He even asked her to marry him.”

“Whoa,” Evie breathes. “I…I didn’t know that about him.”

“I don’t think anyone does,” I say quietly.

I reach for my phone and scroll to the folder I don’t always let myself look at.

“Here,” I say quietly, scooting over so she can see the screen too. “This is Lark.”

I tap on a picture taken when we were ten—us sitting on the front steps of my dad’s house with the jack-o-lanterns we’d just carved.