Page 48 of This Blood That Breaks Us

But I did. And I intended to keep that promise.

Amid the crowd that had gathered, a crashing of metal trash cans smacked the cobblestone. I easily identified Henderson’s voice.

“What does he know? He’s wrong for this place. He’s going to ruin everything. How could She pick him?”

Another kicking of some trash cans faded behind us.

He was right. I didn’t belong here, but I belonged nowhere. Not in Brooklyn or Blackheart. I couldn’t stop myself from hoping. From pushing and believing that one day I would belong somewhere, and some day, things wouldn’t feel like this.

Thirteen

Luke

“Luke!” Sarah called.

It startled me. I’d almost forgotten the sound of her voice. Was she here in the room with me?

I was dreaming. I had to be dreaming.

“There you are! The ball’s about to drop.”

I stared at her for a minute, soaking it in. I missed her so much. The relief washed over me at her proximity. Her smile illuminated life.

It was a dream, but it was more than that—it was a memory.

This particular night was during our sophomore year. Ashley’s dad let her throw big New Year’s Eve parties, so we always ended up in their basement. It was spacious and bathed in orange and pink lights. Silver balloons lined the ceiling and would shuffle around as people passed.

I couldn’t stop looking at her.

She was there. Sarah had a unique smile, pinned dimples, and rosy cheeks that freckled in the sun. My memories of that smile had faded, but my subconscious remembered the best parts.

Her cheeks sparkled with silver glitter and tiny stars.She was obsessed with them.

“Five . . . four!” the crowded room roared.

I’d tried to avoid her that night because I wanted to be elsewhere when she kissed someone else at midnight.

“I know we’ve already done the first kiss, but I’ve been saving this for you,” she said.

“Three . . . two!”

She leaned in, pressing her lips to mine.

“One! Happy New Year!”

Before she could pull away, I grasped the back of her head and held her to me. In one magic moment, my heart expanded into hers, and we kissed long after the cheers had ended.

She pulled away, dragging her bottom lip between her teeth. “First New Year’s kiss.”

Her dimpled smile was back.

“I have to tell you something. Come on!”

I let her drag me toward the stairs. We passed Zach with Ashley sitting on his lap. They were celebrating silently, and mouthing words to me I couldn’t comprehend.They’d seen it all.When we ascended the stairs, we were instantly in a different place.

It was my old room in Brooklyn. Dark-blue walls. Zach’s bed on one side and mine on the other—a different day, a different memory.

“You won’t lose me, Luke.” She grabbed my hand. “Even if we try this out and we fight or we split up, you’re always going to be one of the most important people in my life.”