Page 87 of The Love Interest

The boy who stood outside my window, the boy who drove me through the night, the boy who is obsessed with rock music and who is so much nicer than me, the kind of guy who should’ve been a Nice. I picture him waiting outside my room, framed by my chipped wooden window frame.

He’s about to die.

I need to process this. I won. Dyl will be executed. Everything is going too fast. The world is too loud, bright, and cruel and I can’t focus on anything because Dyl, my Dyl, is about to be murdered. It’s so horrific it’s almost abstract, like it can’t really happen. But it will. A Stalker will claim him, and if he runs, it’ll decapitate him.

I bend down and pick up the dropped glass. Dyl breaks out of the spotlight and forces his way through the jeering crowd toward the exit. He ducks through the doorway and moves out of sight.

I walk over to the table and place the cup down. As it touches the tabletop I realize how violently my hand is shaking. Why do I feel like this? This is what I wanted. All along, ever since I arrived at the LIC, this was the thing I wanted. To win. To survive.

But now that I have it I don’t want it. In fact, I hate it.

I want the boy who came to my window at night. I want him whole, and I want him with me.

Juliet appears out of the crowd. “Caden, what’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Where did Dyl go?”

“His aunt said he went to the lookout. She looked so mad at me and I—”

“He’s going to kill himself. I need to go. Right now.”

Her eyes widen. “Oh God. I’ll come too.”

Together, we run through the party back into the house. At the kitchen, I pause. I walk up to the wooden block filled with knives with silver handles. I grab the smallest one, then spin and chase after Juliet.

We step outside the front door. Juliet grabs my arm. “Why’d you grab that knife?”

I shrug her off me. “We can’t talk now. Come on.”

Kaylee, are you there?

Thankfully, there’s no response.

I reach the truck and swing the door open. Juliet stands beside it with her arms crossed. Her heels are digging into the soft ground. “Caden, what the hell are you doing? How do you know what Dyl’s going to do? He wasn’t even sure he knew your name at the start of the party, and now you’re upset because I rejected him?”

“I can’t explain, Juliet. I don’t have time.”

“That’s not for you to decide. I told you this was a big night for me and then Dyl ruined it and now you’re making it worse. Caden, you’re scaring me.”

“I’m a liar, Juliet. So is Dyl. Ishouldbe scaring you. It’s the rational emotion to feel when you’re around me.”

Tears fill her eyes. “What do you mean? I told you I want to be with you and now you’re freaking out because obviously you’ve changed your mind and don’t want to be with me anymore.”

“That’s not it. Trust me.” I take a deep breath.Am I doing this?

I picture Dyl, naked, a tear running down his cheek. Orange fire hurtling toward him. Him closing his eyes like he’s accepting it, but his bottom lip is shaking. The image makes the decision for me. I don’t want to live a life where Dyl is dead and I’m a liar.

I can’t be a Love Interest anymore, so I’m going to do it: I’m going to sacrifice everything I’ve worked for to give him a chance to survive. I’m going to put my head next to his on the chopping block.

I don’t have a choice.

It’s who I am.

“I’m a Love Interest, Juliet. And so is Dyl. For most of our lives we’ve been owned by a company that monitors important people like you. They want you to fall in love with one of us so that we can spy on you for the rest of your life. We tell them your secrets, and then they sell them. In order to make sure we comply, they kill whoever doesn’t get chosen. They burn him like garbage.”

She nods, her stare intense. Her eyes are watery.

“Do you hear what I’m saying, Juliet?” I shout. “I’ve been spying on you! I’ve been lying to you this whole time! I’m the worst fucking person you’ve ever met.”