Page 248 of Ominous: Part 1

“What has she ever done to you, though, seriously?” Dominic asks, and I note an edge to his words. He’s protective over her, maybe over their bizarre relationship, and the one they had with Eli. He probably believes I stole him away, too.

Thunder rumbles somewhere above the castle.

“She straddled him right in front of me,” I answer Dom’s question. “Andyou.”

He makes a dismissive noise in the back of his throat. “That’s child’s play compared to what they used to do.”

Used to do.I like those words, but I don’t say anything about them. “Well, she’s not going to do eventhatnow. We’re dating.”

Dominic nods as I slide a glance his way, gauging his reaction. Eli and I made it official, when he told me I was his girlfriend in the car at the park, but we neverannouncedit or anything, so I didn’t know if Dominic or Luna knew.

“Yeah, she knows,” he confirms.

A burst of glee thrums through my chest. “She does?”

We’re a few feet from the entrance, and I can feel the A/C, still running inside the castle. It’s chilly, because the weather has cooled off the past couple of days, but I’d rather be cold than hot, since I sweat so much as it is. Still, even knowing the coolness is waiting for me, I stop, turning to look up at Dom. He faces me, too, a furrow between his brows despite the playful half-smile on his lips.

“He told her.”

A flush of irritation rolls through me, and I’m not even sure why. I guess I just want to know when he told her, why, how it came up. But then that thought replaces another. The things I’ve been scribbling in my notebook. The shit I can’t let go of. All the things I don’t know.

“Dominic.”

He stands a little straighter. We’re off the walkway, people passing by us, and I know Eli could, too, sometime soon, but I can’t wait anymore. It’s like a need in my head, no filter for my mouth.

“What motive would Eli have for hurting your sister?”

His eyes widen, and he glances around us, like he’s looking for eavesdroppers. But I just don’t care. I’m shifting from foot to foot, shaking my head, all the things I’ve been thinking about coming to the surface.

“I mean, when you came to his house…” I trail off, thinking about my notes. My conclusion. What Eli told me, but I keep that confession wrapped up tight in my head. “You were accusing him, and you said he went to that place, in Idaho—”

“For a long time,” Dom confirms, his teeth gritted. “Went there instead of prison. He came back in the spring…” He trails off, his voice breaking as he drops his gaze to the ground. “I don’t think he did it though,” he finally says, eyes finding mine through his lashes.

I feel a little dizzy. “What? You said—”

“I was drunk.” He says the words with finality. “He didn’t do it.”

“Then what do you think—”

“I don’t know.” He looks up at the sky, another rumble of thunder closer now. He still doesn’t drop his gaze, and I watch lightning reflect from his eyes.

“Did they ever sleep together?” I just blurt it out, my speech rapid, my thoughts too, as Dom’s eyes flash on mine. I know they did, but I want Dom’s side of the story. It’s like he told me, right? It’s interesting to see all sides of it. “I mean, I was thinking, if they did, maybe she was trying to make him jealous by disappearing with someone else or—”

Dominic shakes his head, his teeth gritted. “They didn’t sleep together.” He says it so forcefully, I don’t even thinkhethinks it’s true.

You’re lying, you’re lying, you’re lying. But why?Is he covering for Eli… or is he covering for himself?

I worked this all out. Eli watched her walk off, but Dom doesn’t know, and she was probably in love with Eli like everyone is and she made a wrong choice by getting in someone’s car, and maybe they hurt her and dumped her body in the lake and—

“Are you okay?” Dom interrupts my thoughts.

I still. I have no idea what I looked like just then, going over all these things inside my head. I nod once, slowly. “Yes.” I force myself to speak slow too.

Dom stares at me.

A bell rings from inside the school, loud and ominous, a low note. My heart thuds in my chest. There’s all thisenergyinside of me, and I don’t want to go sit in class, but I don’t really have much choice. Besides, Eli is in there.

“Look,” Dom says quietly, “I know I’ve been a shit. I’m sorry.” He shakes his head. “Eli said you guys were going to the beach house for Halloween. There’s a memorial for Winslet because it was her favorite holiday, from my parents, for all Dad’sco-workers.”He snarls the last word. “I don’t wanna go. Do you think…” He drops his gaze again. To the ground.