Page 44 of The Oath We Give

It was Lilac.

I missed two years of her life, and every moment away killed me.

For months in that basement, I sobbed. Terrified that she would think I left her willingly. That I had abandoned her without a goodbye. It had been only her I wanted see when I got to the hospital.

I’d missed two years and swore I’d never miss another second.

“Are you going to tell me about her, or do I have to pry?”

She is silent for only a moment before she explodes with information. It’s never hard getting her to talk about herself—her zodiac sign is a Leo, and she never lets me forget it.

“She is so pretty, Cora. Oh! And she plays soccer. Our conversations go on for hours, and they are so much more meaningful than any of the ones I’ve had with people from Ponderosa Springs. She’s just…deep. We text about things that matter,” she gushes, and I just smile, listening to her talk.

“Does she have a name?”

“Reece.” Her face turns pink when she says it.

I let her blab about her crush, listening to her read conversations between the two of them and give my nod of approval when she shows me selfies of the girl.

I listen, let her be a teenager, and bask in her ability to feel these things. To be hopeful, to know she has her entire life ahead of her, and whatever she does with it, I’ll be there to support her.

“Is Reece practicing safe sex?”

“Oh my fucking God.” A mixture of a groan and a squeak echoes from our booth as she slaps her hands in front of her eyes. “We haven’t even hung out yet we met on our school district chat. Sex hasn’t come up, Cora!”

“I’m not shaming you. I’m just asking. They don’t teach safe sex for pansexuals in high school. You can still get herpes from—”

“Do not finish that. I will hurl this burger all over you.”

I roll my eyes. “So dramatic.”

The bell rings, the glass front door swinging open. Another late-night patron makes their way inside, but when I look because of my human nature, I silently curse the universe.

The group captures attention like a cloud of darkness. A hushed pause blankets the diner. Even the sound of clicking metal from the cooks in the back halt.

It’s the Hollow Boys effect.

A joke my group of friends used to make when they walked into a room. When you bear the weight of their last names and reputations, there is no flying under the radar.

Whether it’s respect or fear, people stop, stare, and lower their voices when they arrive, no matter where they go or appear. Their eyes scan the diner’s retro interior, gazes finally settling on an empty booth not far from ours.

Time spent away from Ponderosa Springs has not lessened their influence. It’s grown over the years. They are everything the prestigious pricks in Ponderosa Springs are terrified of.

As teenagers, they were anarchy, a vicious wildfire that needed to be snuffed out but couldn’t be contained in time. Now that they are adults with total access to the money and power their legacy offers, there is no hope of deliverance.

They’ll use their power to retaliate against the system that turned them into monsters the second they are tempted.

It’s the rich devouring the rich.

Everyone knows the truth though.

The Hollow Boys have always have sharper teeth.

“You think they braid each other’s hair?” Lilac whispers across the table, glancing over her shoulder at them for a split second before turning back around. Bold enough to make a joke, not quite enough ballsy to let them hear it though.

I snort a laugh in the back of my throat as they walk down the aisle.

Alistair Caldwell leads the line, as always; he knows nothing but first. Dark hair. Dark eyes. Dark fucking heart. If he ever had a problem, he was notorious for solving it with his fists. It was odd for someone who hated this town as much as he did to own so much of it.