Page 148 of Dark Little Game

“Fuck.Is the green better, or the baby blue?” I ask, turning and looking at my shirt in my long, wood-framed mirror for the millionth time.

Ollie and Noah are sitting at my desk chair and Hunter’s chair. Noah rolls his eyes, looking up from his leather-bound planner.

“Just pick one. Hunter will want to give you all his babies even if you were wearing a bright pink tutu,” Oliver says with a sly grin.

“Maybe Hunter would enjoy you in a pink tutu,” Noah adds, and the two of them find thatveryamusing.

“Do you know how making babies works, Ollie?” I ask. “Because I think you might need a few lessons.”

He shrugs. “All kinds of things are possible nowadays. And I obviously meantcumbabies, anyway.”

“Don’t ask him what he means by that, Rayne. I’ve learned that Oliver has a very active imagination by now.”

I smooth out the front of the baby blue tight long-sleeve shirt.

We’re in my room, and Hunter’s currently out and about, probably quietly losing his mind about what we’re going to do this evening.

We’re going onour first date.

A real date.

A date like normal people have, people who aren’t fucking their best friend’s brother and aren’t in the crosshairs of some demented, violent threat.

Fall break just began, and I’m glad that some of the other Onyx guys stayed on campus for the week off of classes.

I’ve always liked having people around me, but it feels even more necessary these days.

“Can’t believe I’m worried about what color I’m wearing on a date when all of our fucking lives are in danger.”

“Life must go on, even if we’re being threatened,” Noah says, finally closing his planner and coming over to my side, looking in the mirror. “Maybe all of the threats are just a prank.”

I cut him a glare. “If someone’s idea of a prank is a needle in my neck and agunshotgrazing James’ head? They deserve hell.”

“Fair point.”

“I think the person, or people, have backed off,” Ollie says.

“I’ve been wondering about that.”

“By the way, Royal,” Noah says, lifting an eyebrow at me. “Does Wes know… about this?”

“The date?”

Noah nods.

I stand a little taller, looking back in the mirror. “He does. I’m never keeping a goddamned secret from Weston again, ever, in my life. I know it’s going to be tough for him to accept certain things at first, but I really think we’ll be okayagain, someday.”

“He really seems like an understanding person,” Oliver says with a nod. “He’ll get there.”

“But he probably won’t ever want to hear us joke about his brother puttingcum babiesin Rayne, so keep your mouth shut about that,” Noah says, reaching over and giving Oliver’s shoulder a little smack.

With every passing day, Wes has also been closer and closer to his normal self.

It does seem like the only silver lining of the dark cloud over this semester is that Weston and I are going to come out of this better friends than before.

Hopefully.

Eventually.