Page 88 of Fragments

An easy smile rests on his lips while he pokes at his food. “Remember when we were talking about watching the fireworks?”

“Of course,” I murmur, pulse steadily increasing.

We’ve spent a lot of time talking over the past few months, getting to know each other, becomingfriends. And it should come as no surprise to learn that we’re very different people. We like different music—he likes classic rock and hairband stuff from the eighties, while I like pop you can dance to, and mopey emo music…The two wildly different sides of my fucked-up personality. Different movies—he likes Tarantino and I likeTwilight. He’s an introverted computer nerd, and I’m a drug-sniffing club kid.

I mean, shit, we’re the quintessential pieces of our opposite coasts; his Cali boy, who loves the sun and smiling, to my New Yorker, who hates everyone and everything.

But theone thingwe have in common is a shared favorite memory of watching fireworks as kids. We bonded over it, in fact, and it lifted my heart to think that every July fourth—which also happens to be his birthday—we’d both watch fireworks over the ocean.

Three-thousand miles apart, but still…together.

Lex peeks at me, a sweet curve to his pink mouth and twinkle of dare in his eyes. “That’s what I want.”

My brows lift. “You want fireworks…?”

He nods, casually popping a nugget into his mouth.

I purse my lips.Challenge accepted.

Our little moment, however, is interrupted when Toby plops down aggressively at the table. He looks stressed, exhausted, rubbing his eyes and mumbling nonsense.

“Toby…?” Lex calls to him. “You alright, buddy?”

“I can’t do it.” Toby shakes his head over and over. “I just can’t do it anymore, man. I gotta get out.”

Lex sighs, and I roll my eyes.

Toby has been blathering about wanting to get out of here for the last couple of months, and it’s driving us all nuts.Yea, sure.Weallwant to get out of here. But it’s not an option, so the way I see it, just shut the hell up and serve your time.

Lex agrees with me on this.

We’ve seen guys try to escape before. Well, I’ve only seen it once, but I’ve heard rumors of inmates trying and failing miserably. Best-case scenario, you wind up in a padded cell down in the torture chamber known as the East Wing. Worst case, you die, shot by one of the guards.

Say by some miracle, you actually make itoutside—which no inmate has ever successfully done before—this island is ten miles off the coast of New York. That’s ten miles of ice cold, raging sea, which also happens to be infested with sharks.

The West coast of the island has been aptly namedShark Bay.

And yet, for some reason, despite all this information, idiots like Toby still think they’re the exception.Some people are so dumb it hurts my brain.

“Dude, we’ve been over this.” Lex palms his scalp. “It’s never gonna happen. You’ll just get yourself killed.”

“No, I’m being serious,” Toby whispers with his eyes bulging. “I overheard something about a sewer channel last time I was in solitary. You can get to it through the East Wing. Hamlin gave me directions.” He holds up his palm to show us some writing on it.

It just saysleft, right, lefta bunch of times.

My gaze lifts slowly to his, portraying my skepticism. “Homie, I say this with love… You sound cray cray.”

Toby huffs, frowning down at the table.

“Yea, man… Hamlin is a wackjob,” Lex adds. “He was in the East for a reason, and when he was down there, they basically turned his brain into popcorn. I wouldn’t trust him with directions to his own asshole, let alone some magical sewer in the East that probably doesn’t even exist.”

“It does exist! I know it does,” Toby whimpers.

I’m starting to feel bad for the dude. He’s clearly not doing great.

“Okay.” Lex folds his arms. “Let’s say it does. You get to the East Wing… then what? I mean, how would you even get out of the cell?”

“I have a plan,” he mutters, standing up. “I suggest you guys come with me. But if not, I guess I’ll see you around, boys.”