Page 93 of Into the Dark, We Go

I hastily pushed Nick away and jumped off the counter, as if I could undo what had just happened and erase what June had witnessed.

She grabbed her wallet and stormed out without a word.

"Shit," I muttered, pressing the backs of my hands to my burning cheeks.

"They won’t care," Nick assured me.

But of course, they would. We’d been searching for my missing boyfriend together, and now I’d hooked up with someone else right under their noses. A part of me tried to justify it—two years was a long time, after all—but it was the way it happened that made it hurtful. We had actively lied about it.

Nick tried to comfort me with a hug, but I pulled away.

"What is it?" he asked.

"It’s... everything!" I exclaimed, my voice trembling. "We really messed up. We shouldn’t have been sneaking around. We shouldn’t have done it at all."

Nick’s eyes narrowed. "What are you saying? You regret it?"

I nodded, the word tumbling out before I could soften it. "Yes!"

Nick’s expression turned cold. "Good to know," he mumbled before turning and leaving for his room.

"N-Nick, that’s not—" I started, but his door closed before I could finish.

"Shit."

And there I was, alone once more.

Lunch was a pressure cooker,tension crackling like electricity. Mitchell, the only one oblivious to what had happened, was trying to discuss matters as usual. But the rest of us were trapped in an uncomfortable silence. Guilt swirled in my stomach like a snake as I picked at my food, my appetite gone. I prayed to disappear into thin air.

June sulked, her stare pinned to her plate as she ate mechanically, occasionally shooting accusatory glances at Nick and me. Nick, however, refused to meet her eyes—or mine, for that matter. Earlier, he’d exchanged a few words with Mitchell, but he and I hadn’t had a chance to talk.

"Pasta’s good," Mitchell said to me.

I forced a weak smile. We’d been living off pasta every day because no one had the energy for real cooking.

Mitch let out a heavy sigh and put his fork down.

"Alright, what the hell is going on? Why are you all acting so weird?"

June’s gaze darted between Nick and me. I looked down at the cold food on my plate. Finally, unable to contain herself, the girl blurted, "Nellie and Nick were kissing in the kitchen!"

Mitchell paused mid-chew and let out a low, amused chuckle, clearly thinking June was joking. But then our tense silence registered, and his expression faltered as he realized she was serious.

After a beat, he said, "It’s none of your business," and went back to eating, seemingly unfazed.

"Whatever," June muttered, rolling her eyes.

A lump formed in my throat. "Excuse me," I choked out, getting up and heading for the door. Once inside my room, I sank onto the bed and let the tears come.

The next day,Nick and I still hadn’t talked, and it felt like everything was unraveling. Mitchell tried to give out tasks, pretending nothing had changed, but no one followed through. All I could think of was that my mother was right. I was self-centered and irresponsible, always thinking about my own good. And that’s precisely why I was better off alone.

However, despite Mitchell’s attempts to smooth things out, the situation only worsened. June was still moody and agitated. She sat straight as a stick in the armchair. Nick was holding a book, as if hiding behind it. I was nervously toying with my phone.

"I’ve been thinking on what you said," Mitchell threw a careful look at Nick, who lifted his eyes from the book without a hint of surprise, as if he’d always known he was right. "And maybe it’s time we broaden our scope a bit."

He checked we were all paying attention, and then continued.

"What about that book June borrowed?" he turned to me. "You find anything else useful in it?"